Fuel cell system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10862147-B2
Application number	US-201916539025-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 13, 2019
Priority date	Sep 8, 2016
Publication date	Dec 8, 2020
Grant date	Dec 8, 2020

Abstract

In a fuel cell system, each of an inlet sealing valve and an outlet integration valve is provided with a valve seat including a valve hole and a seat surface formed on a circumferential edge of the valve hole, a valve element formed, on its outer periphery, with a seal surface corresponding to the seat surface, and a motor to move the valve element away from the valve seat upon receipt of electric power supplied from outside. The valve seat is provided with a seal member to seal between the valve element and the valve seat during non-operation of the motor. In an inlet-side bypass passage connected to an air supply passage by detouring around the inlet sealing valve, there are arranged an inlet-side bypass passage and an inlet bypass valve.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A fuel cell system comprising:
a fuel cell;
an oxidant gas supply passage that supplies oxidant gas to the fuel cell;
a compressor provided in the oxidant gas supply passage and configured to supply the oxidant gas to the fuel cell;
an upstream-side valve provided in the oxidant gas supply passage between the compressor and the fuel cell, the upstream-side valve including:
a valve seat including a valve hole and a seat surface formed at an edge of the valve hole,
a valve element including an outer periphery formed with a seal surface corresponding to the seat surface, and
a drive mechanism configured to move the valve element in a direction away from the valve seat by electric power supplied from outside, wherein one of the valve seat and the valve element is provided with a seal member configured to seal between the valve element and the valve seat during non-operation of the drive mechanism;

an oxidant gas exhaust passage that exhausts the oxidant gas supplied to the fuel cell;
a downstream-side valve provided in the oxidant gas exhaust passage, the downstream-side valve including:
a valve seat including a valve hole and a seat surface formed at an edge of the valve hole,
a valve element including an outer periphery formed with a seal surface corresponding to the seat surface, and
a drive mechanism configured to move the valve element in a direction away from the valve seat by electric power supplied from outside, wherein one of the valve seat and the valve element is provided with a seal member configured to seal between the valve element and the valve seat during non-operation of the drive mechanism;

a bypass passage connected to the oxidant gas supply passage and the oxidant gas exhaust passage;
a bypass valve provided in the bypass passage and configured to control a flow rate of the oxidant gas to be allowed to flow in the bypass passage;
a controller configured to execute various controls;
an upstream-side bypass passage connected to the oxidant gas supply passage by detouring around the upstream-side valve; and
an upstream-side bypass valve in the upstream-side bypass passage,
wherein the upstream-side bypass valve is a safety valve configured to rupture when a differential pressure between an upstream side and a downstream side of the upstream-side bypass valve in the upstream-side bypass passage is equal to or greater than a first predetermined pressure.

2. The fuel cell system according to claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to open the upstream-side bypass valve at start-up of the fuel cell system before opening the upstream-side valve and the downstream-side valve.

3. The fuel cell system according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a downstream-side bypass passage connected to the oxidant gas exhaust passage by detouring around the downstream-side valve; and
a downstream-side bypass valve in the downstream-side bypass passage.

4. The fuel cell system according to claim 1 , wherein when the upstream-side bypass valve is a solenoid valve, at start-up of the fuel cell system, before opening the upstream-side valve and the downstream-side valve, the controller opens the solenoid valve from a valve-closed state and then closes the solenoid valve.

5. The fuel cell system according to claim 3 , wherein when at least one of the upstream-side bypass valve and the downstream-side bypass valve is a solenoid valve, at start-up of the fuel cell system, before opening the upstream-side valve and the downstream-side valve, the controller opens the solenoid valve from a valve-closed state and then closes the solenoid valve.

6. The fuel cell system according to claim 3 , wherein the downstream-side bypass valve is a safety valve configured to rupture when a differential pressure between an upstream side and a downstream side of the downstream-side bypass valve in the downstream-side bypass passage is equal to or greater than a second predetermined pressure.

7. A fuel cell system comprising:
a fuel cell;
an oxidant gas supply passage that supplies oxidant gas to the fuel cell;
a compressor provided in the oxidant gas supply passage and configured to supply the oxidant gas to the fuel cell;
an upstream-side valve provided in the oxidant gas supply passage between the compressor and the fuel cell, the upstream-side valve including:
a valve seat including a valve hole and a seat surface formed at an edge of the valve hole,
a valve element including an outer periphery formed with a seal surface corresponding to the seat surface, and
a drive mechanism configured to move the valve element in a direction away from the valve seat by electric power supplied from outside, wherein one of the valve seat and the valve element is provided with a seal member configured to seal between the valve element and the valve seat during non-operation of the drive mechanism;

an oxidant gas exhaust passage that exhausts the oxidant gas supplied to the fuel cell;
a downstream-side valve provided in the oxidant gas exhaust passage, the downstream-side valve including:
a valve seat including a valve hole and a seat surface formed at an edge of the valve hole,
a valve element including an outer periphery formed with a seal surface corresponding to the seat surface, and
a drive mechanism configured to move the valve element in a direction away from the valve seat by electric power supplied from outside, wherein one of the valve seat and the valve element is provided with a seal member configured to seal between the valve element and the valve seat during non-operation of the drive mechanism;

a bypass passage connected to the oxidant gas supply passage and the oxidant gas exhaust passage;
a bypass valve provided in the bypass passage and configured to control a flow rate of the oxidant gas to be allowed to flow in the bypass passage;
a controller configured to execute various controls;
an upstream-side bypass passage connected to the oxidant gas supply passage by detouring around the upstream-side valve; and
an upstream-side bypass valve placed in the upstream-side bypass passage at a higher position than the upstream-side valve.

8. A fuel cell system comprising:
a fuel cell;
an oxidant gas supply passage that supplies oxidant gas to the fuel cell;
a compressor provided in the oxidant gas supply passage and configured to supply the oxidant gas to the fuel cell;
an upstream-side valve provided in the oxidant gas supply passage between the compressor and the fuel cell, the upstream-side valve including:
a valve seat including a valve hole and a seat surface formed at an edge of the valve hole,
a valve element including an outer periphery formed with a seal surface corresponding to the seat surface, and
a drive mechanism configured to move the valve element in a direction away from the valve seat by electric power supplied from outside, wherein one of the valve seat and the valve element is provided with a seal member configured to seal between the valve element and the valve seat during non-operation of the drive mechanism;

an oxidant gas exhaust passage that exhausts the oxidant gas supplied to the fuel cell;
a downstream-side valve provided in the oxidant gas exhaust passage, the downstream-side valve including:
a valve seat including a valve hole and a seat surface formed at an edge of the valve hole,
a valve element including an outer periphery formed with a seal surface corresponding to the seat surface, and
a drive mechanism configured to move the valve element in a direction away from the valve seat by electric power supplied from outside, wherein one of the valve seat and the valve element is provided with a seal member configured to seal between the valve element and the valve seat dur

Assignees

• Aisan Ind

Inventors

• Yoshioka Mamoru
• Ito Naruto
• Fukui Makoto

Classifications

• H01M8/04753 Primary

  of fuel cell reactants · CPC title

• Y02E60/50

  Fuel cells · CPC title

• F16K31/041 Primary

  for rotating valves (F16K31/055 takes precedence) · CPC title

• H01M8/04089

  of gaseous reactants · CPC title

• H01M8/04302

  applied during start-up · CPC title