Fuel cell system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11296334-B2
Application number	US-201916382285-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 12, 2019
Priority date	May 24, 2018
Publication date	Apr 5, 2022
Grant date	Apr 5, 2022

Abstract

An FC (fuel cell) system includes: an FC; a radiator configured to cool a CL (cooling liquid); an ion exchanger provided in a BFP (bypass flow path) branched off from a CFP (circulation flow path) for allowing the CL to circulate between the FC and the radiator; a multi-way valve provided in a branching point at which the BFP is branched off from the CFP; and a pump which circulates the CL. A percentage of the CL that is made to flow through the BFP can be controlled by the multi-way valve. In a case in which a stop time is longer than a threshold time when the FC system is started up, after the CL is circulated through the radiator, the CL is circulated through the BFP at the percentage of 80% or more until electrical conductivity of the CL becomes smaller than a threshold electrical conductivity.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A fuel cell system comprising:
a fuel cell in which a plurality of cells are stacked;
a radiator configured to cool a cooling liquid that has passed through the fuel cell;
an ion exchanger provided in a bypass flow path branched off from a circulation flow path for allowing the cooling liquid to circulate between the fuel cell and the radiator;
a multi-way valve provided in a branching point at which the bypass flow path is branched off from the circulation flow path;
a pump which circulates the cooling liquid; and
a controller programmed to control the multi-way valve such that a percentage of the cooling liquid that is made to flow through the bypass flow path, wherein
in a case in which a stop time is longer than a threshold time when the fuel cell system is started up, the controller is programmed to control the multi-way valve such that all of the cooling liquid is circulated through the radiator, and then the cooling liquid is circulated through the bypass flow path at a percentage of 80% or more until an electrical conductivity of the cooling liquid becomes less than a threshold electrical conductivity, and
wherein the percentage of the cooling liquid when it is circulated through the bypass flow path is switched in such a way that this percentage in a case in which the fuel cell system is used by a user becomes higher than that in a case in which a pre-shipment test is performed.

2. The fuel cell system according to claim 1 , wherein, when the cooling liquid is circulated through the radiator, the cooling liquid is circulated halfway through the circulation flow path or more.

Assignees

• Toyota Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Yamaue Keita
• Hasegawa Shigeki
• Imanishi Hiroyuki
• Ishikawa Tomotaka

Classifications

• H01M8/04813

  of the coolant · CPC title

• H01M8/24

  Grouping of fuel cells, e.g. stacking of fuel cells · CPC title

• H01M8/04768

  of the coolant · CPC title

• F16K11/085

  with cylindrical plug · CPC title

• B01J47/00

  Ion-exchange processes in general; Apparatus therefor (ion-exchange chromatography processes or apparatus B01D15/08) · CPC title