Fuel cell system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11695141-B2
Application number	US-202217582433-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 24, 2022
Priority date	Jan 25, 2021
Publication date	Jul 4, 2023
Grant date	Jul 4, 2023

Abstract

An ECU of a fuel cell system supplies cathode gas by rotating an air pump at a low-load rotational speed and performs a low-load power generation in a fuel cell stack, while a moving body is traveling. When the fuel cell stack generates power while the moving body is stopped, the ECU increases the supply amount of the cathode gas by rotating the air pump at a during-stoppage-of-traveling rotational speed which is greater than the low-load rotational speed.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A fuel cell system provided in a moving body, comprising:
a fuel cell stack;
an air pump configured to supply cathode gas to the fuel cell stack;
a cathode discharge path through which cathode off-gas is discharged from the fuel cell stack;
an anode path configured to allow anode gas to flow through the fuel cell stack;
one or more discharge paths configured to guide the anode gas of the anode path to the cathode discharge path; and
a control device configured to control operation of the air pump,
wherein the control device is configured to:
while the moving body is traveling, supply the cathode gas by rotating the air pump at a low-load rotational speed and perform a low-load power generation in the fuel cell stack; and
in a case where power generation of the fuel cell stack is performed while the moving body is stopped, increase a supply amount of the cathode gas by rotating the air pump at a travel-stopping rotational speed, which is greater than the low-load rotational speed.

2. The fuel cell system according to claim 1 , further comprising:
one or more stop valves configured to switch between a state of allowing flow of the anode gas in the one or more discharge paths and a state of stopping flow of the anode gas in the one or more discharge paths,
wherein the travel-stopping rotational speed is set based on a flow path cross-sectional area of the one or more stop valves.

3. The fuel cell system according to claim 2 , wherein:
the one or more discharge paths comprise a plurality of discharge paths, and each of the plurality of discharge paths is provided with the stop valve; and
the travel-stopping rotational speed is set so as to achieve a supply amount of the cathode gas corresponding to a total amount of the anode gas discharged from the plurality of stop valves.

4. The fuel cell system according to claim 3 , wherein:
the anode path comprises:
an anode supply path through which the anode gas is supplied to the fuel cell stack;
an anode discharge path through which anode off-gas is discharged from the fuel cell stack, the anode discharge path including a gas-liquid separator; and
an anode circulation path configured to allow the anode off-gas discharged from the gas-liquid separator to circulate to the anode supply path; and
the plurality of stop valves include:
a drain valve configured to open and close a drain path, which is one of the discharge paths connected to the gas-liquid separator, to discharge separated water; and
a bleed valve configured to open and close a bleed path, which is another one of the discharge paths connected to the anode circulation path, to discharge the anode off-gas.

5. The fuel cell system according to claim 2 , wherein:
the control device is configured to:
perform a first detection method of detecting a failure of the stop valves while the moving body is traveling, and perform a second detection method of detecting a failure of the stop valves while the moving body is stopped; and
a detection time of the first detection method is shorter than a detection time of the second detection method.

6. The fuel cell system according to claim 2 , wherein:
the control device is configured to:
when a failure of the one or more stop valves is detected while the moving body is traveling, increase a rotational speed of the air pump after the detection of the failure, to a value greater than a rotational speed of the air pump before the detection of the failure.

7. The fuel cell system according to claim 2 , wherein:
the control device is configured to:
output a valve closing command to the stop valves when a failure of the stop valves is detected.

8. The fuel cell system according to claim 2 , wherein:
the control device is configured to:
while the moving body is traveling after a failure of the stop valves has been detected during stoppage of traveling of the moving body, increase a rotational speed of the air pump after the failure has been detected, to a value greater than a rotational speed of the air pump in a state where the stop valves are not in failure.

Assignees

• Honda Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Sakai Ryoji
• Inoue Kazuhide

Classifications

• H01M8/04753

  of fuel cell reactants · CPC title

• H01M8/04089 Primary

  of gaseous reactants · CPC title

• H01M8/04858

  Electric variables · CPC title

• H01M8/04701 Primary

  Temperature · CPC title

• H01M8/2465

  Details of groupings of fuel cells · CPC title