Fuel cell system and method for controlling fuel cell system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12009558-B2
Application number	US-202117551192-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 15, 2021
Priority date	Jul 19, 2019
Publication date	Jun 11, 2024
Grant date	Jun 11, 2024

Abstract

A fuel cell system according to the present disclosure includes: a solid oxide fuel cell that produces electricity from an electrochemical reaction by using a fuel and air and that includes a membrane electrode assembly including a proton-conductive electrolyte membrane, a cathode disposed on a first main surface of the electrolyte membrane, and an anode disposed on a second main surface of the electrolyte membrane; and a controller. In the operation stop process for stopping operation of the fuel cell system, the controller is configured to control supply of the fuel at a higher flow rate than the flow rate of the fuel consumed in the solid oxide fuel cell in an open circuit state.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A fuel cell system comprising:
a solid oxide fuel cell that produces electricity from an electrochemical reaction by using a fuel and air and that includes a membrane electrode assembly including a proton-conductive electrolyte membrane, a cathode disposed on a first main surface of the electrolyte membrane, and an anode disposed on a second main surface of the electrolyte membrane; and
a controller,
wherein, in an operation stop process for stopping operation of the fuel cell system, the controller is configured to control supply of the fuel at a higher flow rate than a flow rate of the fuel consumed in the solid oxide fuel cell in an open circuit state.

2. The fuel cell system according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a fuel feeder that supplies a hydrogen-containing gas as the fuel to the anode of the solid oxide fuel cell,
wherein, in the operation stop process for stopping operation of the fuel cell system, the controller is configured to control the fuel feeder to supply the fuel at a higher flow rate than the flow rate of the fuel consumed in the solid oxide fuel cell in the open circuit state.

3. The fuel cell system according to claim 2 , further comprising:
a temperature sensor that senses a temperature of the solid oxide fuel cell,
wherein, in the operation stop process, the controller is configured to control the fuel feeder to supply the fuel at a higher flow rate than the flow rate of the fuel consumed in the solid oxide fuel cell in the open circuit state until the controller determines that the temperature sensed by the temperature sensor has reached a temperature lower than or equal to a temperature at which hole conduction does not occur in the electrolyte membrane.

4. The fuel cell system according to claim 2 , further comprising:
a temperature sensor that senses a temperature of the solid oxide fuel cell,
wherein, in the operation stop process, the controller is configured to control the fuel feeder to supply the fuel at a higher flow rate than the flow rate of the fuel consumed in the solid oxide fuel cell in the open circuit state until the controller determines that the temperature sensed by the temperature sensor has reached a temperature lower than or equal to a temperature at which a redox reaction does not occur in the anode.

5. The fuel cell system according to claim 2 , wherein, in the operation stop process, the controller is configured to control the fuel feeder to supply the fuel at a higher flow rate than the flow rate of the fuel consumed in the solid oxide fuel cell in the open circuit state, and the flow rate of the fuel consumed in the solid oxide fuel cell is less than or equal to 90% of the flow rate of the fuel supplied to the solid oxide fuel cell.

6. The fuel cell system according to claim 1 , further comprising:
an air feeder that supplies the air to the solid oxide fuel cell,
wherein, in the operation stop process, the controller is configured to control the air feeder to supply air at a higher flow rate than a flow rate of air consumed in the solid oxide fuel cell in the open circuit state.

7. The fuel cell system according to claim 2 , further comprising:
a switch that switches the solid oxide fuel cell from a closed circuit state to an open circuit state,
wherein, in the operation stop process, the controller is configured to control the switch to switch the solid oxide fuel cell from the closed circuit state to the open circuit state and control the fuel feeder to supply the fuel at a higher flow rate than the flow rate of the fuel consumed in the solid oxide fuel cell in the open circuit state.

8. The fuel cell system according to claim 1 , wherein the proton-conductive electrolyte membrane contains a proton-conductive oxide.

9. A method for controlling a fuel cell system including a solid oxide fuel cell that produces electricity from an electrochemical reaction by using a fuel and air and that includes a membrane electrode assembly including a proton-conductive electrolyte membrane, a cathode disposed on a first main surface of the electrolyte membrane, and an anode disposed on a second main surface of the electrolyte membrane, the method comprising:
supplying the fuel at a higher flow rate than a flow rate of the fuel consumed in the solid oxide fuel cell in an open circuit state in an operation stop process for stopping operation of the fuel cell system.

Assignees

• Panasonic Ip Man Co Ltd

Inventors

• Terayama Takeshi
• Kuroha Tomohiro
• Kawada Kyohei

Classifications

• H01M2008/1293

  Fuel cells with solid oxide electrolytes · CPC title

• H01M8/1213

  characterised by the electrode/electrolyte combination or the supporting material · CPC title

• H01M8/04303

  applied during shut-down · CPC title

• H01M8/04753 Primary

  of fuel cell reactants · CPC title

• H01M8/122

  Corrugated, curved or wave-shaped MEA · CPC title