Fuel cell system and a method of detecting a hydrogen gas leak

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016141678-A1
Application number	US-201514932304-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Nov 4, 2015
Priority date	Nov 13, 2014
Publication date	May 19, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

The fuel cell system is provided with the hydrogen gas circulation system that supplies hydrogen gas to the fuel cell while merging the hydrogen gas discharged from the fuel cell with the newly supplied hydrogen gas, a hydrogen gas supply valve that controls the amount of hydrogen gas supplied to the hydrogen gas circulation system, an initial pressurization unit that pressurizes the hydrogen gas circulation system by temporarily opening the hydrogen gas supply valve at the start of the fuel cell, and a re-pressurization and gas leak detection unit that re-pressurizes the hydrogen gas circulation system by opening the hydrogen gas supply valve when a given level of pressure drop is found in the pressure detected by the pressure detection unit after the pressurization by the initial pressurization unit and detects a hydrogen gas leak from the hydrogen gas circulation system based on the pressure detected by the pressure detection unit in a given timing after the pressurization.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A fuel cell system provided with a fuel cell comprising:
a hydrogen gas circulation system that supplies hydrogen gas to the fuel cell, while merging the hydrogen gas discharged from the fuel cell with the newly supplied hydrogen gas; a hydrogen gas supply valve that controls the amount of hydrogen gas supplied to the hydrogen gas circulation system; a pressure detection unit that defects the internal pressure of the hydrogen gas circulation system; an initial pressurization unit that pressurizes the hydrogen gas circulation system by temporarily opening the hydrogen gas supply valve at the start of the fuel cell; and a re-pressurization and gas detection unit that re-pressurizes the hydrogen gas circulation system after the pressurization by the initial pressurization unit by opening the hydrogen gas supply valve when a given level of drop is found in the pressure detected by the pressure detection unit, and detects a hydrogen gas leak from the hydrogen gas circulation system based on the pressure detected by the pressure detection unit in a given timing after the pressurization.

2 . The fuel cell system described in the claim 1 , wherein
the given timing is at the start of the power generation operation of the fuel cell.

3 . The fuel cell system described in the claim 1 , wherein
the hydrogen gas circulation system comprises: a hydrogen gas supply channel that passes the hydrogen gas supplied by the hydrogen supply valve to the fuel cell; and a circulation channel that circulates the hydrogen gas discharged from the fuel cell to the hydrogen gas supply channel.

4 . The fuel cell system described in any of the claim 1 further comprising:
an air system including a channel and a valve for supplying air to the fuel cell;
an air compressor that sends air to the air system;
an air pressure detection unit that detects the internal pressure of the air system;
a rotational speed control unit that raises the rotational speed of the air compressor and keeps the speed for a given period of time, and
a failure detection unit that detects a failure or the valve based on the pressure fluctuations during the given period of time detected by the air pressure detection unit.

5 . A hydrogen gas leak detection method for a fuel cell system provided with a fuel cell, a hydrogen gas circulation system that supplies hydrogen gas to the fuel cell while merging the hydrogen gas discharged from the fuel cell with the newly supplied hydrogen gas, a hydrogen gas supply valve that controls the amount of hydrogen gas supply to the hydrogen gas circulation system, and a pressure detection unit that detects the internal pressure of the hydrogen gas circulation system, comprising:
pressurizing the hydrogen gas circulation system by temporarily opening the hydrogen gas supply valve at the start of the fuel cell; and re-pressurizing the hydrogen gas circulation system by opening the hydrogen gas supply valve when a given level of drop is found in the pressure detected by the pressure detection after the pressurization, and detecting a hydrogen gas leak from the hydrogen gas circulation system based on the pressure detected by the pressure detection unit in a given timing after the pressurization.

6 . The hydrogen gas leak detection method described in the claim 5 , wherein
the given timing is at the start of the power generation operation of the fuel cell.

7 . The hydrogen gas leak detection method described in the claim 5 , wherein the fuel cell system further comprising:
an air system that includes a channel and a valve for supplying air to the fuel cell; an air compressor for sending air to the air system; and an air pressure detection unit that detects the internal pressure of the air system, wherein the hydrogen gas leak detection method comprises: raising the rotational speed of the air compressor and keeping the speed for a given period of time; and detecting any failure of the valve based on the pressure fluctuations during the given period of time detected by the air pressure detection unit.

Assignees

• Toyota Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Tachibana Minoru

Classifications

• H01M8/04097 Primary

  with recycling of the reactants (H01M8/04119, H01M8/04104 take precedence) · CPC title

• H01M8/04776

  at auxiliary devices, e.g. reformer, compressor, burner · CPC title

• H01M2250/20

  Fuel cells in motive systems, e.g. vehicle, ship, plane · CPC title

• H01M8/04671 Primary

  of the individual fuel cell · CPC title

• H01M8/04402

  of anode exhausts · CPC title