Fuel cell system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016380283-A1
Application number	US-201615186614-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jun 20, 2016
Priority date	Jun 26, 2015
Publication date	Dec 29, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

There is provided a technique to suppress water from remaining in a fuel cell and auxiliary machines after a stop of operation of a fuel cell system. A fuel cell system 100 includes a controller 10 , a fuel cell 20 , a cathode gas supply discharge system 30 and an anode gas supply discharge circulation system 50 . The controller 10 serves as a termination process controller 15 to control a termination process that is performed when operation of the fuel cell 20 is to be stopped. In the termination process, the termination process controller 15 performs a quick warm-up operation to quickly increase the temperature of the fuel cell 20 , subsequently performs a standard warm-up operation that has a lower temperature rise rate of the fuel cell 20 than that in the quick warm-up operation, and then performs a purging process to purge the fuel cell 20.

First claim

1 . A fuel cell system, comprising:
a fuel cell; a reactive gas supplier that is configured to supply a reactive gas to the fuel cell; a gas-flowing auxiliary machine that is provided in a passage which an off-gas discharged from the fuel cell flows through; a termination process controller that is configured to control execution of a termination process when operation of the fuel cell is to be stopped; a cell temperature acquirer that is configured to obtain cell temperature information that is information regarding temperature of the fuel cell; and an auxiliary machine temperature acquirer that is configured to obtain auxiliary machine temperature information that is information regarding temperature of the gas-flowing auxiliary machine, wherein in the termination process, the termination process controller is configured to perform:
a first warm-up process that causes the reactive gas supplier to supply the reactive gas to the fuel cell and thereby causes the fuel cell to generate electric power, so as to generate heat in the fuel cell;
a second warm-up process that controls an operating condition of the fuel cell so that an amount of temperature rise of the fuel cell per unit time in the second warm-up process is greater than an amount of temperature rise in the first warm-up process; and
a purging process that causes the reactive gas supplier to supply the reactive gas as a purge gas to the fuel cell, so as to purge at least the fuel cell and the gas-flowing auxiliary machine, wherein
the termination process includes a process of performing the second warm-up process, subsequently performing the first warm-up process and then performing the purging process, based on the cell temperature information and the auxiliary machine temperature information.

2 . The fuel cell system according to claim 1 ,
wherein the cell temperature acquirer directly or indirectly measures the temperature of the fuel cell and obtains a cell temperature indicating the temperature of the fuel cell as the cell temperature information, the auxiliary machine temperature acquirer directly or indirectly measures the temperature of the gas-flowing auxiliary machine and obtains an auxiliary machine temperature indicating the temperature of the gas-flowing auxiliary machine as the auxiliary machine temperature information, and the termination process controller changes over from the second warm-up process to the first warm-up process, when the cell temperature becomes higher than a predetermined first cell temperature reference value and the auxiliary machine temperature is equal or lower than a predetermined auxiliary machine temperature reference value after a start of the second warm-up process, and the termination process controller performs the purging process when the cell temperature becomes higher than a predetermined second cell temperature reference value that is higher than the first cell temperature reference value.

3 . The fuel cell system according to claim 2 ,
wherein after a changeover from the second warm-up process to the first warm-up process and a start of the first warm-up process, when the auxiliary machine temperature becomes higher than the auxiliary machine temperature reference value, the termination process controller performs the second warm-up process again in a state that the cell temperature is lower than the second cell temperature reference value.

4 . The fuel cell system according to claim 1 ,
wherein the termination process controller decreases a supply amount of an oxidizing gas included in the reactive gas relative to an amount of power generation of the fuel cell in the second warm-up process to be less than a supply amount of the oxidizing gas in the first warm-up process, so as to increase the amount of temperature rise of the fuel cell per unit time in the second warm-up process.

Assignees

• Toyota Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Yamada Takashi
• Toida Masashi

Classifications

• H01M8/04291

  Arrangements for managing water in solid electrolyte fuel cell systems (H01M8/04119 takes precedence) · CPC title

• H01M2250/20

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

• H01M8/04179 Primary

  by purging or increasing flow or pressure of reactants · CPC title

• H01M8/0432

  Temperature; Ambient temperature · CPC title

• H01M8/04007

  related to heat exchange · CPC title