Method for running a fuel cell system with a failed stack health monitor

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9099702-B2
Application number	US-201213708563-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 7, 2012
Priority date	Dec 7, 2012
Publication date	Aug 4, 2015
Grant date	Aug 4, 2015

Abstract

A system and method for selectively operating a fuel cell stack in response to loss of a voltage signal from one or more fuel cells in the stack. If the voltage signal from the one or more fuel cells is lost, the method performs one or more remedial actions to cause the fuel cell stack to operate in a more stack safe condition. The method then determines whether the cell or cells whose voltage signal is lost was healthy, such as operating above a predetermined voltage threshold, prior to the voltage signal being lost. If the cell voltage signal was above the voltage threshold, then the fuel cell stack is operated normally under the remedial actions, and if the voltage signal is below the voltage threshold, then the fuel cell stack is operated in a power limitation mode.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for operating a fuel cell system including a fuel cell stack, said fuel cell stack including a plurality of fuel cells electrically coupled in series, said method comprising:
monitoring a voltage of the fuel cells in the fuel cell stack using a cell voltage monitor;
determining that a voltage signal from one or more of the fuel cells in the fuel cell stack is lost and not being received by the cell voltage monitor;
performing one or more remedia…

Assignees

• Gm Global Tech Operations Inc

Inventors

• Lebzelter Derek R
• Falta Steven R

Classifications

• H01M8/04694

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H01M8/04679 Primary

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H01M8/04559 Primary

  Electricity · mapped topic

• Y02E60/50

  Cross-Sectional Technologies · mapped topic

• H01M8/04552 Primary

  Electricity · mapped topic