Fuel cell system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9252436-B2
Application number	US-201013260844-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 1, 2010
Priority date	Apr 1, 2009
Publication date	Feb 2, 2016
Grant date	Feb 2, 2016

Abstract

A fuel cell system ( 301 ) of the present invention comprises a fuel cell ( 1 ); a water circulating path ( 9 ) through which water associated with an operation of the fuel cell ( 1 ) circulates; a water circulator ( 10 ) for circulating water in the water circulating path ( 9 ); a heater ( 14 ) for heating the water circulating path ( 9 ); a first abnormality detector ( 29, 30 ) for detecting a first abnormality which is an abnormality relating to leakage of water from the water circulating path ( 9 ); and a controller ( 16 ); the fuel cell system being configured to cause the water circulator ( 10 ) to perform a water circulating operation for circulating the water in the water circulating path ( 9 ) and cause the heater ( 14 ) to perform a heating operation for heating the water circulating path ( 9 ), to suppress freezing in the water circulating path, wherein the controller ( 16 ) is configured to inhibit the water circulating operation for suppressing freezing and not to inhibit the heating operation for suppressing freezing, in a case where the fuel cell system ( 301 ) is shut down in response to detection of the first abnormality by the first abnormality detector ( 29, 30 ).

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method of operating a fuel cell system, comprising steps of:
(a) circulating water in a water circulating path in the fuel cell system by a water circulator to suppress freezing in the water circulating path;
(b) heating a recovered water tank for storing water which has been recovered from an exhaust gas discharged from a fuel cell and has not been purified in a purifier, to suppress freezing in the recovered water tank;
(c) detecting a first abnormality which is an abnormality relating to leakage of water from the water circulating path; and
(d) inhibiting the step (a) and not inhibiting the step (b), in a case where the fuel cell system is shut down in response to detection of the first abnormality, wherein:
the water circulating path includes a recovered water circulating path comprising the recovered water tank and a recovered water path through which the water circulates between the recovered water tank and a cooling water tank,
the step (a) comprises steps of:
(a1) circulating water in a first water circulating path by a first water circulator to suppress freezing in the first water circulating path; and
(a2) circulating water in a second water circulating path by a second water circulator to suppress freezing in the second water circulating path,

the step (c) comprises steps of:
(c1) detecting, as the first abnormality, an abnormality relating to leakage of water from the first water circulating path; and
(c2) detecting, as the first abnormality, an abnormality relating to leakage of water from the second water circulating path, and

the step (d) comprises steps of:
(d1) inhibiting the step (a1) and not inhibiting the step (b), in a case where leakage of water from the first water circulating path is detected but leakage of water from the second water circulating path is not detected, and the fuel cell system is shut down; and
(d2) not inhibiting the step (a2) and not inhibiting the step (b), in a case where leakage of water from the first water circulating path is detected but leakage of water from the second water circulating path is not detected, and the fuel cell system is shut down, one of the first water circulating path and the second water circulating path includes the recovered water circulating path,

the second water circulating path includes the recovered water circulating path, and
the first water circulating path includes one of:
a cooling water circulating path comprising a cooling water path through which cooling water for cooling the fuel cell flows, and the cooling water tank for storing the cooling water; and
a hot water circulating path comprising a hot water path through which hot water for recovering heat from the cooling water flowing through the cooling water path, and a hot water storage tank for storing the hot water.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein:
an amount of heating the recovered water tank in the step (b) performed in the case where leakage of water from the first water circulating path is detected but leakage of water from the second water circulating path is not detected, and the fuel cell system is shut down, is set greater than an amount of heating the recovered water tank in the step (b) performed in a case where the first abnormality is not detected and the fuel cell system is shut down.

3. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising:
detecting a temperature of the water in the water circulating path, wherein
the step (b) is performed if a temperature which is not higher than a first threshold is detected in detecting the temperature of water, in a case where leakage of water from the first water circulating path is detected but leakage of water from the second water circulating path is not detected, and the fuel cell system is shut down.

4. The method according to claim 1 , wherein an electric heater is used in the step (b).

5. A method of operating a fuel cell system, comprising steps of:
(a) circulating water in a water circulating path in the fuel cell system by a water circulator to suppress freezing in the water circulating path;
(b) heating a recovered water tank for storing water which has been recovered from an exhaust gas discharged from a fuel cell and has not been purified in a purifier, to suppress freezing in the recovered water tank;
(c) detecting a first abnormality which is an abnormality relating to leakage of water from the water circulating path;
(d) inhibiting the step (a) and not inhibiting the step (b), in a case where the fuel cell system is shut down in response to detection of the first abnormality,
detecting a second abnormality different from the first abnormality; and
not inhibiting the steps (a) and (b), in a case where the fuel cell system is shut down in response to detection of the second abnormality, wherein:
the water circulating path includes a recovered water circulating path comprising the recovered water tank and a recovered water path through which the water circulates between the recovered water tank and a cooling water tank,
the step (a) comprises steps of:
(a1) circulating water in a first water circulating path by a first water circulator to suppress freezing in the first water circulating path; and
(a2) circulating water in a second water circulating path by a second water circulator to suppress freezing in the second water circulating path,

the step (c) comprises steps of:
(c1) detecting, as the first abnormality, an abnormality relating to leakage of water from the first water circulating path; and
(c2) detecting, as the first abnormality, an abnormality relating to leakage of water from the second water circulating path, and

the step (d) comprises steps of:
(d1) inhibiting the step (a1) and not inhibiting the step (b), in a case where leakage of water from the first water circulating path is detected but leakage of water from the second water circulating path is not detected, and the fuel cell system is shut down; and
(d2) not inhibiting the step (a2) and not inhibiting the step (b), in a case where leakage of water from the first water circulating path is detected but leakage of water from the second water circulating path is not detected, and the fuel cell system is shut down, one of the first water circulating path and the second water circulating path includes the recovered water circulating path,

the second water circulating path includes the recovered water circulating path, and
the first water circulating path includes one of:
a cooling water circulating path comprising a cooling water path through which cooling water for cooling the fuel cell flows, and the cooling water tank for storing the cooling water; and
a hot water circulating path comprising a hot water path through which hot water for recovering heat from the cooling water flowing through the cooling water path, and a hot water storage tank for storing the hot water.

6. A method of operating a fuel cell system, comprising steps of:
(a) circulating water in a water circulating path in the fuel cell system by a water circulator to suppress freezing in the water circulating path;
(b) heating a recovered water tank for storing water which has been recovered from an exhaust gas discharged from a fuel cell and has not been purified in a purifier, to suppress freezing in the recovered water tank;
(c) detecting a first abnormality which is an abnormality relating to leakage of water from the water circulating path; and
(d) inhibiting the step (a) and not inhibiting the step (b), in a case where the fuel cell system is shut down in response to detection of the first abnormality, wherein:
the water circulating path includes a recovered water circulating path comprising the recovered water tank and a recovered water path through which

Assignees

• Yasuda Shigeki
• Kusumura Koichi
• Taguchi Kiyoshi
• Tamura Yoshio
• Panasonic Ip Man Co Ltd

Inventors

• Yasuda Shigeki
• Kusumura Koichi
• Taguchi Kiyoshi
• Tamura Yoshio

Classifications

• H01M8/04253

  Means for solving freezing problems · CPC title

• H01M8/04037

  Electrical heating · CPC title

• Y02E60/50

  Fuel cells · CPC title

• H01M8/04731

  of other components of a fuel cell or fuel cell stacks · CPC title

• H01M8/04664

  Failure or abnormal function · CPC title