1765results about "Fuel cell control" patented technology

A stream conditioning system for a fuel cell gas management system or fuel cell engine. The stream conditioning system manages species potential in at least one fuel cell reactant stream. A species transfer device is located in the path of at least one reactant stream of a fuel cell's inlet or outlet, which transfer device conditions that stream to improve the efficiency of the fuel cell. The species transfer device incorporates an exchange media and a sorbent. The fuel cell gas management system can include a cathode loop with the stream conditioning system transferring latent and sensible heat from an exhaust stream to the cathode inlet stream of the fuel cell; an anode humidity retention system for maintaining the total enthalpy of the anode stream exiting the fuel cell related to the total enthalpy of the anode inlet stream; and a cooling water management system having segregated deionized water and cooling water loops interconnected by means of a brazed plate heat exchanger.

The present invention provides an apparatus and method for determining deterioration of a fuel cell, the method including measuring in real time fluoride ion concentration or pH value of outflow water from a fuel cell stack during operation in a fuel cell vehicle, calculating a fluoride emission rate from the measured value and, if the calculated fluoride emission rate is out of a predetermined normal range, determining deterioration of an electrolyte membrane of the fuel cell stack.

Described herein are fuel cell systems and methods of increasing fuel cell system efficiency. The systems include a fuel processor that produces hydrogen from a fuel source and a fuel cell that generates electrical energy using the hydrogen. An electronics device that receives the electrical energy may also include the fuel cell system and a heat-generating component. The invention uses heat from the fuel cell and / or heat from the heat-generating electronics component to preheat a liquid fuel source. This reduces or potentially eliminates the need for fuel source heating in the fuel processor.

An electrolyte fuel system, its operation and program and a recording medium associated with the program is disclosed. Embodiments include a fuel cell system having a load electric current changing means for changing an amount of load electric current that runs in one ore more fuel cells which are operated to generate electricity, a measurement means for measuring voltage responses to the change in said load electric current, a calculating means for calculating impedance of said one or more fuel cells based on said voltage responses measured, and a fuel cell control means for controlling condition for operation of said one or more fuel cells by utilizing calculation results retrieved by said calculating means.

The invention discloses a method for construction of a PEM (proton exchange membrane) fuel cell performance prediction model. A constructed model comprises a one-dimensional model vertical to a polar plate direction and a 1 plus 1 plus 1 quasi three-dimensional model; the construction of the one-dimensional model vertical to the polar plate direction concretely comprises four steps: determination of cell output voltage, determination of ohmic loss, determination of activation loss, and water management; on the basis that the 1 plus 1 plus 1 quasi three-dimensional model is vertical to the one-dimensional model in the polar plate direction, a direction along a cell flow channel and a ribbed plate direction vertical to the flow channel are added. The mass conservation equation of a reactant and water is solved to obtain average liquid water volume fractions in various layers of the cell and a reactant concentration in a catalyst layer; accordingly, the ohmic loss and the activation loss are determined; working conditions such as electric current density, temperature, the relative humidity of air inflow and the like are adjusted; and the output voltage of the PEM fuel cell in different working conditions can be predicted. The construction of the PEM fuel cell performance prediction model can effectively save the development expenses and shorten the development cycle.

A hydrogen fuel supply system includes a hydrogen generator for generating hydrogen from an energy source at an outlet pressure. An outlet conduit feeds the hydrogen to a user. A controller controls the hydrogen generator to produce hydrogen at the outlet pressure. An input interface receives user demand data and activates the controller in accordance with the user demand data.

The invention relates to a shutdown purging system and a purging method for a vehicle-mounted fuel cell power generation system. The system comprises a fuel cell, a vehicle control unit, a fuel cell controller, a power output relay, an air pump, a hydrogen tail exhaust electromagnetic valve, a fuel cell temperature acquisition device and an environmental temperature acquisition device. A control method comprises the step that the fuel cell controller controls the rotating speed of the air pump, the exhaust period of the hydrogen tail exhaust electromagnetic valve and the purging time in the shutdown process according to the temperature of the fuel cell and the environmental temperature. The shutdown purging system and the purging method for the vehicle-mounted fuel cell power generation system have the beneficial effects that the purging process depends on power generated by the fuel cell power generation system and the feed of a storage battery, which is caused by shutdown purging, can be prevented; and the purging is not limited by time, is determined according to the fuel cell and the environment state and is completely carried out by liquid water.

Fuel cell emergency power systems comprising a fuel cell having an anode and a cathode, a power distribution unit for selectively directing electrical current from the fuel cell to one or more consuming device, a hydrogen gas control system and an oxygen gas control system. The hydrogen gas control system includes a pressurized hydrogen tank providing hydrogen gas in selective fluid communication to the anode, a hydrogen gas-liquid water phase separator in downstream fluid communication with the anode, and a hydrogen recirculation pump for recirculating substantially liquid water-free hydrogen from the hydrogen gas-liquid water phase separator to the anode. Similarly, the oxygen gas control system includes a pressurized oxygen tank providing oxygen gas in selective fluid communication to the anode, an oxygen gas-liquid water phase separator in downstream fluid communication with the anode, and an oxygen recirculation pump for recirculating substantially liquid water-free oxygen from the oxygen gas-liquid water phase separator to the anode.

Fuel cell systems that use a desiccant to recover water from fuel cell effluent. In some embodiments, the fuel cell system may include one or more fuel cells configured to generate electrical output from a supplied fuel and an oxidant while emitting effluent. The fuel cell system also may include a desiccant disposed downstream of the one or more fuel cells. The desiccant may bind water from at least a portion of the effluent. Heat then may be generated to release bound water from the desiccant. The heat may be generated by combustion of an exhausted fuel from the fuel cells and / or by combustion catalyzed by a combustion catalyst disposed downstream of the fuel cells.

The present invention provides a method for accelerating activation of a fuel cell, which can significantly reduce the time required for the activation of the fuel cell and the amount of hydrogen used and facilitate the activation of the fuel cell.