Power-on shutdown of fuel cell power plant for enhanced durability

A device including:

• a fuel cell power plant that includes:
• a cell stack assembly;
• and
• a controller configured to:
• control a shutdown operation of the fuel cell power plant;
• automatically activate and control a hydrogen passivation process of the shutdown operation in response to coupling the fuel cell power plant to an electrical energy source and to an external hydrogen resource, the hydrogen passivation process including maintaining introduction of hydrogen into the fuel cell power plant through a hydrogen inlet valve for greater than 16 hours and maintaining a flow of the hydrogen through an anode exhaust valve to a cathode recirculation conduit for greater than 16 hours.

A system, including:

• a mobile vehicle that includes:
• a fuel cell power plant that includes:
• a cell stack assembly;
• and
• a controller configured to:
• control a shutdown operation of the fuel cell power plant;
• automatically activate and control a hydrogen passivation process of the shutdown operation in response to coupling the fuel cell power plant to an electrical energy source and to an external hydrogen resource, the hydrogen passivation process including maintaining introduction of hydrogen into the fuel cell power plant through a hydrogen inlet valve for greater than 16 hours and maintaining a flow of hydrogen through an anode exhaust valve to a cathode recirculation conduit for greater than 16 hours.