Fuel cell system and control method of the same

#The disclosure of Japanese Patent Application No. 2002-116950 filed on Apr. 19, 2002, including the specification, drawings and abstract is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

#1. Field of the Invention

#The invention relates to a fuel cell system and a control method thereof.

#The above-mentioned and other objects, features, advantages, technical and industrial significances of this invention will be better understood by reading the following detailed description of the exemplary embodiments of the invention, when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

#FIG. 1 is a block diagram schematically showing a fuel cell system according to an exemplary embodiment of the invention;

#FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an FC stack of the fuel cell system according to the embodiment;

#In order to further clarify the invention, hereafter, an exemplary embodiment of the invention will be described with reference to accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram schematically showing a fuel cell system 10 according to the embodiment, FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an FC stack 20, and FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of a unit cell 210.

#The fuel cell system 10 according to the embodiment mainly includes a fuel cell stack (hereinafter, referred to as an FC stack) 20 of a solid polyelectrolyte type, a first interrupter 30 which is provided between output terminals 25, 26 of the FC stack 20 and a load 60, a second interrupter 40 which is provided between the output terminals 25, 26 of the FC stack 20, and a control device 50 which controls a supply of fuel gas and oxidizing gas to the FC stack 20 and controls connection and disconnection by the first interrupter 30 and the second interrupter 40.

#The FC stack 20, which will be described later in detail, is formed by stacking a plurality of unit cells 210. In the FC cell 20, the fuel gas is supplied from a fuel gas supply source 15 to a fuel gas supply manifold M1, and the fuel gas which passes through each of the unit cells 210 is released to the outside from a fuel gas release manifold M3. Also, the oxidizing gas which is humidified by a humidifier 13 is supplied from a blower 11 that is an oxidizing gas supply source to an oxidizing gas supply manifold M2, and the oxidizing gas which passes through each of the unit cells 210 is released to the outside from an oxidizing gas supply manifold M4. In this case, the fuel gas is gas which is rich in hydrogen, and the oxidizing gas is air (including oxygen). Since an electrochemical reaction occurs between the oxygen in the oxygen gas and the hydrogen in the fuel gas which are supplied to the FC stack 20 when the oxygen and the hydrogen pass through each of the unit cells 210, the FC stack 20 generates electric power, and a potential difference is generated between the output terminals 25, 26. Examples of the fuel gas supply source 15 are a reformer which generates hydrogen gas from hydrocarbon type fuel (methanol, methane, propane, gasoline, or the like), a high-pressure hydrogen gas cylinder, a hydrogen absorbing alloy, or the like.