Fuel cell system
AssigneeNissan Motor Co., Ltd.
InventorToru Fuse
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A hydrogen circulation device 4 circulates unused hydrogen gas, expelled from an outlet of a hydrogen electrode 1a of a fuel cell 1, to an inlet of the hydrogen electrode 1a through a hydrogen gas circulation passage 3. If load of a hydrogen circulation device 4 detected by a load detector 7 exceeds a given value, a purge valve controller 8 discriminates, that a quantity of nitrogen accumulated in a hydrogen circulation path (1a, 3, 4) exceeds a given value, to open the purge valve while closing the purge valve 6 in the presence of judgment made, when the load of the hydrogen circulation device 4 drops below the given value, that purging of nitrogen is terminated.
Claims13
A fuel cell system comprising:
- a fuel cell body having a hydrogen electrode and an oxidant electrode supplied with hydrogen gas and oxidant gas, respectively, for generating electric power;
- a hydrogen supply passage supplying the hydrogen gas to an inlet of the hydrogen electrode;
- a hydrogen circulation passage circulating exhaust hydrogen gas expelled from an outlet of the hydrogen electrode to the inlet of the hydrogen electrode;
- a hydrogen circulation device through which the exhaust hydrogen is circulated;
- a purge passage discharging the exhaust hydrogen gas expelled from at least one of the outlet of the hydrogen electrode and the hydrogen circulation passage to an outside;
- a purge valve opening or closing the purge passage;
- and
- a purge valve controller controlling to open or close the purge valve depending upon at least one of load of and rotational speed of the hydrogen circulation device.
A fuel cell system comprising:
- a fuel cell body having a hydrogen electrode and an oxidant electrode supplied with hydrogen gas and oxidant gas, respectively, for generating electric power;
- a hydrogen supplying means for supplying the hydrogen gas to an inlet of the hydrogen electrode;
- a hydrogen circulation means for circulating exhaust hydrogen gas expelled from an outlet of the hydrogen electrode to the inlet of the hydrogen electrode;
- a hydrogen circulation passage through which the exhaust hydrogen is circulated;
- a purge passage discharging the exhaust hydrogen gas expelled from at least one of the outlet of the hydrogen electrode and the hydrogen circulation means to an outside;
- a purge valve for opening or closing the purge passage;
- and
- a purge valve control means for controlling to open or close the purge valve depending upon at least one of load of and rotational speed of the hydrogen circulation means.
A method of controlling a purge valve in a fuel cell system in which exhaust hydrogen is circulated in a hydrogen circulation device and the hydrogen gas is expelled from the purge valve,
- the method comprising:
- detecting at least one of the load of and rotation speed of the hydrogen circulation device;
- and
- controlling to open or close the purge valve based on the at least one of detected the load and the speed.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.