Fuel Cell System and Fuel Cell System Control Method

Abstract

A fuel cell system and control method that accurately estimates the idle return time and/or auxiliary device power consumption that changes in accordance with environmental conditions. A fuel cell system comprising fuel cell 19 that generates power by supplying fuel gas containing hydrogen and oxidant gas containing oxygen, idle stopping means 62 that stops power generation of fuel cell 19, which is in idle operation, and puts it in an idle stopped state, atmospheric pressure detection means 61 that detects the atmospheric pressure of the periphery of the fuel cell, and idle return time estimation means 63 that estimates the idle return time from the time at which the fuel cell that is in the idle stopped state starts the start-up operation until it returns to idle operation based on the atmospheric pressure detected by the atmospheric pressure detection means.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.