Fuel cell system
AssigneeNissan Motor Co., Ltd.
InventorRyoichi Shimoi
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
At system shutdown, supply of hydrogen to a fuel electrode of a fuel cell stack is stopped, and at the same time dry air is supplied to an oxidant electrode. The dry air is subsequently supplied also to the fuel electrode, and finally the system is shut down. This allows optimal conditioning of a fuel cell at system shutdown, and effectively suppresses deterioration of a proton exchange membrane or a catalyst layer of the fuel cell which is caused at system shutdown as well as during storage. Furthermore, a fuel cell system excellent in safety and the like can be provided.
Claims18
A fuel cell system comprising:
- a fuel cell that generates electricity by causing an electrochemical reaction between a fuel gas and an oxidant gas;
- a fuel gas supply system that supplies the fuel gas to a fuel electrode of the fuel cell;
- an oxidant gas supply system that supplies the oxidant gas to an oxidant electrode of the fuel cell;
- humidification means for humidifying the oxidant gas;
- communication means for switchably connecting and disconnecting between the fuel gas supply system and the oxidant gas supply system in an open/closed manner;
- and
- control means for, at system shutdown, stopping supply of the fuel gas to the fuel electrode of the fuel cell and at the same time, starting a supply to the oxidant electrode of a drier oxidant gas that is drier than the oxidant gas supplied thereto for normal electricity generation, and subsequently supplying the drier oxidant gas also to the fuel electrode through the communication means, and finally shutting down the fuel cell system.
A fuel cell system comprising:
- a fuel cell that generates electricity by causing an electrochemical reaction between a fuel gas and an oxidant gas;
- a fuel gas supply system that supplies the fuel gas to a fuel electrode of the fuel cell;
- an oxidant gas supply system that supplies the oxidant gas to an oxidant electrode of the fuel cell;
- a humidification unit that humidifies the oxidant gas;
- a communication unit that switchably connects and disconnects between the fuel gas supply system and the oxidant gas supply system in an open/closed manner;
- and
- a control unit that, at system shutdown, stops supply of the fuel gas to the fuel electrode of the fuel cell and at the same time, starts a supply to the oxidant electrode of a drier oxidant gas that is drier than the oxidant gas supplied thereto for normal electricity generation, and subsequently causes supply of the drier oxidant gas also to the fuel electrode through the communication unit, and finally shuts down the fuel cell system.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.