# US 8,541,120 B2 · Fuel cell system and operation method for fuel cell system > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 8,541,120 B2 - Document ID: US8541120B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 12/279,731 - Filed: 2007-03-16 - Published: 2009-01-22 - Granted: 2013-09-24 - Earliest claimed: 2006-03-22 - Assignees: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha - Applicants: Kenichi Hamada - Inventors: Kenichi Hamada - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US8541120B2 ## CPC - H01M 8/04097: {with recycling of the reactants (H01M8/04119, H01M8/04104 take precedence)} - H01M 8/04225: during start-up - H01M 8/04231: {Purging of the reactants} - H01M 8/04253: {Means for solving freezing problems} - H01M 8/04268: {Heating of fuel cells during the start-up of the fuel cells} - Y02E 60/50: Fuel cells - H01M: PROCESSES OR MEANS, e.g. BATTERIES, FOR THE DIRECT CONVERSION OF CHEMICAL ENERGY INTO ELECTRICAL ENERGY - Y02E: REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION ## Abstract A fuel cell system (100) includes: a circulation pump (50) provided on a fuel gas circulation channel (27) so as to circulate a fuel gas; a pump temperature detection portion (420) that detects a temperature of the circulation pump (50); a warmup portion that warms up the circulation pump; a pump control portion (410) that drives the circulation pump; and a breakdown determination portion (450) that determines whether the circulation pump has broken. At the start of the fuel cell system, if the pump temperature detected by the pump temperature detection portion (420) is below the melting point of water, the warmup portion warms the circulation pump, and the pump control portion (410) drives the circulation pump (50). If the pump temperature is higher than or equal to the melting point of water and the rotation speed of the circulation pump (50) is less than a predetermined speed, the breakdown determination portion (450) determines that the circulation pump (50) has broken. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A fuel cell system comprising: a fuel cell; a fuel gas supply portion; a fuel gas supply channel that supplies a fuel gas from the fuel gas supply portion to the fuel cell; a fuel gas circulation channel that is connected to the fuel cell and to the fuel gas supply channel and that circulates the fuel gas discharged from the fuel cell by returning the fuel gas to the fuel gas supply channel for reuse; a circulation pump provided on the fuel gas circulation channel so as to circulate the fuel gas; a temperature detection portion programmed to detect a temperature of the fuel cell system; a pump control portion programmed to drive the circulation pump; and a breakdown determination portion programmed to determine whether the circulation pump has a breakdown, wherein the breakdown determination portion is programmed to determine that the circulation pump has a breakdown if the temperature of the fuel cell system detected by the temperature detection portion is higher than or equal to a melting point of water and a rotation speed of the circulation pump driven by the pump control portion is less than a predetermined rotation speed. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The fuel cell system according to claim 1, further comprising: a warmup portion that warms up the circulation pump, wherein when fuel cell system is started, the warmup portion warms the circulation pump if the temperature of the fuel cell system detected by the temperature detection portion is less than the melting point of water. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The fuel cell system according to claim 2, further comprising an oxidizing gas supply portion that supplies an oxidizing gas to the fuel cell, wherein if the temperature of the fuel cell system detected by the temperature detection portion is less than the melting point of water, the warmup portion causes the fuel gas supply portion and the oxidizing gas supply portion to supply the fuel gas and the oxidizing gas, respectively, to the fuel cell so as to cause the fuel cell to perform power generation so that the circulation pump is warmed by heat produced by the power generation. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The fuel cell system according to claim 3, wherein the circulation pump is disposed near the fuel cell. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The fuel cell system according to claim 4, wherein the circulation pump is disposed integrally with the fuel cell. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The fuel cell system according to claim 5, further comprising: a purge channel that discharges the fuel gas to outside the fuel cell system from the fuel gas circulation channel upstream of a position where the circulation pump is provided, in a circulating direction of the fuel gas; a shut-off valve provided on the purge channel; a valve control portion programmed to perform an open-close control of the shut-off valve; and an oxidizing gas adjustment portion programmed to adjust a supply amount of the oxidizing gas supplied by the oxidizing gas supply portion to the fuel cell, wherein the warmup portion, when causing the fuel cell to perform the power generation, increases an amount of power generation of the fuel cell by causing the valve control portion to open the shut-off valve so as to increase the supply amount of the fuel gas supplied to the fuel cell and causing the oxidizing gas adjustment portion to increase the supply amount of the oxidizing gas corresponding to the supply amount of the fuel gas. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The fuel cell system according to claim 6, further comprising: an oxidizing gas discharge channel that discharges the oxidizing gas to outside the fuel cell system; a diluter that is connected to the purge channel and to the oxidizing gas channel, and that dilutes hydrogen contained in the fuel gas by mixing the fuel gas with the oxidizing gas; and a mixture gas discharge channel that discharges a mixture gas from the diluter. ### Claim 8 (depends on 5) The fuel cell system according to claim 5, further comprising: a purge channel that discharges the fuel gas to outside the fuel cell system from the fuel gas circulation channel upstream of a position where the circulation pump is provided, in a circulating direction of the fuel gas; a shut-off valve provided on the purge channel; a valve control portion programmed to perform an open-close control of the shut-off valve; and an oxidizing gas adjustment portion programmed to adjust a supply amount of the oxidizing gas supplied by the oxidizing gas supply portion to the fuel cell, wherein the warmup portion, when causing the fuel cell to perform the power generation, increases an amount of power generation of the fuel cell by causing the valve control portion to open the shut-off valve so as to increase the supply amount of the fuel gas supplied to the fuel cell and causing the oxidizing gas adjustment portion to increase the supply amount of the oxidizing gas corresponding to the supply amount of the fuel gas. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The fuel cell system according to claim 8, further comprising: an oxidizing gas discharge channel that discharges the oxidizing gas to outside the fuel cell system; a diluter that is connected to the purge channel and to the oxidizing gas channel, and that dilutes hydrogen contained in the fuel gas by mixing the fuel gas with the oxidizing gas; and a mixture gas discharge channel that discharges a mixture gas from the diluter. ### Claim 10 (depends on 3) The fuel cell system according to claim 3, wherein the circulation pump is disposed integrally with the fuel cell. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The fuel cell system according to claim 10, further comprising: a purge channel that discharges the fuel gas to outside the fuel cell system from the fuel gas circulation channel upstream of a position where the circulation pump is provided, in a circulating direction of the fuel gas; a shut-off valve provided on the purge channel; a valve control portion programmed to perform an open-close control of the shut-off valve; and an oxidizing gas adjustment portion programmed to adjust a supply amount of the oxidizing gas supplied by the oxidizing gas supply portion to the fuel cell, wherein the warmup portion, when causing the fuel cell to perform the power generation, increases an amount of power generation of the fuel cell by causing the valve control portion to open the shut-off valve so as to increase the supply amount of the fuel gas supplied to the fuel cell and causing the oxidizing gas adjustment portion to increase the supply amount of the oxidizing gas corresponding to the supply amount of the fuel gas. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The fuel cell system according to claim 11, further comprising: an oxidizing gas discharge channel that discharges the oxidizing gas to outside the fuel cell system; a diluter that is connected to the purge channel and to the oxidizing gas channel, and that dilutes hydrogen contained in the fuel gas by mixing the fuel gas with the oxidizing gas; and a mixture gas discharge channel that discharges a mixture gas from the diluter. ### Claim 13 (depends on 3) The fuel cell system according to claim 3, further comprising: a purge channel that discharges the fuel gas to outside the fuel cell system from the fuel gas circulation channel upstream of a position where the circulation pump is provided, in a circulating direction of the fuel gas; a shut-off valve provided on the purge channel; a valve control portion to perform an open-close control of the shut-off valve; and an oxidizing gas adjustment portion programmed to adjust a supply amount of the oxidizing gas supplied by the oxidizing gas supply portion to the fuel cell, wherein the warmup portion, when causing the fuel cell to perform the power generation, increases an amount of power generation of the fuel cell by causing the valve control portion to open the shut-off valve so as to increase the supply amount of the fuel gas supplied to the fuel cell and causing the oxidizing gas adjustment portion to increase the supply amount of the oxidizing gas corresponding to the supply amount of the fuel gas. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The fuel cell system according to claim 13, further comprising: an oxidizing gas discharge channel that discharges the oxidizing gas to outside the fuel cell system; a diluter that is connected to the purge channel and to the oxidizing gas channel, and that dilutes hydrogen contained in the fuel gas by mixing the fuel gas with the oxidizing gas; and a mixture gas discharge channel that discharges a mixture gas from the diluter. ### Claim 15 (depends on 4) The fuel cell system according to claim 4, further comprising: a purge channel that discharges the fuel gas to outside the fuel cell system from the fuel gas circulation channel upstream of a position where the circulation pump is provided, in a circulating direction of the fuel gas; a shut-off valve provided on the purge channel; a valve control portion programmed to perform an open-close control of the shut-off valve; and an oxidizing gas adjustment portion programmed to adjust a supply amount of the oxidizing gas supplied by the oxidizing gas supply portion to the fuel cell, wherein the warmup portion, when causing the fuel cell to perform the power generation, increases an amount of power generation of the fuel cell by causing the valve control portion to open the shut-off valve so as to increase the supply amount of the fuel gas supplied to the fuel cell and causing the oxidizing gas adjustment portion to increase the supply amount of the oxidizing gas corresponding to the supply amount of the fuel gas. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The fuel cell system according to claim 15, further comprising: an oxidizing gas discharge channel that discharges the oxidizing gas to outside the fuel cell system; a diluter that is connected to the purge channel and to the oxidizing gas channel, and that dilutes hydrogen contained in the fuel gas by mixing the fuel gas with the oxidizing gas; and a mixture gas discharge channel that discharges a mixture gas from the diluter. ### Claim 17 (depends on 1) The fuel cell system according to claim 1, wherein the temperature detection portion is programmed to detect a temperature of the circulation pump of the fuel cell system. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The fuel cell system according to claim 17, wherein the temperature detection portion is programmed to estimate the temperature of the circulation pump from an atmospheric temperature. ### Claim 19 (depends on 1) The fuel cell system according to claim 1, wherein if the breakdown determination portion determines that the circulation pump has the breakdown in a case in where power generation of the fuel cell is performed, the power generation of the fuel cell is stopped and the pump control portion stops driving the circulation pump.