Fuel cell system and method for recovering performance of a fuel cell
AssigneeNissan Motor Co., Ltd.
InventorYoshiki Nagahara
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A fuel cell system is provided having at least one fuel cell including an oxidant electrode, a fuel electrode, and an electrolyte membrane interposed between the oxidant electrode and the fuel electrode. The fuel cell system includes a temperature detector which detects a temperature of the fuel cell and a controller which operates the fuel cell, controls a potential of the oxidant electrode, and determines whether to perform a performance recovery operation in which an impurity on the oxidant electrode is oxidized. When the performance recovery operation is to be performed, the controller controls the potential of the oxidant electrode to be a desired potential based on the temperature detected by the temperature detector.
Claims12
A fuel cell system having at least one fuel cell including an oxidant electrode, a fuel electrode, and an electrolyte membrane interposed between the oxidant electrode and the fuel electrode, the fuel cell system comprising:
- a temperature detector which detects a temperature of the fuel cell;
- and
- a controller programmed to operate the fuel cell, control a potential of the oxidant electrode, and determine whether to perform a performance recovery operation in which an impurity on the oxidant electrode is oxidized;
- wherein, when the performance recovery operation is to be performed, the controller is programmed to operate the fuel cell while controlling the potential of the oxidant electrode to be a desired potential based on the temperature detected by the temperature detector.
A fuel cell system having at least one fuel cell including an oxidant electrode, a fuel electrode, and an electrolyte membrane interposed between the oxidant electrode and the fuel electrode, the fuel cell system comprising:
- temperature detecting means which detects a temperature of the fuel cell;
- control means programmed to operate the fuel cell and control a potential of the oxidant electrode;
- and
- determining means which determines whether to perform a performance recovery operation in which an impurity on the oxidant electrode is oxidized;
- wherein, when the performance recovery operation is to be performed, the control means is programmed to operate the fuel cell while controlling the potential of the oxidant electrode to be a desired potential based on the temperature detected by the temperature detector.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.