Hyundai Motor Company

Kia Motors Corporation

Hwan Soo Shin

Jae Hyuk Lee

Sung Keun Lee

Hyun Suk Choo

Dae Keun Chun

Jong Hyun Lee

Young Min Kim

Sae Hoon Kim

Jae Jun Ko

Min Kyu Song

Min Sung Kim

Yoo Chang Yang

Young Bum Kum

Ik Jae Son

Sang Mun Chin

Jong Jin Yoon

Young Taek Kim

Seung Chan Oh

Kyu Taek Cho

Hee Woo Rhee

A method for recovering performance of a degraded polymer electrolyte fuel cell stack through electrode reversal. In detail, oxide films formed on the surface of platinum of a cathode is removed through an electrode reversal process that creates a potential difference between an anode and the cathode by supplying air to the anode instead of hydrogen and supplying a fuel to the cathode instead of air, thus rapidly recovering the performance of a degraded polymer electrolyte fuel cell stack.

System and method for recovering performance of fuel cell

A method for accelerating activation of a fuel cell stack may shorten an activation time of the fuel cell stack and reduce the amount of hydrogen used. The method includes a process of applying a high current to the fuel cell stack for a prescribed amount of time and a shutdown maintenance process of pumping hydrogen to an air electrode reaction surface for a prescribed amount of time.

Method for accelerating activation of fuel cell stack

A method for activating a fuel cell stack without using an electric load includes chemically adsorbing hydrogen into a catalyst of a cathode. Oxygen remaining in the stack is removed to seal and store the fuel cell stack while maintaining a negative pressure in the fuel cell stack. The method for activating a fuel cell stack does not require an electric load device, and therefore does not increase the number of activation equipment, thereby preventing the total production speed of the fuel cell stack from reducing in response to the stack activation.

Method for activating fuel cell stack without using electric load

A method for recovering the performance of a fuel cell stack mounted within a vehicle is provided. A method includes a recovery process of continuously applying a predetermined load using a load device when an air supply is stopped and hydrogen is supplied to a fuel cell stack to output current from the fuel cell stack. Further, protons and electrons generated by hydrogen oxidation reaction at an anode are moved to a cathode, to produce hydrogen at the cathode and simultaneously remove oxide on the catalyst surface of the cathode.

Performance recovery method for fuel cell stack

A method for activating a stack of a fuel cell is provided. The method includes supplying oxygen and hydrogen to the stack after starting an activation process to change the stack to an open circuit voltage (OCV) state and terminating the supply. Adjacent cells of the stack are electrically connected by a cell voltage sensing terminal board and the adjacent cells are shorted to allow a cell voltage to be 0V. Additionally, oxygen and hydrogen are resupplied to the stack and predetermined current density is applied for a predetermined time is executed. The voltage is again decreased to be 0V by applying current density exceeding the predetermined current density for a time exceeding the predetermined time through the open circuit voltage state to remove oxygen remaining in the stack. Oxygen and hydrogen are resupplied after a silent period has elapsed for a predetermined time after removing the remaining oxygen.

Method for activating stack of fuel cell

Disclosed is an apparatus and method for activating a fuel cell stack, which significantly reduces the time required for activation and the amount of hydrogen used for the activation by employing a vacuum wetting process in a shutdown operation. In particular, a high humidity open circuit voltage operation humidifies the fuel cell stack and operates the fuel cell stack at an open circuit voltage, and a vacuum wetting operation wets the surface of a polymer electrolyte membrane by creating a vacuum atmosphere in the fuel cell stack. The high humidity open circuit voltage operation and the vacuum wetting operation are performed alternately and repeatedly.

Apparatus and method for activating fuel cell stack

A fuel cell management method includes removing droplets remaining in a fuel cell stack using air supplied to a cathode and hydrogen supplied to an anode. Hydrogen and oxygen remaining are removed in the fuel cell stack by stopping the supply of the hydrogen and the air, and the hydrogen and the oxygen in the fuel cell stack are chemically reacted to remove residual hydrogen and oxygen. Hydrogen is generated in the cathode of the fuel cell stack after removing the residual hydrogen and oxygen. The residual oxygen is additionally removed using the generated hydrogen, the generated hydrogen is absorbed on a surface of a catalyst layer formed on the anode and cathode and accelerating the chemical reaction of hydrogen and air.

Fuel cell management method

The method of activating a vehicle fuel cell for ensuring maximum performance, improves performance of a polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell, reduces a hydrogen usage, and has stable performance after manufactured. The method includes: placing a fuel cell in an activation device so as to be activated; changing a humidification state of a humidifier which supplies vapor to the fuel cell and a state of a cooling water; supplying a reactant gas to the fuel cell and maintaining a no-load state; maintaining a load state while changing a flow rate of the vapor and gas supplied to the fuel cell; changing the sate of the fuel cell to the no-load state, and re-supplying the reactant gas to the fuel cell; and comparing data measured when the fuel cell operates in the no-load state and data measured when the fuel cell operates in the load state respectively with a reference value.

Method of activating vehicle fuel cell

A separating plate for a fuel cell includes first and second plates, each provided with a hydrogen channel, an oxygen channel, and a coolant channel. The first and second plates are attached to one another to form a main plate such that the first and second hydrogen, oxygen, and coolant channels compose main hydrogen, oxygen, and coolant channels, respectively. The main hydrogen and oxygen channels are fluidly isolated from each other. Distal ends of the main channels each communicate with a manifold through a communication passageway configured to supply hydrogen, oxygen, or coolant to a corresponding one of the main channels.

Separating plate for fuel cell

The present invention relates to a composite electrolyte membrane for fuel cells that has high proton conductivity and low fuel permeability even under low humidity conditions and at elevated temperatures. The membrane, comprising a cation exchange resin and acid-treated dendrimers, has great utility in large and medium fuel cells for applications in household appliances, electric vehicles, etc.

Composite electrolyte membrane with nanoscopic dendrimers and method of preparing same

Disclosed is a structure for improving a laminating efficiency of a metal-separator for a fuel cell stack, the metal-separator comprising an embossed structure that has an indentation and a projection alternately formed along at least one edge thereof so as to enable a plurality of the metal-separators to be stably laminated in a honeycomb shape.

Growing community of inventors

Uiwang-si, South Korea

Hwan Soo Shin