Honda Motor Co., Ltd.

Kazuhide Inoue

Kuniaki Ojima

Nobuki Koiwa

Ryoji Sakai

Takuto Nakagawa

Osamu Ogami

Tomoyuki Inoue

Yuji Matsumoto

Koichi Takaku

Manabu Iwaida

Shinya Watanabe

Koichi Kato

Jumpei Ogawa

Yusai Yoshimura

Atsushi Kamachi

Jin Nishio

Kiyohide Hibino

Akane Goto

Tomonari Hattori

When controlling the power generation state of a fuel cell stack based on a generated current command value, a control device sets the generated current command value based on a generated power command value and a generated voltage acquired by a voltage sensor such that the following expression is satisfied, regardless of whether a bleed valve is opened or closed: generated current command value=generated power command value/generated voltage.

Fuel cell system

A method of detecting degradation of a membrane electrode assembly in a fuel cell system is provided. In the method, it is possible to detect degradation (cross leakage) of a fuel cell. In the state where variation of a load is suppressed, variation of the gas pressure where a predetermined amount of the fuel gas is supplied from a fuel tank to a fuel cell is measured by a pressure sensor provided in a fuel gas circulation channel extending from the fuel gas outlet to the fuel gas inlet.

Method of detecting degradation of membrane electrode assembly in fuel cell system

When leakage of fuel gas is detected by detection signals or disruption of the detection signals is detected, a FCECU limits a supply amount of the fuel gas from a fuel gas supply device, and shuts off the supply of the fuel gas by the fuel gas supply device when determining, after limiting the supply amount of the fuel gas, that the leakage of the fuel gas or the disruption of the detection signals has occurred.

A control unit estimates a discharged fuel gas amount, i.e., an amount of fuel gas discharged from the outlet of a cathode flow field, of a fuel exhaust gas introduced from a communication flow path to the inlet of the cathode flow field and then flowing through a cathode. The control unit calculates an oxygen-containing gas amount necessary for dilution at the time of discharge into the atmosphere, from the estimated discharged fuel gas amount, and sets a discharge amount of the air pump, based on the calculated oxygen-containing gas amount.

Fuel cell system and method of controlling the system

An ECU of a fuel cell system supplies cathode gas by rotating an air pump at a low-load rotational speed and performs a low-load power generation in a fuel cell stack, while a moving body is traveling. When the fuel cell stack generates power while the moving body is stopped, the ECU increases the supply amount of the cathode gas by rotating the air pump at a during-stoppage-of-traveling rotational speed which is greater than the low-load rotational speed.

A method of detecting degradation of a membrane electrode assembly of a fuel cell is provided. In the method, it is possible to detect degradation (cross leakage) of the fuel cell. In the measurement step, the pressure drop value of the pressure of the fuel gas which decreases in the power generation state after discharging of the predetermined amount of the fuel gas, in each predetermined period of time is measured a plurality of times. Thereafter, in the determination step, it is determined that the membrane electrode assembly has been degraded in the case where the minimum pressure drop value, among a plurality of pressure measurement values, exceeds a threshold value.

Method of detecting degradation of membrane electrode assembly of fuel cell

A fuel cell system includes a fuel cell stack, an anode system apparatus, a control unit, an anode outlet temperature sensor, and a purge valve. In a method of starting operation of the fuel cell system at low temperature, a control unit compares a predetermined freezing temperature threshold value with an anode outlet temperature detected by an anode outlet temperature sensor. Then, the control unit performs low temperature control to place the purge valve in the constantly open state in the case where the temperature is not higher than the freezing temperature threshold value, and performs normal control for switching opening/closing of the purge valve in the case where the temperature exceeds the freezing temperature threshold value.

Method of starting operation of fuel cell system at low temperature, and the fuel cell system

A fuel cell system includes a fuel cell stack of a plurality of power generation cells and an impedance measuring device for measuring the impedance in the fuel cell stack. When stopping the operation of the fuel cell system, a method for stopping the operation of the fuel cell system operates the plurality of power generation cells to generate electric power, until the impedance value becomes equal to or greater than an objective impedance value. After the impedance value has become equal to or greater than the objective impedance value, the operation stopping method still continues the power generation of the multiple power generation cells for a given period of time.

Growing community of inventors

Wako, Japan

Kazuhide Inoue