Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha

Shigeru Ogino

Satoshi Aoyama

Tomoji Yamada

Shoji Hirose

Takashi Shimazu

Hiroshi Aoki

Hiroyuki Mitsui

Satoshi Shiokawa

Yasuhiro Izawa

Kenji Kimura

Satoshi Iguchi

Mitsuo Inagaki

Naoki Ito

Masaaki Yamaoka

Takatoshi Masui

Hiromichi Sato

Akira Yamanaka

Masayoshi Taki

Yasuhiro Nobata

Masahiko Iijima

Norihiko Saito

Yoshimasa Negishi

Koichi Kuwaba

Atsushi Takumi

Akihisa Nishimura

Masatsune Kondo

Yukihiko Takeda

Ryuhei Isogawa

Hideo Taguchi

Takashi c/o KK Toyota Chuo Kenkyusho Shimazu

Satoshi c/o KK Inter Project Shiokawa

Hiroyuki c/o KK Toyota Chuo Kenkyusho Mitsui

Hiroshi c/o KK Toyota Chuo Kenkyusho Aoki

A control deviceobtains a reformed carbon quantity C supplied to a reform reaction flow channelfrom a supplied fuel quantity Qf and also obtains a reformed water quantity S supplied to the reform reaction flow channelfrom a generated power quantity W. Further, it obtains a oxygen consumed quantity consumed through power generation in a fuel cellfrom the generated power quantity W, a supplied oxygen quantity to be supplied to a cathode flow channelfrom a supplied cathode gas quantity Qc, and a reformed oxygen quantity O to be supplied to the reform reaction flow channelbased on a difference between the supplied oxygen quantity and the consumed oxygen quantity. By correcting a reformed carbon quantity C (delivery of a fuel pump) in accordance with the reformed oxygen quantity O, each of O/C and S/C is kept in a target value range.

Fuel cell system and method for controlling the same

A technology for preventing degradation of a hydrogen permeable metal layer in a fuel cellis provided. A fuel cell systemincluding a fuel cellwith an anode which has the hydrogen permeable metal layer comprises a fuel cell controllerfor controlling the operation status of the fuel cell system, a temperature parameter acquisition section for acquiring a temperature parameter of the hydrogen permeable metal layer, and a hydrogen permeable metal layer degradation prevention section which reduces the hydrogen partial pressure in an anode channelfor supplying fuel gas to the anode. If a temperature of the hydrogen permeable metal layer represented by the temperature parameter deviates from a specified temperature range, the fuel cell controllercause the hydrogen permeable metal layer degradation prevention section to operate for preventing degradation of the hydrogen permeable metal layer.

Fuel cell system for preventing hydrogen permeable metal layer degradation

A fuel cell of the invention has a hydrogen permeable metal layer, which is formed on a plane of an electrolyte layer that has proton conductivity and includes a hydrogen permeable metal. The fuel cell includes a higher temperature zone and a lower temperature zone that has a lower temperature than the higher temperature zone. The hydrogen permeable metal layer includes a lower temperature area A corresponding to the lower temperature zone and a higher temperature area B corresponding to the higher temperature zone. The lower temperature area A and the higher temperature area B have different settings of composition and/or layout of components. This arrangement effectively prevents potential deterioration of cell performance due to an uneven distribution of internal temperature of the fuel cell including the hydrogen permeable metal layer.

Fuel cell

A power system of the invention includes fuel cells and a fuel gas generation system that generates a fuel gas to be supplied to the fuel cells. At the time of stopping supply of hydrogen, the fuel gas generation system selectively uses a stop process that replaces hydrogen in a hydrogen separator unit with the air for removal of hydrogen and a pause process that allows hydrogen to remain in the hydrogen separator unit. The stop process is selected when the fuel gas generation system stops the supply of hydrogen for a long time period. The pause process is selected when the fuel gas generation system temporarily stops the supply of hydrogen. The arrangement of the invention desirably shortens a restart time of the fuel gas generation system and reduces a potential energy loss.

Drive control of power system including fuel cells

The fuel cell system according to the present invention comprises a reformerfor receiving a hydrocarbon fuel supply and generating a hydrogen-containing reformed gas by making use of a reforming reaction; a fuel cell assemblyfor generating power after causing an anode to receive the reformed gas and causing a cathode to receive an oxygen-containing cathode gas; cathode off-gas supply flow pathfor supplying a cathode off-gas, which is discharged from the cathode, to the reformer; and bypass flow pathfor bypassing the cathode and directly supplying the cathode gas to the reformerat the time of system warm-up.

Fuel cell system

A purifying system includes a purifying device for purifying a combustion-exhaust gas emitted from a fuel reforming device, a flow control valve for introducing anode-off gas discharged from a fuel cell into the purifying device through an anode-off-gas supply pipe, and a control device for controlling the opening angle of the flow control valve on the basis of the temperature of the purifying device detected by a temperature sensor, so that an oxidizing reaction of hydrogen through a catalyst incorporated in the purifying device is promoted by the introduced anode-off gas containing pre-reaction hydrogen and pre-reformed fuel. The temperature of the catalyst in the purifying device is raised by heat of the oxidizing reaction of hydrogen, to a level at which the catalyst is sufficiently activated, so that the combustion-exhaust gas is purified by the purifying device.

Systems and methods for purifying exhaust gas emission from fuel reforming device

A combustion heating device for heating a fluid to be heated includes a fuel supply device that supplies the fuel to the device, and a vaporizing device that burns a portion of the fuel supplied by the fuel supply device, and vaporizes a remaining portion of the fuel by using heat generated through combustion of the portion of the fuel. The combustion heating device further includes a first air supply device that supplies air to be used for combustion of the portion of the fuel by the vaporizing device, and a second air supply device that supplies air to be used for combustion of the remaining portion of the fuel vaporized by the vaporizing device. A fuel reforming apparatus incorporating the combustion heating device as vaporizing section, and a fuel cell system including the fuel reforming apparatus are also provided.

Combustion heating device, fuel reforming apparatus including combustion heating device, and fuel cell system

A catalytic combustion heater having, in a fuel gas flow passage in which an inflammable gas- and combustion support gas-containing fuel gas flows, tubes in which an object fluid to be heater flows, and an oxidation catalyst provided on outer surfaces of the tubes and contacting the fuel gas to generate an oxidation reaction, comprising a catalyst-carrying heat exchanger adapted to heat the object fluid with the oxidation reaction heat of the fuel gas, a detecting member adapted to detect the temperature of a combustion exhaust gas in the fuel gas flow passage to check whether the temperature is at the level of a dew point thereof or not, and a control unit adapted to control at least one of a feed rate of the combustion support gas, which is supplied to the fuel gas flow passage, and a feed rate of the inflammable gas.

Catalytic combustion heat exchanger

Catalytic combustion heater

A fuel reformer suited for mounting on a vehicle is provided. A raw material gas containing methanol and water is vaporized at a vaporization section The vaporized gas flows horizontally to a reforming section with monolithic catalyst The reforming section is divided into two sides, a front side and a rear side with an interconnecting pipe bent at 180 degrees, for connecting the front and rear sides. By making the material gas flow horizontally, even when the reformer is mounted to a vehicle which has a larger space in its horizontal direction than in its vertical direction, especially a small passenger car, the contact time period between gas and catalyst can be extended. By bending the reforming section by 180 degrees, the size of the reformer can be reduced so that the reformer is suited for mounting on a vehicle having limited space. Because the vaporization section and the CO reducing section can be placed adjacent to each other, by using heat generated at the CO reducing section, the heat loss during pre-heating of the methanol and water can be reduced.

Fuel reformer for mounting on a vehicle

A catalytic combustion heat exchanger includes a fuel gas passage and a number of tubes, which are located in the fuel gas passage. Fuel gas flows in the fuel gas passage. An object fluid, which is heated by the heat exchanger, flows in the tubes. Fins, which carry a catalyst, are fixed to the outer surfaces of the tubes. The fluid is heated by an oxidation reaction of the fuel gas that occurs on the surface of the fins. When the heat exchanger is initially activated, the controller maintains the flow rate of the object fluid at a relatively low rate until a temperature detector detects that the temperature of the object fluid is higher than a certain level to limit heat transfer from the fins to the object fluid. This increases the fin temperatures throughout the heat exchanger. The controller increases the flow rate of the object fluid when the temperature of the object fluid exceeds a certain level, to increase heat transfer to the object fluid. The control method prevents the fins from overheating and speeds up the initial activation of the heat exchanger.

An electric vehicle with fuel cells which use hydrogen as a gaseous fuel. A hydrogen generator supplier feeds a supply of hydrogen to the electric vehicle and is mounted thereon. The hydrogen generator supplier utilizes city gas as a crude fuel to produce hydrogen. The hydrogen generator supplier is connected with piping which is part of the supply of commercial gas. The hydrogen generator supplier reforms a crude fuel to produce a hydrogen rich gas and subsequently separates the gaseous fuel from the hydrogen rich gas. The hydrogen generator supplier is connected to the electric vehicle by way of a specific connector which enables the gaseous hydrogen produced from the commercial gas to be supplied to the vehicle. Thus, the supply of hydrogen to be used as fuel in the electric vehicle is provided without having a new distribution for hydrogen.

Hydrogen manufacturing and supplying apparatus and electric motorcar

Multiple heat-receiving fluid passages, through which heat-receiving fluid flows, are arranged in layers in a fuel gas passage provided in a container. Multiple fins, on which an oxidation catalyst is carried, are provided on outer peripheries of the heat-receiving fluid passages. A feed port for combustion support gas is provided at one end of the fuel gas passage, and multiple combustible gas feed ports are provided in a wall of the fuel gas passage. Combustible gas is separately supplied to the respective layers of the heat-receiving fluid passages in accordance with a state of the heat-receiving fluid so as to suitably control a heat release value. Especially in the intermediate layer where the heat-receiving fluid is at its boiling point and thus exhibits a low heat transfer resistance, more combustible gas feed ports are provided than in the other layers. As a result, more fuel is supplied, the heat release value is increased, and the heat exchange efficiency is enhanced.

A fuel injection control device suited to use in automotive diesel engines. The device comprises sensors for producing signals upon sensing various states of operation of the engine, including a temperature sensor adapted to produce a temperature signal upon sensing the temperature of a coolant for cooling the engine, a first arithmetic operation means for determining the rate of fuel injection in accordance with the signals delivered by the sensors, and a second arithmetic operation means for determining the timing of fuel injection in accordance with the signals delivered by the sensors. The control device further comprises a first temperature judging means for comparing the coolant temperature signal with a predetermined reference temperature to judge whether the coolant temperature exceeds the reference temperature, an fuel injection rate corrrecting menas for effecting a subtractive correction of the fuel injection rate determined by the first arithmetic operation means, and a timing correcting means for advancing the fuel injection timing determined by the second arithmetic operation means. When the coolant temperature exceeds the reference temperature, the fuel injection rate correcting means and the injection timing correction means operate to decrease the fuel injection rate and to advance the fuel injection timing, respectively.

Growing community of inventors

Toyota, Japan

Shigeru Ogino