Panasonic Corporation

Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd.

Takahiro Umeda

Yasushi Sugawara

Junji Morita

Yoichiro Tsuji

Eiichi Yasumoto

Makoto Uchida

Kazuhito Hatoh

Hiroki Kusakabe

Soichi Shibata

Takayuki Urata

Masataka Ozeki

Akihiko Yoshida

Osamu Sakai

Akinari Nakamura

Norihiko Kawabata

Shinya Kosako

Yoshikazu Tanaka

Shigeyuki Unoki

Naotsugu Koashi

Hirofumi Kokubu

Atsushi Nakayama

Akihisa Yoshimura

Yukinobu Kitano

Yoshikazu Ip Development Center Tanaka

Yoshikazu c/o Matsushita Electric Industrial Co Ltd Tanaka

A fuel cell cogeneration system of the present invention includes: a cell (); a fuel gas discharging manifold () which is formed to extend in a thickness direction of the cell () and through which an anode off gas unconsumed in an anode (A) flows; an oxidizing gas discharging manifold () which is formed to extend in the thickness direction of the cell () and through which a cathode off gas unconsumed in a cathode (B) flows; and a cooling medium discharging manifold () which is formed to extend in the thickness direction of the cell () and through which an off cooling medium having recovered heat from the cell () flows, and the fuel gas discharging manifold () and/or the oxidizing gas discharging manifold () are formed between the cooling medium discharging manifold () and a separator end closest to the cooling medium discharging manifold ().

Fuel cell stack and fuel cell cogeneration system including the same

A fuel cell power generation system including a fuel cell, a fuel generator, an oxidizing gas supply device, an output controller, an open-close mechanism, and a controller. The controller is configured such that in a stop process, the controller controls the output controller to stop supplying the electric power to an external load; controls the oxidizing gas supply device to stop supplying an oxidizing gas and controls the open-close mechanism to close a passage upstream from an oxidizing gas channel; after the passage upstream from the oxidizing gas channel is closed, stops a raw material gas supply device and a water supply device when a predetermined period has elapsed, during which period a gas in the oxidizing gas channel is replaced by a fuel gas.

Fuel cell power generation system and operation stop method of the same

A fuel cell system includes a fuel cell; a fuel gas supplying unit supplying the fuel gas into the fuel cell on the anode side thereof; an oxidizing agent gas supplying unit supplying the oxidizing agent gas into the fuel cell on the cathode side thereof; a raw material gas supplying unit supplying the raw material gas into the fuel cell; and a controlling unit controlling the supply of the fuel gas, the oxidizing agent gas and the raw material gas. After switching the output of electric power or the fuel cell off, the fuel gas supplying unit suspends the supply of the fuel gas, the oxidizing agent gas supplying unit suspends the supply of the oxidizing agent gas and the raw material gas supplying unit supplies the raw material gas into the fuel cell to purge the fuel cell on the cathode side.

Fuel cell system and method for stopping operation of fuel cell system

A fuel cell system of the present invention includes: a fuel cell () having an electrolyte membrane (), an anode () and a cathode () sandwiching the electrolyte membrane (), a cathode gas passage () through which an oxidizing gas is supplied to and discharged from the cathode (), and an anode gas passage () through which a fuel gas is supplied to and discharged from the anode (); a fuel gas channel having an anode gas passage () and through which the fuel gas is supplied to and discharged from the anode (); and an oxidizing gas channel having the cathode gas passage () and through which the oxidizing gas is supplied to and discharged from the cathode (). When the fuel cell system stops generating electric power, the fuel gas channel and the oxidizing gas channel are closed, and a gas is supplied from a downstream side of the cathode gas passage () to an oxidizing gas filled space () which is practically isolated from outside by closing the oxidizing gas channel and includes the cathode gas passage ().

Fuel cell system with controlled stop process for a shut-down operation

A fuel cell includes: cells (), each of which includes an electrolyte layer-electrode stack assembly () having a electrolyte layer () and a pair of gas diffusion electrodes () sandwiching a portion of the electrolyte layer () which portion is located on an inner side of a peripheral portion of the electrolyte layer (), an annular peripheral member disposed at the peripheral portion of the electrolyte layer (), a pair of electrically conductive separators (A,B) which sandwich the electrolyte layer-electrode stack assembly () and the peripheral member, and damage detecting wires (); and a fuel cell stack () formed by stacking the cells (), wherein: the damage detecting wires () are formed on components constituting the cell () other than the electrolyte layer-electrode stack assembly (); and the damage detecting wires () are connected to one another to form an open circuit by stacking the cells ().

Fuel-cell and fuel cell system including the same

In a fuel cell system, during the state where the fuel cell system is not generating an electric power, a fuel gas passage and an oxidizing gas passage are closed, and an inert gas supply device () supplies an inert gas to an anode space () which is substantially isolated from outside, the anode space including the closed fuel gas passage and a space connected to the closed fuel gas passage, while an air supply device () supplies air to a cathode space () which is substantially isolated from outside, the cathode space including the closed oxidizing gas passage and a space connected to the closed oxidizing gas passage. With this, the fuel cell system is capable of achieving high energy efficiency and of surely preventing degradation of electrodes during the state where the fuel cell system is not generating the electric power, irrespective of repeated start-up and stop.

Fuel cell system

Problems of acceleration of drying of electrolyte membrane and local reaction, etc. can be properly coped with to attain the stabilization of performance of fuel cell. There are provided a fuel cellwhich generates electric power from a fuel gas and an oxidizing agent gas, a fuel gas feed pipeand a first switch valveas fuel gas supplying unit which supplies the said fuel gas into the said fuel cell on the anode side thereof, an oxidizing gas supplying pipeand a second cut-off valveas oxidizing agent gas supplying unit which supplies the said oxidizing agent into the said fuel cell on the cathode side thereof, a raw material gas supplying pipeand a third switch valveas raw material gas supplying unit which supplies raw material of the said fuel gas into the fuel cell and a control portionwhich controls the supply of the said fuel gas, the supply of the said oxidizing agent and the supply of the said raw material and the control portioncontrols during the starting of electricity generation of the fuel cellsuch that the said raw material gas supplying unit purges the fuel cellat least on the cathode side thereof with the said raw material gas before the oxidizing agent gas supplying unit and the fuel gas supplying unit supply the fuel gas and the said oxidizing agent gas into the fuel cell, respectively.

Fuel cell system, method of starting fuel cell system

To provide a polymer electrolyte fuel cell in which a reaction gas can be utilized efficiently for an electrode reaction even when a gap is formed between an anode-side sealing member and the end face of an anode and between a cathode-side sealing member and the end face of a cathode, and sufficient power generation performance can be ensured with a simple constitution. At least one of the anode-side sealing member and the cathode-side sealing member of the fuel cell includes an annular body, and at least one deformable protruding portion provided on the inner surface of the annular body.

Polymer electrolyte fuel cell and fuel cell sealing member for the same

A fuel cell system includes a fuel cell that is subjected to a purge operation of supplying an inert gas to an anode and/or cathode upon shut-down of the fuel cell. The differential pressure &#x394;P is defined as &#x394;P=Pa&#x2212;Pc where Pa is the pressure in an inlet-side flow path leading to the anode and Pc is the pressure in an inlet-side flow path leading to the cathode. The differential pressure during the purge operation is controlled such that the differential pressure during operation &#x394;Po and the differential pressure during the purge operation &#x394;Pp satisfy the relation: 0&#x3c;&#x394;Po&#xd7;&#x394;Pp. This makes it possible to reduce the stress exerted on a solid electrolyte membrane and improve the long-term reliability of the fuel cell.

Fuel cell system with differential pressure control

Growing community of inventors

Nara, Japan

Takahiro Umeda