Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha

Nippon Soken, Inc.

Takuya Hashimoto

Hideki Kubo

Junichi Shirahama

Osamu Hamanoi

Masahiro Shiozawa

Ikuyasu Kato

Koichiro Yamashita

Ryo Akagawa

Katsuya Matsuoka

Kazuo Horibe

The present invention reduces deterioration in the output of a fuel cell caused by a high moisture concentration at an oxidant electrode. A control apparatus for a fuel cell comprising an electrolyte membrane, an oxidant electrode provided on one side of the electrolyte membrane, and a fuel electrode provided on the other side of the electrolyte membrane, in which electric power is generated from an oxidant gas supplied to the oxidant electrode and a fuel gas supplied to the fuel electrode, wherein when the current-voltage characteristics of the fuel cell fall below a predetermined reference level, and the electrolyte membrane has not dried beyond a predetermined reference level, the control apparatus executes a control operation that increases the gas pressure at the oxidant electrode.

Fuel cell apparatus and fuel cell system

A fuel cell stack comprises a stack of three or more fuel cells, each having an assembly in which an anode electrode and a cathode electrode are respectively joined to either side of an electrolytic membrane. The anode electrode is provided nearer to one end, in the stack direction of the fuel cell, than the cathode electrode. Temperature regulating parts for regulating the temperature of the anode electrode of one fuel cell of any two adjacent fuel cells and the cathode electrode of the other fuel cell are disposed at a plurality of positions arranged in the stack direction. The provided temperature regulating parts perform temperature regulation so that the heat dissipating capability of the anode electrode is different in the stack direction from that of the cathode electrode.

Fuel cell stack

This invention provides a fuel cell system which can render the distribution of water in an electrolyte membrane even without lowing the pressure of a fuel system () comprises an electrolyte membrane (), an oxidant electrode provided on one side of the electrolyte membrane (), and a fuel electrode provided on the other side of the electrolyte membrane (). An oxidant gas flow passage () for supplying an oxidant gas along the face of the oxidant electrode and a fuel gas flow passage () for supplying a fuel has along the face of the fuel electrode are provided so that the flow direction of the oxidant gas faces the flow direction of the fuel gas. A control unit () conducts control so that, when the electrolyte membrane () is dry, the flow rate of the fuel gas which flows through the fuel gas flow passage () is increased.

Fuel cell with control unit for recirculating fuel

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Toyota, Japan

Takuya Hashimoto