Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency

Kyushu University

Kyocera Corporation

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Limited

W. L. Gore & Associates, Inc.

Hitachi Zosen Corporation

Yoshitsugu Sone

Motohiko Sato

Hiroshige Matsumoto

Asuka Shima

Takayuki Abe

Omar Mendoza

Mitsuhiro Inoue

Xianming Wang

Saburo Kuwajima

Yuki Terayama

Masato Sakurai

Kenichi Kuwajima

Kohei Tanaka

Naoki Ogawa

Toru Kinoshita

Tetsuya Yoshida

Hidehiko Tajima

Hiroyoshi Fujimoto

Tetsuya Nakabeppu

Riichi Sasamori

Atsuko Homma

Yuta Nakatsuchi

Minoru Umeda

Yusaku Nasu

Masayuki Itagaki

Wataru Ishida

Kenichi Nagamoto

Takamasa Haji

Ryota Shinozaki

Seisuke Fukuda

Mitsushi Ueno

Saburou Kuwashima

Naoki Sato

Hirohisa Umemoto

A fuel cell system includes: a fuel cell in which an electrolyte membrane is inserted between a fuel electrode and an oxidant electrode, hydrogen is supplied to a hydrogen supply unit of the fuel electrode, and a gas containing oxygen is supplied to a gas supply unit of the oxidant electrode so that power is generated; a hydrogen coating unit disposed to cover the fuel cell and configured to be filled internally with hydrogen; and a hydrogen introduction unit configured to introduce hydrogen into the hydrogen coating unit.

Fuel cell system

A method of controlling a fuel cell device includes: a step of supplying hydrogen to a hydrogen supply unit; a step of measuring a voltage between a fuel electrode and an oxidant electrode and determining whether the voltage is equal to or greater than a reference voltage; and a step of discharging a gas containing oxygen from the gas supply unit to the outside while supplying the gas to the gas supply unit when the voltage is equal to or greater than the reference voltage.

Method for controlling fuel cell device

A method of controlling a fuel cell device includes: a step of determining whether impedance between a fuel electrode and an oxidant electrode is greater than a predetermined threshold during a steady operation of the fuel cell device; a step of decreasing a flow rate of a gas circulating via a circulation passage connecting a gas introduction passage of the gas supply unit to a gas discharge passage when the impedance is greater than the predetermined threshold; a step of measuring the voltage between the fuel electrode and the oxidant electrode when the impedance is equal to or less than the predetermined threshold, and determining whether the voltage is equal to or less than a first predetermined threshold; and a step of increasing the flow rate of the gas circulating via the circulation passage when the voltage is equal to or less than the first predetermined threshold.

A cell for water electrolysis/fuel cell power generation which includes a flow path configured to supply or discharge water in a first direction substantially perpendicular to a stacking direction of the cell; an oxygen-containing gas flow path configured to discharge or supply an oxygen-containing gas in a second direction substantially perpendicular to the stacking direction of the cell; and a hydrogen-containing gas flow path configured to discharge or supply the hydrogen-containing gas in a third direction substantially perpendicular to the stacking direction of the cell. Each of the oxygen-side electrode layer and the hydrogen-side electrode layer is an electrode layer having water repellency.

Cell for water electrolysis/fuel cell power generation and cell stack body having a plurality of same cells stacked

An object is to provide a methane synthesis device having as a whole a reduced size and a simplified configuration. A methane synthesis deviceis composed of respective components from an end plateat the leftmost side to an end plateat the rightmost side and is compactly assembled by fastening plural bolts and nuts to bring these individual components into tightly contact with each other. The components may be divided into a Sabatier reaction unit of signsto, a water electrolysis unit of signsto, and other components. Hydrogen gas generated in the water electrolysis unit is mixed with carbon dioxide gas and supplied to the Sabatier reaction unit, and methane is synthesized in the Sabatier reaction unit. The size of the device is reduced as a whole and configuration is simplified by integrally stacking the water electrolysis unit, the Sabatier reaction unit, a carbon dioxide supplying unit, and a hydrogen gas supplying unit.

Methane synthesis device

A hydrogen-oxygen generation system includes an electrolytic cell configured to generate hydrogen and oxygen by electrolyzing water, and discharge the hydrogen and the oxygen as separate generated gasses. An accumulator includes a water storage chamber configured to store the water, and a gas chamber configured to receive a pressurized gas, and the water storage chamber and the gas chamber are separated from each other by an elastic body membrane. The accumulator is configured to transfer the water stored in the water storage chamber toward the electrolytic cell at a transfer pressure in accordance with a pressure of the pressurized gas in the gas chamber. A water supply unit is configured to supply the water to the water storage chamber, and a gas supply unit is configured to supply the pressurized gas to the gas chamber.

Hydrogen-oxygen generation system and hydrogen-oxygen generation method

Provided are a water electrolysis method and a water electrolysis device in which mixing of the generated hydrogen and oxygen is greatly reduced and which have a high electrolysis efficiency, while being simplified in structure. In the water electrolysis method and water electrolysis device, water is electrolyzed by supplying water to the cathode side of an electrolytic membrane including a solid polymer membrane provided with a catalyst layer on a surface thereof and creating a potential difference between both surfaces of the electrolytic membrane. The temperature-controlled water is supplied only to the cathode side of the electrolytic membrane, while controlling the difference in pressure between both surfaces of the electrolytic membrane to 50 kPa or less.

Water electrolysis method and water electrolysis device

In a hydrogen reduction catalyst for carbon dioxide of the present invention, catalytic metal nanoparticles and a metal oxide for suppressing grain growth of the catalytic metal nanoparticles are dispersed and supported on a carrier.

Hydrogen reduction catalyst for carbon dioxide and method for producing same, hydrogen reduction method for carbon dioxide, and hydrogen reduction device for carbon dioxide

It is intended to recognize the state of charge or depth of discharge of the battery more accurately than conventional technologies and to recognize health of a battery appropriately. Complex impedance between positive and negative electrodes of the battery is determined at a plurality of frequencies, and the state of charge or depth of discharge of the battery is estimated by comparing frequency dependency of Warburg impedance of the determined complex impedances with frequency dependency of Warburg impedance corresponding to a known state of charge or depth of discharge of the battery. Similarly, complex impedance is determined, and the health of the battery is evaluated by using the real part of the complex impedance at a point where the imaginary part of the complex impedance is zero on a line obtained by extending a part, which indicates frequency dependency of Warburg impedance, of a complex impedance characteristic curve representing a correlation relationship between the real and imaginary parts of the determined complex impedance.

Method and system for estimating state of charge or depth of discharge of battery, and method and system for evaluating health of battery

The reservoirsand' preliminarily contain liquid water, which is utilized as the water to be supplied to the polymer membrane. A vapor pressure of the water is set to a predetermined value in the reservoir by controlling the temperature of the reservoirsand&#x2032; individually. Pressure gaugesand&#x2032; may be used for setting a vapor pressure of the water. The water which is gasified based on the set vapor pressure in the respective reservoir is supplied to the stackalong with oxygen from the reservoir, and with hydrogen from the reservoir. This configuration makes it possible to adjust the amount of water contained in the polymer membrane and maintain the moisturization of the polymer membrane without external water supply.

Regenerative fuel cell system

There are provided: a solid polymer power generation or electrolysis method that does not require injection of energy from the outside and maintenance of a high temperature, and is capable of converting carbon dioxide to a useful hydrocarbon while producing energy, controlling the production amounts of the hydrocarbons or the like and a ratio sorted by kind of the hydrocarbons, improving utilization efficiency of a product, and simplifying equipment for separation and recovery; and a system for implementing the solid polymer power generation or electrolysis method. Carbon dioxide is supplied to the side of one electrodeof a reactorhaving a membrane electrode assembly, hydrogen is supplied to the side of the other electrode, and the amounts of the hydrocarbons produced per unit time and the ratio sorted by kind of the hydrocarbons are changed by controlling a power generation voltage of the reactor

Solid polymer power generation or electrolysis method and system

Disclosed are an additive for improving charge/discharge characteristics of a lithium-ion cell, a nonaqueous electrolytic solution containing the additive, and a lithium-ion cell using the additive and/or the nonaqueous electrolytic solution. The additive serves as a solvent for a fluorine resin, such as poly(vinylidene fluoride), which is incorporated as an adhesive in a positive electrode containing a lithium-transition metal oxide capable of absorbing and releasing lithium and a negative electrode containing a carbon material capable of absorbing and releasing lithium. The additive comprises three compounds selected, respectively, from a 2-pyrrolidinone compound group, a cyclic alkyl compound group, and a cyclic pentanone compound group.

Non-aqueous electrolytic solution containing additive for increasing capacity of lithium-ion cell and lithium-ion cell using same

Nonaqueous electrolytic solution containing additive for increasing capacity of lithium-ion cell and lithium-ion cell using same

Disclosed are a non-flammable nonaqueous electrolyte solution and a lithium ion cell using the electrolyte solution. The non-flammable nonaqueous electrolyte solution comprises a ternary or higher-order compound additive, a high concentration of lithium salt and a phosphoric ester serving as a primary solvent. The lithium ion cell comprises a positive electrode containing a lithium transition metal oxide capable of absorbing and releasing lithium, a negative electrode containing a carbon-based material capable of absorbing and releasing lithium, and the above non-flammable nonaqueous electrolyte solution. The ternary or higher-order compound additive contains at least one compound selected from each of the three compound groups consisting of: a compound group (a) of vinylene carbonate compounds; a compound group (b) of vinyl acetate compounds, alkyl methyl carbonate compounds and vinyl ethylene carbonate compounds; and a compound group (c) of 2-pyrrolidinone compounds, cyclic alkyl compounds and cyclic pentanone compounds. The non-flammable nonaqueous electrolyte solution of the present invention can provide enhanced charge/discharge characteristics to a lithium ion cell.

Non-flammable nonaqueous electrolyte solution and lithium ion cell using same

Growing community of inventors

Chofu, Japan

Yoshitsugu Sone