A four-fluid bipolar plate for a fuel cell includes a nonporous sub-plate comprising a first reactant half-plate joined to a second reactant half-plate. The nonporous sub-plate includes an internal coolant passage network having coolant flow field passages extending across an active area of the fuel cell. The nonporous sub-plate defines fuel supply and fuel return internal manifolds, oxidant supply and oxidant return internal manifolds, water management supply and water management return internal manifolds, and coolant supply and coolant return internal manifolds. The internal coolant passage network may have secondary cooling functions, such as a reactant coolant loop surrounding an internal reactant internal manifold, providing a heat exchange area to cool incoming reactant gas, and cooling the interfacial and porous sub-plate seals.

A four-fluid bipolar plate for a fuel cell includes a nonporous sub-plate comprising a first reactant half-plate joined to a second reactant half-plate. The nonporous sub-plate includes an internal coolant passage network having coolant flow field passages extending across an active area of the fuel cell. The nonporous sub-plate defines fuel supply and fuel return internal manifolds, oxidant supply and oxidant return internal manifolds, water management supply and water management return internal manifolds, and coolant supply and coolant return internal manifolds. The internal coolant passage network may have secondary cooling functions, such as a reactant coolant loop surrounding an internal reactant internal manifold, providing a heat exchange area to cool incoming reactant gas, and cooling the interfacial and porous sub-plate seals.

An ion exchanger for a cooling system of a fuel cell system includes: a communicating pipe part with the two ends thereof configured respectively to he connectable to predetermined piping arranged in the cooling system, and including a substantially linear shaped first flow path; and a storage case including a second flow path configured such that, when a part of the coolant introduced into the communicating pipe part branches from the coolant of the communicating pipe part and flows toward the second flow path, such partial coolant, after introduced into the second flow path, is allowed to flow therethrough and join again the remaining coolant of the communicating pipe part, while ion exchange resin is stored in the second flow path, wherein an introduction device for introducing the coolant into the second flow path is arranged in the inside of the communicating pipe part.

A reaction device comprising: a first flow path to which a fuel gas is supplied; a second flow path to which a gas containing oxygen is supplied; a hydrogen permeable membrane that separates the first flow path and the second flow path and allows hydrogen contained in the fuel gas supplied to the first flow path to permeate toward the second flow path; and a catalyst that is provided in the second flow path and promotes oxidation reaction between the oxygen and hydrogen passing through the hydrogen permeable membrane, wherein the hydrogen permeable membrane comprises a barium zirconium oxide membrane.

The invention relates to a fuel cell stack having a variety of individual cells stacked up to form a stack, having at least one humidifier section integrated into the stack and arranged at one end of the individual cells as an electrochemical section. The invention is characterized in that a heat exchanger section is arranged on the side of the at least one humidifier section facing away from the electrochemical section, wherein flow plates for distributing fluids in at least three sections of the stack have the same external geometry.

A coolant system includes a first and a second coolant tank, the first and second coolant tanks are connectable to each other by means of a coolant supply conduit and a first coolant feeding conduit, wherein the first coolant feeding conduit comprises a fluid pump. The coolant system hereby provides an active coolant pressure control with service filling ability.

A fuel cell system includes a fuel cell stack, a first cooling line having first cooling water that passes via the fuel cell stack and circulates therein, a first radiator that cools the first cooling water, an air conditioning system that forms a heating loop with a first cooling line, a first cooling fan that blows exterior air to the first radiator, a first pump that pumps the first cooling water, a valve that switches a flow path of the first cooling water to the fuel cell stack or the first radiator, and a controller connected to the first cooling fan, the first pump, and the valve, and configured to detect a failure of the valve, control RPMs of the first pump and the first cooling fan to respective maximum levels, and control an RPM of a blower of the air conditioning system to a maximum level.

A fuel cell vehicle includes a travel prohibition control unit. In the case where a lid sensor detects an open state of a lid, the travel prohibition control unit performs travel prohibition control to prohibit travel of the fuel cell vehicle. In the case where the number of shift control operations has reached a release number within release time, the travel prohibition control unit releases the travel prohibition control, and in the case where the number of shift control operations has not reached the release number within the release time, the travel prohibition control unit continues the travel prohibition control. The release number is two or more.

A method of operating a fuel cell system includes the operating a fuel cell unit, the recovery at the outlet of the fuel cell unit of a carbon dioxide-rich anodic gas flow, the cooling of the anodic gas flow and the condensation of the water present in the anodic gas flow in order to form a dry anodic flow, the introduction of the dry anodic flow into a carbon dioxide capture unit in order to form a carbon dioxide gas flow and a carbon dioxide-depleted anodic flow, the recycling of at least portion of the carbon dioxide-depleted anodic flow into the fuel feed flow.

An integrated fuel cell control system including at least one valve installed to control a fluid in a fuel cell system, at least one drive motor configured to drive the valve, at least one sensor configured to detect the opening degree of the valve, and a fuel cell control unit configured to control the fuel cell system, wherein the fuel cell control unit includes a drive logic unit configured to calculate a motor control amount for controlling the drive motor based on information detected by the sensor and an operator request value and a drive unit configured to operate the drive motor based on the motor control amount determined by the drive logic unit, and an integrated control method including the same.