A cold start device for an exothermic hydrogen consumer such as a fuel cell, as well as a method for operating an exothermic hydrogen consumer with a metal hydride storage system. An exothermic hydrogen consumer such as a fuel cell with an efficient cold start device which can be brought into operation rapidly and. does not require a pressure tank is provided. The cold start device is available for an unlimited number of start-up procedures. At least one starter tank is filled with a metal hydride which has an equilibrium pressure for desorption of at least 100 kPa at a temperature of −40° C., as well as at least one operating tank which is filled with at least one metal hydride, which has an equilibrium pressure of <100 kPa at temperatures of <0° C., and wherein the starter tank is incorporated into the operating tank.

A cold start device for an exothermic hydrogen consumer such as a fuel cell, as well as a method for operating an exothermic hydrogen consumer with a metal hydride storage system. An exothermic hydrogen consumer such as a fuel cell with an efficient cold start device which can be brought into operation rapidly and. does not require a pressure tank is provided. The cold start device is available for an unlimited number of start-up procedures. At least one starter tank is filled with a metal hydride which has an equilibrium pressure for desorption of at least 100 kPa at a temperature of −40° C., as well as at least one operating tank which is filled with at least one metal hydride, which has an equilibrium pressure of <100 kPa at temperatures of <0° C., and wherein the starter tank is incorporated into the operating tank.

The invention relates to a method for operating a fuel cell system, in which method a supply of air to a fuel cell stack (20) is interrupted intermittently, in particular in the event of a standstill of the system, by means of a pressure-controlled shutoff valve (1), which comprises a valve element (4), which valve element can be moved back and forth between two end positions and is preloaded toward a sealing seat (3) by means of the spring force of a closing spring (2). According to the invention, in at least one of the two end positions, the valve element is held in the end position in question additionally by means of the magnetic force of an electromagnet (5) and/or of a permanent magnet (6), the electromagnet (5) and/or the permanent magnet (6) interacting with a magnetic or magnetizable part (7) of the valve element (4). The invention further relates to a shutoff valve (1) suitable for carrying out the method according to the invention and to a fuel cell stack (20) having at least one shutoff valve (1) according to the invention.

The invention relates to a method for operating a fuel cell system, in which method a supply of air to a fuel cell stack (20) is interrupted intermittently, in particular in the event of a standstill of the system, by means of a pressure-controlled shutoff valve (1), which comprises a valve element (4), which valve element can be moved back and forth between two end positions and is preloaded toward a sealing seat (3) by means of the spring force of a closing spring (2). According to the invention, in at least one of the two end positions, the valve element is held in the end position in question additionally by means of the magnetic force of an electromagnet (5) and/or of a permanent magnet (6), the electromagnet (5) and/or the permanent magnet (6) interacting with a magnetic or magnetizable part (7) of the valve element (4). The invention further relates to a shutoff valve (1) suitable for carrying out the method according to the invention and to a fuel cell stack (20) having at least one shutoff valve (1) according to the invention.

An air pressure in fuel cells of an electric power generation system comprising a fuel cell stack (PCS) is raised with a pressurized air cooling system with recirculation to values at least two times greater than typical values for an PCS with air cooling. The FCS is either placed in a high-pressure chamber to which air is injected, or air outgoing from the FCS is redirected via a duct back to the FCS inlet and a portion of pressurized fresh air is added thereto. The chamber or the duct is provided with a radiator by means of which circulating air heat is transferred into the external environment. Air recirculation in the chamber or the duct is effected by means of fans for cooling fuel cells. Useful capacity of electric power generation systems based on fuel cells is raised significantly, the necessity of using a humidifier is excluded, and the temperature range of fuel cell operation is expanded.

A fuel battery system includes: a plurality of fuel tanks configured to store fuel; a fuel battery stack configured to generate electricity using the fuel supplied from each of the plurality of fuel tanks; a filling unit configured to fill each of the plurality of fuel tanks with the fuel; and a control device configured to control the fuel battery stack to maintain generating of electricity by continuously supplying fuel from at least any one of the plurality of fuel tanks other than the fuel tank filled with the fuel from the filling unit to the fuel battery stack when at least one of the plurality of fuel tanks is filled with the fuel from the filling unit.

A large-scale proton exchange membrane fuel cell power station process system includes a distributed cell stack module, a modular fuel supply system, a modular oxidant supply system, a modular cooling system, a power transmission and inverter system, and a power station master system. The distributed cell stack module is a power station core power generation device, the modular fuel supply system serves as a fuel supply system for the distributed cell stack module, and the modular oxidant supply system serves as an oxidant supply system for the distributed cell stack module; the modular cooling system performs cooling and heat exchange of the distributed cell stack module, the power transmission and inverter system converts, transmits and allocates a power of the distributed cell stack module, and the power station master system controls and manages each of the systems and the modules. The process system is unattended during peak electricity consumption.

A fuel cell deterioration prevention system includes a cell voltage stability determination unit determining cell voltage stability according to a preset operating condition, a fuel cell deterioration diagnosing unit diagnosing deterioration of a fuel cell by changing and controlling a control variable pre-selected according to an operating condition and monitoring a resultant change in the cell voltage of the fuel cell, and a deterioration avoidance operation control unit performing a deterioration avoidance operation based on a diagnosis result of the fuel cell deterioration diagnosing unit.

A fuel cell system that generates electric power by supplying anode gas and cathode gas to a fuel cell includes a control valve adapted to control the pressure of the anode gas to be supplied to the fuel cell; a buffer unit adapted to store the anode-off gas to be discharged from the fuel cell; a pulsation operation unit adapted to control the control valve in order to periodically increase and decrease the pressure of the anode gas at a specific width of the pulsation; and a pulsation width correcting unit adapted to correct the width of the pulsation on the basis of the temperature of the buffer unit.

A fuel cell system that generates electric power by supplying anode gas and cathode gas to a fuel cell includes a control valve adapted to control the pressure of the anode gas to be supplied to the fuel cell; a buffer unit adapted to store the anode-off gas to be discharged from the fuel cell; a pulsation operation unit adapted to control the control valve in order to periodically increase and decrease the pressure of the anode gas at a specific width of the pulsation; and a pulsation width correcting unit adapted to correct the width of the pulsation on the basis of the temperature of the buffer unit.