To provide a technique to suppress an excessive rise of pressure between two pressure reducing valves if the amount of fuel gas consumed by a fuel cell stack decreases. A fuel gas supply apparatus comprises: a gas passage in which fuel gas to be supplied to a fuel cell stack flows; a first pressure reducing valve provided to the gas passage; a second pressure reducing valve provided to the gas passage and disposed at a downstream side of the first pressure reducing valve; a setting module that sets a value of target pressure at a downstream side of the second pressure reducing valve, to a value depending on a consumed amount of fuel gas consumed by the fuel cell stack; and a modifying module that, if the consumed amount decreases by a prescribed amount or more, modifies the value of target pressure of the second pressure reducing valve to a value greater than a corresponding value that corresponds to the consumed amount subsequent to the decrease.

A fuel cell system includes: a fuel cell in which a plurality of cells is stacked; a cathode gas supply unit that supplies a cathode gas to the fuel cell; a voltage sensor that measures the voltage of the fuel cell; and a control unit that maintains the voltage of the fuel cell within a predetermined voltage range by controlling a supply amount of the cathode gas during low-load operation in which a load is lower than in normal operation. The control unit determines that there is a cross-leakage abnormality in the fuel cell when the supply amount of the cathode gas required to maintain the voltage of the fuel cell within the predetermined voltage range exceeds a predetermined criterial threshold value during the low-load operation.

A fuel cell system includes: a fuel cell in which a plurality of cells is stacked; a cathode gas supply unit that supplies a cathode gas to the fuel cell; a voltage sensor that measures the voltage of the fuel cell; and a control unit that maintains the voltage of the fuel cell within a predetermined voltage range by controlling a supply amount of the cathode gas during low-load operation in which a load is lower than in normal operation. The control unit determines that there is a cross-leakage abnormality in the fuel cell when the supply amount of the cathode gas required to maintain the voltage of the fuel cell within the predetermined voltage range exceeds a predetermined criterial threshold value during the low-load operation.

Stabilized surfactant-based membranes and methods of manufacture thereof. Membranes comprising a stabilized surfactant mesostructure on a porous support may be used for various separations, including reverse osmosis and forward osmosis. The membranes are stabilized after evaporation of solvents; in some embodiments no removal of the surfactant is required. The surfactant solution may or may not comprise a hydrophilic compound such as an acid or base. The surface of the porous support is preferably modified prior to formation of the stabilized surfactant mesostructure. The membrane is sufficiently stable to be utilized in commercial separations devices such as spiral wound modules. Also a stabilized surfactant mesostructure coating for a porous material and filters made therefrom. The coating can simultaneously improve both the permeability and the filtration characteristics of the porous material.

A stack (1) of intermediate temperature, metal-supported, solid oxide fuel cell units (10), each unit comprising a metal support substrate (12), a spacer (22) and an interconnect (30) that each have compression bolt holes (34), fuel inlet port (33), fuel outlet port (32) and air outlet (17) therein, wherein bolt voids (34) are formed by aligning the bolt holes and a further void (17) by aligning the air outlets, and the voids are vented, for example, to the environment or further void to prevent the build-up of fuel, moisture or ions.

A method for detecting leakage of a reducing fluid throughout an electrolyte membrane of an electrochemical cell is provided. The method includes the following consecutive steps: supplying the cell with anode and cathode streams; brisk and controlled variation of at least one of the following parameters: the pressure of the anode stream in the anode channel, the pressure of the cathode stream in the cathode channel, the flow rate of the anode stream into the anode channel, the flow rate of the cathode stream into the cathode channel, and the strength of the current exchanged between the two sides of the membrane; measurement of a first reducing fluid concentration in a first stream, including the cathode stream leaving the cathode channel; and deducing the presence or absence of leakage on the basis of the variation in the first measured concentration of reducing fluid over time. A corresponding fuel cell system is also provided.

Disclosed is a fuel cell membrane electrode assembly (MEA) embodiment including an anode layer; at least one exchange membrane that is disposed on the anode layer as either a single-layered structure including one exchange membrane or a multi-layered structure including a plurality of exchange membranes, each exchange membrane of the at least one exchange membrane consisting of a film comprising hexagonal boron, and the at least one exchange membrane having a total thickness ranging from 0.3 to 3 nm; an interfacial binding layer that completely covers an exposed surface of one exchange membrane which is obverse to the anode layer and that consists of poly(methylmethacrylate) (PMMA) as a binder material; and a cathode layer formed on the interfacial binding layer. Alternately, a fuel cell membrane electrode embodiment may completely eliminate the interfacial binding layer and both embodiments provide superior fuel cell performance.

A fuel cell system includes a controller which controls operations of an oxidizing gas supply/discharge system and a fuel gas supply/discharge system, and controls power generation of a fuel cell stack, and, when detecting a fuel gas concentration abnormality that a fuel gas concentration in an exhaust gas exceeds an allowable value during the power generation of the fuel cell stack, the controller increases a flow rate of air fed by an air compressor, and controls an opening of a bypass valve to execute exhaust gas dilution control for increasing a ratio of the flow rate of the air flowing out from the bypass piping to an exhaust gas piping with respect to the flow rate of the air to be supplied to the fuel cell stack.

A fuel cell system includes: a fuel cell in which a plurality of cells are stacked; a voltage sensor configured to measure a cell voltage of the fuel cell; and a pressure sensor configured to measure an anode gas pressure in the fuel cell. When the cell voltage is lower than a predetermined threshold voltage, in a state in which an amount of supply of cathode gas to the fuel cell is secured, and a rate of decrease in the anode gas pressure is larger than a predetermined threshold rate, it is determined that a cross leak abnormality has occurred in the fuel cell.

A flow battery includes a negative electrode, a positive electrode, a first liquid in contact with the negative electrode, a second liquid in contact with the positive electrode, and a lithium-ion-conductive film disposed between the first liquid and the second liquid. At least one of the first liquid or the second liquid contains a redox species and lithium ions. The lithium-ion-conductive film includes an inorganic member containing zeolite.