A fuel cell system includes a fuel cell stack, a fuel gas supply path, an injector, an ejector, a circulation path, a pressure difference detection unit that detects a pressure difference between an ejector inlet port pressure and an ejector outlet port pressure, and a control device. The control device calculates a required circulation flow rate that is required for a fuel off gas supplied from the fuel cell stack to the ejector, based on a required load for the fuel cell stack, calculates an estimated circulation flow rate that is an estimated flow rate of the fuel off gas supplied from the fuel cell stack to the ejector, based on the required load and the pressure difference, and increases the flow rate of a fuel gas supplied from the injector to the fuel cell stack when the estimated circulation flow rate is lower than the required circulation flow rate.

To provide a fuel cell system configured to achieve both rapid cooling of a fuel cell at high temperatures and rapid heating of the fuel cell at the time of system start-up. In the fuel cell system, by controlling a three-way valve, a controller switches to any one of the following circulation systems: radiator circulation in which a refrigerant flows to a radiator through a first flow path, and third flow path circulation in which the refrigerant bypasses the radiator and flows to a second flow path through a third flow path; when the temperature of the refrigerant is equal to or less than a low temperature threshold, the controller switches from the radiator circulation to the third flow path circulation and closes a first valve; and when the temperature of the refrigerant becomes equal to or more than a high temperature threshold, the controller opens the first valve and circulate the refrigerant to flow through the reserve tank.

A hydrogen supply system that supplies hydrogen gas to a fuel cell and causes the fuel cell to generate electricity includes a plurality of hydrogen tanks that each store hydrogen gas, and a hydrogen gas supply path that supplies the hydrogen gas to the fuel cell from each of the plurality of hydrogen tanks. At least one hydrogen tank of the plurality of hydrogen tanks is a first reserve tank that is connected to a hydrogen gas collecting pipe or a hydrogen gas recovery pipe, and that stores hydrogen gas that was not used in generating electricity in the fuel cell.

A fuel cell system includes a hydrogen tank to store hydrogen, a fuel cell to receive hydrogen gas from the hydrogen tank to generate electricity, a temperature controller to adjust a temperature inside the hydrogen tank, and a control unit to control the temperature controller based on the amount of hydrogen remaining in the hydrogen tank, the control unit being configured to increase the temperature inside the hydrogen tank when the amount of the remaining hydrogen is equal to or less than a first predetermined value.

A fuel cell includes a cell stack including a plurality of unit cells stacked in a first direction, end plates respectively disposed at first and second end portions of the cell stack, each of the end plates including a core having first rigidity and a clad covering at least a portion of the core, the clad having second rigidity which is lower than the first rigidity, a heater plate provided with a heating element configured to generate heat in response to a driving power supply, the heater plate being disposed at at least one of positions between the end plates and the first and second end portions of the cell stack, and a connector accommodated in the core of each of the end plates and covered by the clad, the connector interconnecting the driving power supply and the heating element.

A fuel cell system and a method for controlling the same may adjust generation of condensate water in a fuel cell by setting relative humidities and temperature and pressure conditions of the fuel cell so as to maintain a constant current density, and may alleviate performance deterioration of the fuel cell during operation by removing an excessive amount of the generated condensate water by injecting a cathode pressure impulse into the fuel cell.

A controller of a FC system disclosed herein may be configured to: (1) start both of first and second FC stacks when a measured value of a gas sensor is lower than a first concentration: (2) maintain both of the first and second FC stacks stopped when the measured value is higher than a second concentration which is higher than the first concentration; and (3) when the measured value is from the first concentration to the second concentration, supply the fuel gas to the first FC stack while maintaining supply of the fuel gas to the second FC stack stopped, thereafter stop supply of the fuel gas to the first FC stack when a pressure in the first FC stack reaches a pressure threshold, and thereafter start the first FC stack when the pressure in the first FC stack after a predetermined time is higher than a pressure lower limit.

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.

A direct alcohol fuel cell having an inner housing, and a proton exchange membrane separating an anode section from a cathode section. The anode section contains an anode collection element electrically connected to an anode catalyst that is in diffusive communication with a fuel supply. The cathode section contains a cathode collection element having one or more ventilation holes is electrically connected to a cathode catalyst. An oleophobic filter and/or an anion-exchange membrane is provided, which cathode catalyst via the one or more ventilation holes and the oleophobic filter and/or the anion-exchange membrane is in diffusive communication with a gaseous oxidant. The inner housing has a bottom and walls extending from the bottom to contain the anode section, the PEM and the cathode section, the bottom and/or the walls having holes allowing fluid communication from a fuel supply to the anode section. The fuel cell is suited for microelectronic devices.

A combined cooling and humidifying system for a fuel cell system includes a first line strand, second line strand, gas separator, and water feed device. The first line strand has a supply line for feeding water to a heat exchanger of the fuel cell system and a return line for receiving a water-steam mixture from the fuel cell system. The gas separator is in the return line to at least partially separate the steam from the water-steam mixture and provide it at a steam connection. The second line strand has a fluid inlet for feeding a gaseous fluid to the fuel cell system. The steam connection is coupled to the second line strand downstream of the fluid inlet to admix steam with the fluid. The water feed device is coupled to the supply line to compensate for a separating mass flow of steam in the first line strand.