The present disclosure relates to systems and methods for heating a fuel cell module.

The invention relates to a cold start apparatus for an exothermic hydrogen consumer such as a fuel cell and also a method for operating an exothermic hydrogen consumer having a metal hydride store or hydrogen supply from a reformer. It is an object of the present invention to provide a fuel cell having an efficient cold start apparatus, which can be taken into operation immediately and does not require any pressure tank. Furthermore, the cold start apparatus should be available for an unlimited number of starting operations. The object is achieved by an apparatus for operation of a fuel cell or another exothermic hydrogen consumer, which comprises at least one starter tank comprising a metal hydride having cold start properties and also at least one operating tank comprising at least one intermediate-temperature hydride or at least one reformer, wherein the starter tank is in fluidic communication with the exothermic hydrogen consumer and the operating tank or the reformer, wherein the first starter tank comprises a metal hydride which has an equilibrium pressure for desorption at a temperature of −40° C. of at least 100 kPa and further comprises a cooling device in order to be able to be reloaded with hydrogen by the operating tank or the reformer while the fuel cell is being supplied.

The invention relates to a method for operating a fuel cell system, in particular a PEM fuel cell system, in which an QI anode gas is supplied to an anode (1) of a fuel cell via a supply path (2), and is fed back via a recirculation path (3) connected to the anode (1), wherein hydrogen is used as the anode gas. According to the invention, during the start up of the fuel cell system, the anode gas is supplied to a drying device (4), in particular an adsorber, via at least one normally open valve (8, 9, 10), and water is extracted from the anode gas using the drying device (4). The invention also relates to a fuel cell system, in particular a PEM fuel cell system, which is suitable for carrying out the method.

To provide a fuel cell system configured to prevent the freezing of the gas and water discharge valve of the fuel gas system even at high altitude. A fuel cell system for air vehicles, wherein the fuel cell system comprises: a fuel cell, a fuel gas system for supplying fuel gas to the fuel cell, a cooling system for controlling a temperature of the fuel cell, an altitude sensor, a temperature sensor, and a controller, and wherein, when the controller detects an altitude increase measured by the altitude sensor, and when a temperature of the gas and water discharge valve measured by the temperature sensor is less than a predetermined temperature, the controller increases a temperature of the refrigerant by controlling the three-way valve to circulate the refrigerant in the heating flow path and operating the circulation pump and the water heater to heat the refrigerant.

A fuel cell system includes a fuel cell, a first temperature sensor configured to acquire a first temperature that is a temperature of the fuel cell, a plurality of accessories that is used to operate the fuel cell, a second temperature sensor configured to acquire a second temperature that is a temperature of at least any one of the plurality of accessories, and a controller configured to perform control on the plurality of accessories to execute a warming-up operation of the fuel cell. The controller is configured to execute the warming-up operation when any of a first condition that the first temperature is lower than a predetermined first threshold temperature and a second condition that the first temperature is equal to or higher than the first threshold temperature and the second temperature is lower than a predetermined second threshold temperature is satisfied.

The present disclosure relates to a fuel cell system and a method of controlling a heater thereof. A fuel cell system according to the present disclosure includes a cathode oxygen depletion (COD) heater that is disposed on a line through which cooling water flowing into a fuel cell stack circulates and heats the cooling water or consumes residual power of the fuel cell stack, and a controller that determines power consumption according to a target heating amount of the COD heater and controls an operation of the COD heater based on the determined power consumption.

The invention relates to a media management plate (1) for a fuel cell assembly (5), a fuel cell system (10) comprising the media management plate and a fuel cell assembly, and a method of operating a fuel cell system (10) comprising a fuel cell assembly (5) and the media management plate (1). All lines for supplying and discharging the fuel cell media and all devices necessary for treating the fuel cell media are integrated in the media management plate (1). The media management plate (1) can be heated by means of coolant and is functional both when oriented vertically and horizontally.

A fuel cell system includes a fuel cell, a cathode off-gas discharge channel, a gas-liquid separator, and a cover member. The gas-liquid separator includes a body, a first discharge channel including a first valve seat at an end, and a first valve device including a first valve element and a first driver. The cover member covers at least the first discharge channel and the first valve seat in the gas-liquid separator, and includes a gas channel defining portion that defines a gas channel communicating with the cathode off-gas discharge channel between the cover member and the gas-liquid separator. The gas channel is configured such that a cathode off-gas flowing into the cover member comes into contact with the first discharge channel and the first valve seat and does not come into contact with the first driver.

The invention relates to a side channel compressor (1) for a fuel cell system for conveying and/or compressing a gas, particularly hydrogen, comprising a housing (3) and a drive (6), wherein the housing (3) has a housing upper part (7) and a housing lower part (8), a compressor chamber (30) which is circulating in the housing (3) about an axis of rotation (4) and has at least one peripheral side channel (19), a compressor wheel (2) located in the housing (3), which is rotatably arranged about an axis of rotation (4) and is driven by the drive (6), said compressor wheel (2) comprising blades (5) arranged on the periphery thereof in the region of the compressor chamber (30), and comprising respectively a gas inlet opening (14) embodied on the housing (3) and a gas outlet opening (16) which are fluidically interconnected via the compressor chamber (30), in particular the at least one side channel (19). According to the invention, the drive (6) is designed as an axial field electric motor (6) which has a stator (12) and a rotor (10), wherein the stator (12) and the rotor (10) have a disc-shaped design and are formed so as to move about the axis of rotation (4), and wherein the stator (12) is arranged next to the rotor in the direction of the axis of rotation (4).

A fuel cell system includes a plurality of fuel cell units each including a fuel cell, a fuel cell cooling system having a heat exchanger that exchanges heat between a primary-side coolant, and a secondary-side coolant flowing through the fuel cell, and a coolant pump that adjusts the flow rate of the secondary-side coolant, and a controller that controls the fuel cell, a cooling device, and a cooling system that supplies the primary-side coolant from the cooling device to each fuel cell unit. During stop of operation of the fuel cell system, the cooling device supplies the primary-side coolant having a temperature equal to or higher than a predetermined temperature to each fuel cell unit, and the controller activates the coolant pump to cause the secondary-side coolant to flow through the heat exchanger, in one or more fuel cell units in which the fuel cell has a possibility of freezing.