Disclosed is a multi-fuel cell system and control method thereof in which when a plurality of fuel cell units electrically connected to each other, each including a fuel cell, an air compressor, and a humidifier, is cold-started, a first fuel cell unit, one of the plurality of fuel cell units, generates power in a defrost mode, an air compressor of a second fuel cell unit, another fuel cell unit, is driven by providing the power generated by the first fuel cell unit to the second fuel cell unit, and the first fuel cell unit generates power in a heating mode and the second fuel cell unit generates power in the defrost mode when the defrosting of the first fuel cell unit is completed.

A fuel cell system installed in a vehicle, the system comprising: a fuel cell, a secondary cell, a system temperature acquirer for acquiring a temperature of an inside of the fuel cell system, and a controller, wherein, when the system temperature is a predetermined first temperature or less, the controller charges the secondary cell until a state-of-charge value of the secondary cell reaches a predetermined first threshold value, and the controller carries out a first pattern purge on the fuel cell, and wherein, when the system temperature exceeds the predetermined first temperature, the controller charges the secondary cell until the state-of-charge value of the secondary cell reaches a predetermined second threshold value that is larger than the predetermined first threshold value, and the controller carries out a second pattern purge having a shorter purge time than the first pattern purge on the fuel cell.

A fuel cell stack comprising stacked unit cells, each comprising a membrane electrode assembly comprising an electrolyte membrane and a pair of electrodes disposed on both surfaces thereof, two separators sandwiching the membrane electrode assembly, and a frame-shaped resin sheet disposed between the two separators and around the membrane electrode assembly to attach the separators, wherein the resin sheet comprises a first protrusion protruding in the planar direction of the resin sheet and occupying a part of a first region occupied by a reaction gas inlet manifold, and a second protrusion protruding in the planar direction of the resin sheet and occupying a part of a second region occupied by a reaction gas outlet manifold; and wherein the resin sheet comprises at least one water discharge hole at a predetermined position of at least one protrusion selected from the group consisting of the first protrusion and the second protrusion.

A cooling water temperature of a fuel cell 10 is detected by a sensor 94d. Based on the outside air temperature, a first threshold temperature and a second threshold temperature lower than the first threshold temperature are calculated. When it is judged that the cooling water temperature is lower than the first threshold temperature and higher than the second threshold temperature, first warmup processing is performed. When it is judged that the cooling water temperature is lower than the second threshold temperature, second warmup processing with an amount of heat generation greater than the first warmup processing is performed.

A fuel cell stack includes multiple stacked individual cells each having an anode and a cathode, a common fuel inlet duct, a common fuel outlet duct, a common oxidizing agent inlet duct, a common oxidizing agent outlet duct, and at least one microwave source configured to selectively generate microwave radiation into the common fuel outlet duct and/or into the common oxidizing agent outlet duct to manage water contained therein to melt ice and/or expedite evaporation.

A fuel cell vehicle comprises a fuel cell, a power storage device, a drive motor, a temperature sensor configured to measure a temperature of the fuel cell, a detector configured to detect an operation condition of the fuel cell, and a controller. At a start time of the fuel cell, in a case where the temperature of the fuel cell detected by the temperature sensor is below a freezing point, when an output condition of the fuel cell shown by the detected operation condition of the fuel cell continuously corresponds to a predetermined low output condition for a predetermined reference time period or longer, the controller sets a driving state of the fuel cell vehicle to a first driving state that stops power generation of the fuel cell, drives the drive motor by using only the power storage device as a power source and limits a motor output of the drive motor to be equal to or lower than a predetermined first upper limit output.

A fuel cell includes a fuel cell stack having a stacked body with a plurality of stacked unit cells, an end plate unit, and a gas manifold penetrating the stacked body and the end plate unit in a stacking direction for a flow of reaction gas. The fuel cell also includes a valve that is provided between the end plate unit and gas piping and includes an in-valve flow path for communicating the gas manifold and the gas piping and a valve element. The gas manifold includes a stacked body manifold and an end plate unit flow path. When the fuel cell stack is arranged so that a manifold bottom portion is horizontal, a bottom portion of an opening on the valve side in the end plate unit flow path is arranged above the manifold bottom portion.

An ECU of a fuel cell system determines whether or not temperature information exceeds a temperature threshold for determination when receiving a signal related to power generation stop of a fuel cell stack during operation of a moving body. When the temperature information exceeds the determination temperature threshold, the ECU performs a stop control for stopping power generation of the fuel cell stack. On the other hand, when the temperature information is equal to or lower than the determination temperature threshold, the ECU performs an idle control for generating electric power smaller than electric power consumed by the air pump.

A fuel cell system (200) and a method (900) for controlling temperature of a heat transfer fluid in a fuel cell system (200). The system (200) comprising at least one fuel cell stack (205) comprising at least one fuel cell, and having an anode inlet, an anode off-gas outlet for flow of anode off-gas. The system (200) further comprising a first heat exchanger (215) coupled to receive the anode off-gas which has been output form the anode off-gas outlet, the first heat exchanger (215) configured to exchange heat between the anode off-gas and a heat transfer fluid to cool the anode off-gas and heat the heat transfer fluid. The system (200) further comprising a second heat exchanger (230) that is configured to provide heat to the heat transfer fluid and a heat removal region (235) that is configured to remove heat from the heat transfer fluid. The system (200) further comprising a pump (240) configured to pump the heat transfer fluid around a fluid circuit (225) in a flow direction of: heat removal region (235) where thermal energy is removed, second heat exchanger (230) where thermal energy is added, first heat exchanger (215) where thermal energy is added. The method (900) comprises controlling (920, 945) the pump speed and controlling (925, 940) a mass flow rate of a medium to control the rate of heat removal in the heat removal region (235).

A method for starting a fuel cell device having a plurality of fuel cells under frost starting conditions is provided, which comprises: establishing the presence of frost starting conditions for the fuel cell device, anode-side supplying of a hydrogen-containing reactant and cathode-side supplying of an oxygen-containing reactant in a sub-stoichiometric ratio with an oxygen deficit, maintaining the supply of the reactants in a sub-stoichiometric ratio for a given interval of time, after elapsing of the interval of time, causing the complete discharging of the fuel cells in a discharge phase, and then converting the fuel cell device to a normal mode with the supplying of the reactants according to the requirements for the given operating state and the power demand. A fuel cell device and a motor vehicle are also provided for carrying out such a method.