Disclosed is an apparatus for managing condensate of a fuel cell. The apparatus includes a first heater for applying heat to coolant of a fuel cell stack, a second heater for applying heat to the condensate produced in the fuel cell stack, and a controller that controls an operation of the second heater using residual power based on whether at least some of functions of the first heater are activated.

A fuel cell system that raises temperature of fuel cells by supplying heated air to the fuel cells during starting up period. The fuel cell system includes a plurality of fuel cells, a fuel supply path connected parallelly to the fuel cells to provide fuel thereto, an air supply path connected serially to the fuel cells to provide air thereto, a heat exchanger arranged in the fuel supply path to heat air or fuel, an air heat exchanger arranged in the air supply path to heat air; and a connection path connecting a position of the air supply path upstream to the air heat exchanger with a position of the fuel supply path upstream to the heat exchanger. A first control valve is arranged in the air supply path for controlling the air flowing into to the air heat exchanger. A second control valve arranged in the connection path for controlling the air flowing into the heat exchanger. The fuel cell system controls opening degrees of the first and second control valves during the start-up period of the fuel cell system to supply heated air to the fuel cells through both the air supply path and the fuel supply path.

The invention relates to a fuel cell system assembly comprising at least two coupled fuel cell systems (A, B) that can be operated at different load points, each fuel cell system (A, B) being connected to a respective cooling circuit (3A, 3B) comprising a circulating coolant, via a coolant supply line (1A, 1B) and a coolant drain line (2A, 2B). According to the invention, the cooling circuits (3A, 3B) are coupled via a common return line (4), via which the coolant supply lines (1A, 1B) can be supplied with coolant, and a return conduit of at least one ancillary unit (5, 6), for example an electric heating device (5) and/or a heater core (6), is connected to the common return line (4).

To provide a warming-up system in which a period of time taken to warm up a fuel cell is shorter than that for conventional ones. A warming-up system according to an embodiment includes a fuel cell, a motor, a rotation shaft, a speed reducer, a measuring unit, and a control unit. The motor convert electrical power generated by the fuel cell into a rotative force. The speed reducer brake the rotation shaft that is rotating. The measuring unit measure a temperature of the fuel cell. The control unit is configured to determine whether to perform warming up for the fuel cell, based on the temperature. When the control unit determines to perform the warming up, the control unit causes the motor and the speed reducer to operate, and uses heat generated in the fuel cell and heat generated in the speed reducer to warm up the fuel cell.

A fuel cell system includes a controller that controls actions of the fuel cell system. The controller includes a freezing presence-absence determination unit that performs freezing presence-absence determination, a temperature raising execution unit that performs temperature raising processing for raising a temperature of an exhaust and drain valve, and a thawing presence-absence determination unit. In the freezing presence-absence determination, freezing determination is made when the exhaust flow rate of gas is equal to or lower than a first threshold. In the thawing presence-absence determination, thawing determination indicating that the exhaust and drain valve is thawed is made when the exhaust flow rate of gas is higher than a second threshold. The second threshold shows a flow rate higher than the first threshold.

A method of operating a fuel cell system includes providing fuel and air to a stack of fuel cells located in a hotbox, operating the stack to generate an anode exhaust and a cathode exhaust, in a startup mode, providing a first amount of the anode exhaust and the cathode exhaust to an anode tail gas oxidizer (ATO) located in the hotbox to oxidize the anode exhaust and to generate heat which is provided to the stack, and in a steady-state mode, stopping providing the anode exhaust to the ATO or providing to the ATO a second amount of the anode exhaust which is smaller than the first amount, and providing the anode exhaust and the cathode exhaust outside the hotbox.

A fuel cell system may include: a reformer performing a reforming process of producing hydrogen gas from a gasified fuel; a burner supplying heat to the reformer; a stack generating electrical energy by generating an electrochemical reaction using reforming gas and air discharged from the reformer; a first supply pipe supplying external air to the burner; a second supply pipe supplying external air to the stack; a first storage tank storing a liquid fuel; a second storage tank supplying a gasified fuel to the reformer; and a fuel evaporator making a liquid fuel discharged from the first storage tank exchange heat with air flowing through the first supply pipe or air flowing through the second supply pipe, and sending a gasified gaseous fuel to the second storage tank.

Described herein is a fuel cell system that includes a radiator configured to exchange heat with coolant discharged from a fuel cell stack, a coolant supply pump configured to supply the coolant to the fuel cell stack, a COD heater configured to consume electric power generated by the fuel cell stack, a valve connected to the fuel cell stack, the radiator, the coolant supply pump, and the COD heater to control a flow of the coolant, and a controller configured to control an operating start time and output of the COD heater to consume energy generated by the fuel cell stack depending on a state of charge (SOC) of a battery and an operating state of the fuel cell stack. The controller controls the valve so that the coolant flows to the COD heater in a temperature control section after a cold start section of the fuel cell stack.

During performance of low efficiency power generation, a control device controls the flow rate of feed of the oxidizing agent gas so that the amount of heat generation of the fuel cell accompanying power generation loss becomes a first amount of heat generation when the state of a mount on which the fuel cell system is mounted is a first mode and controls the flow rate of feed of the oxidizing agent gas so that the amount of heat generation becomes a second amount of heat generation smaller than the first amount of heat generation when the state of the mount is a second mode where the generated electric power of the fuel cell fluctuates more easily compared with the first mode.

The systems, devices, and methods described herein relate to heating and cooling automotive fuel cells. A proportional-integral-derivative (PID) controller may be used to control the temperature of fluid in the fuel cells. The PID may be configured to calculate and control the saturation limits of the I-term of the PID controller to reduce integral wind-up.