A heat to electricity converter including a working fluid and a pair of membrane electrode assemblies (MEA) is provided. Each MEA includes a pair of electrodes which are electron conductive and permeable to the working fluid, and a thin film electrolyte membrane sandwiched between the electrodes. The membrane is conductive of ions of the working fluid and has a thickness of 0.03 μm to 10 μm. At least one electrode of each MEA includes a non-porous and dense metal. One electrode of each MEA is in contact with the working fluid at a first, higher pressure, while the other electrode is in contact with the working fluid at a second, lower pressure. The first MEA is configured to compress the working fluid from the second pressure to the first pressure, while the second MEA is configured to expand the working fluid from the first pressure to the second pressure.

A fuel cell system of the present invention can suppress an excessively wet or dry state of a fuel cell stack so as to thereby ensure the durability of the fuel cell stack. The fuel cell system supplies an oxidant gas with a reduced flow rate per unit time and for a long time period if the rate of voltage decrease of the stack becomes faster than a threshold rate, and supplies the oxidant gas with an increased flow rate per unit time and for a short time period if the rate of voltage decrease becomes slower than a threshold rate.

A fuel cell system 100 includes: a fuel cell 1 for generating a power by causing an electrochemical reaction between an oxidant gas supplied to an oxidant electrode 34 and a fuel gas supplied to a fuel electrode 67; a fuel gas supplier HS for supplying the fuel gas to the fuel electrode 67; and a controller 40 for controlling the fuel gas supplier HS to thereby supply the fuel gas to the fuel electrode 67, the controller 40 being configured to implement a pressure change when an outlet of the fuel electrode 67 side is closed, wherein based on a first pressure change pattern for implementing the pressure change at a first pressure width ΔP1, the controller 40 periodically changes a pressure of the fuel gas at the fuel electrode 67.

In a gas supply system of one embodiment, a gas control ECU performs an initial monitoring step of comparing first detection information of a high-pressure sensor to a first threshold value and, after it is determined that the first detection information has become less than or equal to the first threshold value, performs a secondary monitoring step of comparing second detection information of a mid-pressure sensor to a second threshold value. The gas control ECU causes a valve-open period and a valve-closed period of an injector in the secondary monitoring step to be longer than the valve-open period and the valve-closed period of the injector in the initial monitoring step.

This fuel cell stack activation method is a method for activating a fuel cell stack provided with a solid polymer-containing electrolyte membrane, an anode electrode, and a cathode electrode, the method comprising: a first current application step for applying a current by electrically connecting the two electrodes via an external electrical load in a state in which a potential difference is generated between the two electrodes by supplying air as a cathode-side gas to the cathode electrode while supplying hydrogen gas as an anode-side gas to the anode electrode; and a second current application step for applying a current by electrically connecting the two electrodes via an external electrical load in a state in which a potential difference is generated between the two electrodes by supplying nitrogen gas as a cathode-side gas to die cathode electrode while supplying hydrogen gas as an anode-side gas to the anode electrode.

There is provided a fuel cell system that generates an electric power by supplying an anode gas and a cathode gas to a fuel cell. The fuel cell system includes: auxiliary machines and a drive motor driven by the generated electric power of the fuel cell; a pressure control unit configured to control a pressure of the cathode gas to be supplied to the fuel cell at a normal target pressure, the normal target pressure being used for ensuring an oxygen partial pressure within the fuel cell in accordance with the generated electric power of the fuel cell; and a warming-up pressure control unit configured to control the pressure of the cathode gas to be supplied to the fuel cell to become a predetermined warm-up acceleration target pressure during warm-up of the fuel cell, the predetermined warm-up acceleration target pressure being higher than the normal target pressure. In a case where there is a request to drive the drive motor during the warm-up of the fuel cell, the warming-up pressure control unit controls the pressure of the cathode gas to be supplied to the fuel cell to a warm-up target pressure between the normal target pressure and the warm-up acceleration target pressure.

A fuel cell power module is coupled to a fuel supply reactor module by way of an adaptor which includes some of the control elements for controlling reaction of reactants in the reactor module. The adaptor includes a housing and a first connection interface in the housing for detachably coupling the adaptor to a fuel cell power module fuel inlet port and a second connection interface in the housing for detachably coupling the adaptor to a reactor module fuel outlet port. A fluid line extends between the first connection interface and the second connection interface. The adaptor includes a motive unit of a flow control mechanism configured to provide motive power to a flow circuit of a reactor module when the reactor module is coupled to the adaptor. The adaptor enables a fuel cell power module to be interfaced with different types of reactor modules having different form factor and different control requirements.

The present invention relates to a device for the storage and delivery of liquid and/or gaseous media under pressure, having a media container (1) of a plastics material, preferably of polyamide, receiving the medium, at least one valve connection element (2), connected to the media container (1), and at least one valve element (3, 3a, 3b), connectable to the valve connection element (2), wherein the media container (1) has a collar (4), which is molded on in one piece and protrudes from the media container (1) and has a collar outer wall (5) and a collar inner wall (6). A restoring element (11, 11a, 11b) is arranged in such a way that, during the fitting of the valve element (3, 3a), the collar (4) and the restoring element (11, 11a, 11b) are jointly pressed between a partial region (9a) of the wall (9) and the pressing portion (10), wherein the restoring element (11, 11a, 11b) is formed from a crosslinked plastics material, preferably from crosslinked polyethylene, and wherein the pressing portion (10), the collar (4) and the restoring element (11, 11a, 11b) are made to match one another and formed in such a way that the joint pressing of the collar (4) and the restoring element (11, 11a, 11b) has the effect that an elastic deformation (X) of the restoring element (11, 11a, 11b) that is greater than the maximum creep deformation (Y) of the collar (4) over the service life of the device can be set, and so the creep deformation (Y) of the collar (4) can be compensated by way of the restoring element (11, 11a, 11b). The invention also relates to a fuel-energy conversion device, a motor vehicle and a method for fitting a device for the storage and delivery of liquid and/or gaseous media under pressure.

A shutoff valve, a first gas pressure sensor, a pressure reducing valve, a second gas pressure sensor, and a gas supply component are provided, sequentially from a gas tank side, in a gas supply flow channel that extends from the gas tank to a gas consuming component. Besides, a buffer tank is provided, via an on-off valve, in a branch flow channel that branches off from the gas supply flow channel between the pressure reducing valve and the gas supply component. This buffer tank is in a situation where the pressure of the buffer tank is not higher than a consumption prescribed gas pressure. In calibrating the first gas pressure sensor, with the shutoff valve closed and with the on-off valve open, a detection value of the first gas pressure sensor is calibrated through the use of a detection value of the second gas pressure sensor.

A method for performing one or more proactive remedial actions to prevent anode flow-field flooding in an anode side of a fuel cell stack at low stack current density. The method includes identifying one or more trigger conditions that could cause the anode flow-field to flood with water, and performing the one or more proactive remedial actions in response to the identified trigger conditions that removes water from the anode side flow-field prior to the anode flooding occurring.