A fuel cell system for supplying anode gas and cathode gas to a fuel cell and causing the fuel cell to generate power according to a load includes a component that circulates discharged gas of either the anode gas or the cathode gas discharged from the fuel cell to the fuel cell. The fuel cell system includes a power generation control unit that controls a power generation state of the fuel cell on the basis of the load, a freezing prediction unit that predicts the freezing of the component on the basis of a temperature of the fuel cell system. The fuel cell system includes an operation execution unit that executes a warm-up operation without stopping the fuel cell system or after the stop of the fuel cell system in the case of receiving a stop command of the fuel cell system when the freezing of the component is predicted.

A method of operating a fuel cell assembly comprising a plurality of fuel cells connected together for collectively providing power to a load, each fuel cell including an anode and a cathode, the method comprising selectively providing an electrical connection between the anode and the cathode of at least one of the fuel cells of the assembly for lowering the voltage across the fuel cell independent of the load.

A method of operating a fuel cell assembly comprising a plurality of fuel cells connected together for collectively providing power to a load, each fuel cell including an anode and a cathode, the method comprising selectively providing an electrical connection between the anode and the cathode of at least one of the fuel cells of the assembly for lowering the voltage across the fuel cell independent of the load.

A power controlling apparatus includes a secondary battery (2) connected to an electrical device (4), and a fuel cell (3) connected to the electrical device (4) and the secondary battery (2). The fuel cell (3) has two non-generating modes including an idling mode and a halt mode, the fuel cell (3) suspending generation of power while being supplied with fuel in the idling mode, the fuel cell (3) stopping generation of power without fuel supply in the halt mode. The power controlling apparatus further includes a remainder estimator (11) to calculate the remaining number of starts representing the remaining number of available starts of the fuel cell (3), and a controller (16) to control the fuel cell (3) to be one of the two non-generating modes during a non-charging mode of the secondary battery (2), based on the remaining number of starts calculated by the remainder estimator (11).

A device intended to generate electricity includes a planar fuel cell having: cells each provided with an anode and a cathode associated with a membrane, and a first face and a second face opposite to the first face, the first face being arranged on the side with the anodes of the fuel cell and the second face being arranged on the side with the cathodes of the fuel cell. Furthermore, this device includes a system configured to generate a first air flow intended to cooperate thermally with the first face, and configured to generate a second air flow intended to cooperate with the second face to ensure the supply of oxidizer to the cathodes of the fuel cell.

A method of shutting down a fuel cell system includes a fuel cell includes generating power via an electrochemical reaction between a fuel gas and an oxidant gas. A shutdown command is output to the fuel cell to stop generating power. The fuel cell is controlled to continue generating power during an oxygen consumption process to consume oxygen in the oxidant gas remaining in a cathode system of the fuel cell even when the shutdown command is output to the fuel cell. At least one of voltage, current, and power output from the fuel cell is detected during the oxygen consumption process. Whether an abnormality occurs during the oxygen consumption process is determined based on at least one of the voltage, the current, and the power. The fuel cell is controlled to stop generating power during the oxygen consumption process when it is determined that abnormality occurs.

A method of shutting down a fuel cell system includes a fuel cell includes generating power via an electrochemical reaction between a fuel gas and an oxidant gas. A shutdown command is output to the fuel cell to stop generating power. The fuel cell is controlled to continue generating power during an oxygen consumption process to consume oxygen in the oxidant gas remaining in a cathode system of the fuel cell even when the shutdown command is output to the fuel cell. At least one of voltage, current, and power output from the fuel cell is detected during the oxygen consumption process. Whether an abnormality occurs during the oxygen consumption process is determined based on at least one of the voltage, the current, and the power. The fuel cell is controlled to stop generating power during the oxygen consumption process when it is determined that abnormality occurs.

A system and method for recovering an output of a fuel cell is provided. The system and method for recovering an output of a fuel cell includes: an output recovering device connected to a fuel cell stack through at least one coolant heater line; and a vehicle controller configured to communicate with the output recovering device and control supply of a coolant, air, and hydrogen to the fuel cell stack. The output recovering device also includes a current supplier configured to supply a current to the fuel cell stack and a controller configured to communicate with the vehicle controller and control the current supplied from the current supplier.

The invention relates to a method for switching off a fuel cell system (100) having a fuel cell stack (10), that has anode chambers (13) and cathode chambers (12), and a cathode supply (20) having a cathode supply path (21) for supplying an oxygenated cathode operating gas into the cathode chambers (12), a compressor (23) arranged in the cathode supply path(21) and a cathode exhaust path (22) for discharging a cathode exhaust gas from the cathode chambers (12).

The method comprises the steps of:

(a) Maintenance of the cathode chambers (12) under excess pressure while preventing a flow of cathode operating gas through the cathode chambers (12) while keeping the cathode operating gas that is present in the cathode chambers (12) oxygen-depleted;

(b) Expansion of the oxygen-depleted cathode operating gas present in the cathode chambers (12) via the cathode supply path (31) [sic] and/or the cathode exhaust path (22), and

(c) Separation of the cathode chambers (12) from the environment.

The invention relates to a method for switching off a fuel cell system (100) having a fuel cell stack (10), that has anode chambers (13) and cathode chambers (12), and a cathode supply (20) having a cathode supply path (21) for supplying an oxygenated cathode operating gas into the cathode chambers (12), a compressor (23) arranged in the cathode supply path(21) and a cathode exhaust path (22) for discharging a cathode exhaust gas from the cathode chambers (12).

The method comprises the steps of:

(a) Maintenance of the cathode chambers (12) under excess pressure while preventing a flow of cathode operating gas through the cathode chambers (12) while keeping the cathode operating gas that is present in the cathode chambers (12) oxygen-depleted;

(b) Expansion of the oxygen-depleted cathode operating gas present in the cathode chambers (12) via the cathode supply path (31) [sic] and/or the cathode exhaust path (22), and

(c) Separation of the cathode chambers (12) from the environment.