An air supply system, comprising at least two air blowers and at least two communication valves; wherein one air blower is connected to a main air passage through the corresponding communication valve; and at least one other is connected to a reformer air passage and a stack air passage through at least one other communication valve, respectively. At least two air blowers are provided to connect the at least two communication valves.

A fuel cell system is equipped with a control unit that controls a rotational speed of the turbo compressor that supplies air to an air supply flow passage and an opening degree of at least one valve that adjusts a flow rate and a pressure of the air supplied to a fuel cell such that an operating point of the turbo compressor becomes a target operating point. The control unit sets the target operating point within an operating point range that is on the higher flow rate side than at least part of a first region where an amount of change in flow rate is larger than a predetermined value when a pressure ratio of the turbo compressor is changed by a predetermined amount at a same rotational speed, on a higher flow rate side than a surging region, when a predetermined condition is fulfilled.

A system for providing oxygen to a fuel cell circuit includes a compressor and a fuel cell stack having a plurality of fuel cells. The system also includes a plurality of pipes and a pressure sensor designed to detect pressure at a first location. The system also includes a memory to store a model of the fuel cell circuit and an ECU. The ECU determines a control signal corresponding to desirable operation of the compressor and determines flow values of the gas through each component based on the detected pressure and the model of the fuel cell circuit. The ECU also determines pressure values of each component based on the determined flow values and the model of the fuel cell circuit. The ECU also controls operation of the compressor based on the control signal, at least one of the flow values, and at least one of the pressure values.

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 control device of a fuel cell system does not execute feedback control of an air valve in a case where a first condition in which a valve opening degree command value calculated by the control device is less than a command value threshold and a second condition in which a valve opening degree measurement value measured by an air valve opening degree sensor is less than a measurement value threshold are satisfied, and executes the feedback control of the air valve in a case where the first condition or the second condition is not satisfied.

In a fuel cell vehicle and a method of controlling the fuel cell vehicle, when a gas pressure in a high pressure tank becomes less than a first threshold pressure, the SOC of an energy storage device is increased to a margin SOC. When the gas pressure becomes a second threshold pressure which is lower than the first threshold pressure, the amount of fuel released from the high pressure tank is limited to prevent the occurrence of buckling, and limit the travel driving force by the motor to a required limit. At the time of limiting the travel driving force, electrical energy of the energy storage device is used to provide assistance in a manner that the travel driving force by the motor becomes the travel driving force of the required limit.

A fuel cell system includes a fuel cell, a supercharger, a coolant circuit, a pump controller, and a pressure regulating mechanism. The supercharger applies pressure to cathode gas and supplies the cathode gas to the fuel cell. The coolant circuit has a coolant circulation pump and a cooler and circulates a coolant to be supplied to a coolant channel in the fuel cell. The pressure regulating mechanism regulates coolant pressure in the fuel cell. The pump controller controls a rotation speed of the pump in accordance with a heat release amount required by the fuel cell and controls the pump in a range lower than or equal to an upper limit for the rotation speed set based on one or both of inlet coolant pressure of the pump or a correlation value thereof and an inlet coolant temperature of the pump or a correlation value thereof.

In a case where each of the temperature, the impedance, and the output current of a fuel cell stack falls within a predetermined range, the output voltage of the fuel cell stack is measured, and the measured output voltage is compared with a reference value to thereby determine the degree of degradation of the fuel cell stack.

A control method for a fuel cell stop mode is provided. The method includes measuring an air flow rate supplied to a fuel cell stack and when a fuel cell stop mode is entered, determining an oxygen distribution state between cells included in the fuel cell stack based on the measured air flow rate. Air supply is then supplied to the fuel cell stack or the air supply to the fuel cell stack is interrupted based on the determined oxygen distribution state.

An electricity production system for an aircraft comprising a fuel cell, with an anode and a cathode, supplying an electric motor, a first feed pipe between the anode and a hydrogen source, a compressor, a second feed pipe between the inlet of the compressor and an oxygen source, a first transfer pipe between the outlet of the compressor and the cathode, a valve, an upstream pipe between the outlet of the compressor and the valve, a downstream pipe between the valve and an air outlet, and a controller which controls the position of the valve and the flow rate of the compressor. Such an electricity production system thus provides better control of the air flow supplied to the fuel cell on the basis of the electrical power required for the electric motor providing propulsion.