An integrated fuel cell and combustor assembly, and a related method. The assembly includes a combustor having a combustor geometry and a combustor exit temperature. The assembly further includes multiple fuel cells fluidly coupled to the combustor, the multiple fuel cells being configured to generate a fuel cell power output using fuel and air directed into the multiple fuel cells and to direct a fuel and air exhaust from the multiple fuel cells into the combustor. The multiple fuel cells include multiple fuel cell control groups arranged in a predetermined electrical configuration about the combustor geometry. Each of the multiple fuel cell control groups has an adjustable electrical current bias.

An aircraft has an aircraft propulsor and/or an aircraft propulsor drive. The aircraft propulsor and/or an aircraft propulsor drive acts as a waste heat source. The aircraft has a metal-air fuel cell. The aircraft has a waste heat transfer system configured to thermally couple the metal-air fuel cell and a waste heat source. The aircraft includes a control system configured to operate the waste heat transfer system to selectively transfer waste heat from the waste heat source to the metal-air fuel cell.

A controller for a fuel cell based power generator includes a memory and a processor configured to execute executable instructions stored in the memory to receive a pressure in an anode loop of the fuel cell based power generator, wherein the anode loop includes a hydrogen generator and an anode loop blower, and control the anode loop blower such that the hydrogen generator provides hydrogen to an anode of a fuel cell via the blower and the anode loop at a controlled pressure. In further embodiments, the temperatures of the fuel cell and hydrogen generator are independently controlled.

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 method and a device for detecting internal carbon deposition of a solid oxide fuel cell system. The method comprises the following steps: adjusting a temperature in a reformer of the solid oxide fuel cell system so that a mixed gas discharged from the reformer is at a detection temperature; sampling the mixed gas; detecting a gas sample to obtain a mole fraction of each gas, and calculating an equilibrium constant K1 of a Boudouard reaction according to the obtained mole fraction; calculating an equilibrium constant K2 of the Boudouard reaction according to thermodynamics; comparing K1 and K2, if K1 is less than K2, determining that there will be no carbon deposition in the solid oxide fuel cell system; and if K1 is greater than K2, determining that there will be carbon deposition in the solid oxide fuel cell system. By using the method, a carbon deposition condition in the solid oxide fuel cell system can be detected to effect early warning regarding the solid oxide fuel cell system and take preventive measures

A power system comprises a fuel cell system having a fuel cell stack and a fuel cell water pump, a heat source having a heat source water pump and configured to be actuated to generate heat, a heat radiator for exchanging heat with the atmosphere, a cooling passage thermally connecting the fuel cell system, the heat source, and the heat radiator, and a controller for controlling the fuel cell system, the heat source, and the heat radiator, and the cooling passage.

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.

Provided is a fuel cell system. The fuel cell system comprises: a reformer that reforms fuel; a reformed fuel storage unit that receives the reformed fuel from the reformer and stores same; a fuel cell stack that generates electric power and heat by using the reformed fuel; a boiler unit that provides heating by using heating water, a battery unit that stores the electric power generated in the fuel cell stack; and a control unit that controls the operations of the reformer, the reformed fuel storage unit, the fuel cell stack, the boiler unit, and the battery unit, wherein the control unit controls the reformer to operate using the heating water of the boiler unit when the temperature of the heating water of the boiler unit is higher than a first baseline and the stored amount of the reformed fuel stored in the reformed fuel storage unit is equal to or less than a second baseline.

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.