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.

The subject matter of this specification can be embodied in, among other things, a hydrogen fuel cell anode control system including a hydrogen inlet configured to receive pressurized hydrogen, a hydrogen outlet configured to be fluidically coupled to an anode manifold of a hydrogen fuel cell, a recirculation inlet configured to receive overflow hydrogen from the anode manifold, a hydrogen pressure regulator configured to receive pressurized hydrogen from the hydrogen inlet, a hydrogen recirculation module configured to mix hydrogen received from the hydrogen pressure regulator and the recirculation inlet, and provide a hydrogen mixture to the hydrogen outlet, a differential pressure measurement module configured to measure a differential pressure between the anode manifold and a cathode manifold of the hydrogen fuel cell, and a controller configured to control at least one of the hydrogen pressure regulator or the hydrogen recirculation module based on the measured differential pressure.

Aspects of the subject disclosure may include, for example, a porous electrode that includes a porous layer, and a pattern of flow channels defined in the porous layer, wherein a first flow channel in the pattern of flow channels has a shape that at least partially approximates a cube-root profile. Additional embodiments are disclosed.

Disclosed are a device and a method for controlling a fuel cell system, in which during operation of the fuel cell system, the device and method determine a minimum motoring current limit value applied to a motor for driving a fuel cell vehicle by varying an output current limit threshold value of the fuel cell stack by determining an available output current of the stack and by varying an available voltage lower limit threshold value of the stack by determining an available operating voltage of the stack, thereby preventing the fuel cell vehicle from rattling due to excessive limitation of output current of the stack. They also control the pressures of an anode and a cathode of the stack by monitoring whether the performance of the stack is degraded as limitation of output current of the stack is suppressed, thereby suppressing degradation of the performance of the stack.

A fuel cell system includes a target pressure setting unit configured to periodically and repeatedly set a target upper limit pressure and a target lower limit pressure as a target pressure of anode gas. An upper limit pressure setting unit is configured to set the smaller one of an upper limit value based on durability performance and an upper limit value based on output performance as an upper limit pressure of the anode gas. The target pressure setting unit sets a value smaller than the upper limit value as the target upper limit pressure when the upper limit value based on the durability performance of the fuel cell is selected as the upper limit pressure of the anode gas, and sets a pressure higher than the upper limit value as the target upper limit pressure when the upper limit value based on the output performance is selected.

A fuel cell system includes a supply unit configured to supply cathode gas to a fuel cell, a bypass valve configured to bypass the cathode gas to be supplied to the fuel cell by the supply unit, a detection unit configured to detect a state of the cathode gas to be supplied to the fuel cell without being bypassed by the bypass valve, a pressure adjusting unit configured to adjust a pressure of the cathode gas to be supplied to the fuel cell, a calculation unit configured to calculate a target flow rate and a target pressure of the cathode gas to be supplied to the fuel cell according to an operating state of the fuel cell, an operating state control unit configured to control an operation amount of at least one of the pressure adjusting unit and the supply unit on the basis of a flow rate and the pressure of the cathode gas detected by the detection unit and the target flow rate and the target pressure calculated by the calculation unit, a bypass valve control unit configured to open and close the bypass valve on the basis of the flow rate of the cathode gas detected by the detection unit and the target flow rate calculated by the calculation unit, and a pressure compensation unit configured to compensate for the pressure of the cathode gas to be supplied to the fuel cell by increasing the at least one operation amount controlled by the operating state control unit or by decreasing an opening speed of the bypass valve when the bypass valve is opened.

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.

The present disclosure generally relates to systems and methods in a vehicle or powertrain system including an air stream flowing through an air compressor and an air cooler into a fuel cell stack, an air stream flowing out of the fuel cell stack to an ambient through a backpressure valve, one or more sensors for measuring pressure or temperature in the first air stream or second air stream, and a controller controlling the flow of the first air stream, the flow of the scond air stream and the opening of the backpressure valve.

A method for controlling a fuel cell (12) includes the following steps: measuring the fluid pressure in a first compartment from the anode and cathode compartments of the fuel cell (12); calculating a first target pressure for the fluid pressure in the second compartment of the fuel cell (12), the first target pressure depending on the fluid pressure measured in the first compartment; stabilizing the fluid pressure in the second compartment to the first target pressure; measuring the fluid pressure in the second compartment; calculating a second target pressure for the fluid pressure in the first compartment, the second target pressure depending on the fluid pressure measured in the second compartment; and stabilizing the fluid pressure in the first compartment at the second target pressure.

A fuel cell system includes: a cathode pressure control unit configured to control a pressure of a cathode gas to be supplied to the fuel cell stack on the basis of a load of the fuel cell stack; and an anode pressure control unit configured to control a pressure of an anode gas to be supplied to the fuel cell stack to become higher than the pressure of the cathode gas so that a differential pressure between the pressure of the anode gas and the pressure of the cathode gas becomes a predetermined differential pressure or lower. The anode pressure control unit controls, at a time of recovery from idle stop, the pressure of the anode gas to be supplied to the fuel cell stack to a recovery-time pressure, the recovery-time pressure being obtained by adding the predetermined differential pressure to a predetermined pressure corresponding to an atmosphere pressure.