A fuel cell based power generator includes a fuel cell element, an ambient air path configured to receive ambient air and provide the ambient air across a cathode side of the fuel cell element, receive water from the fuel cell element and provide wet air to the water exchanger element, and a fuel cell cooling mechanism associated with the fuel cell element, separate from the ambient air path and configured to cool the fuel cell element.

A current hysteresis reducing apparatus includes a processor configured to calculate a current hysteresis value of a fuel cell, to determine whether to operate a low current avoidance driving mode by using the current hysteresis value, and to enter the low current avoidance driving mode to avoid a low-current driving area, and a storage configured to store data and algorithms driven by the processor.

In accordance with the principles of the present invention, a system and method for the management of the power applied to electrolytic cell is provided. The power management consists a constant current regulation, H-bridge control by pulse width modulation (PWM), and dimming control of the applied current to the electrolytic cell. The constant current regulation is an analog control that maintains the applied current at a user-defined current setpoint. The time scale of constant current regulation ranges from tenth of microseconds to milliseconds. The PWM control of the H-bridge allows for the instant adjustment of the electrolytic production output by turning the cell on and off; the time scale of the PWM control ranges from tenths of milliseconds to seconds. The dimming control allows the change of the applied constant current; the time scale of the dimming control ranges from milliseconds to hours and longer.

A metal-air battery apparatus includes an inlet module and a main module each having a metal-air battery cell structure including a positive electrode and a negative electrode. The inlet module and the main module are electrically controlled and independently controlled from each other, and a channel through which a fluid such as air flows is defined between the inlet module and the main module. A temperature of the inlet module and a temperature of the main module are independently controlled by adjusting a discharge current density or by charging or a temperature adjustor.

The control method for a flow battery includes acquiring a current electrolyte capacity decay rate of the flow battery; comparing the current electrolyte capacity decay rate with a first preset decay rate and a second preset decay rate; when the current electrolyte capacity decay rate is greater than the first preset decay rate and less than the second preset decay rate, adjusting a liquid level of positive electrolyte and a liquid level of negative electrolyte, such that a difference between these two liquid levels is less than a preset value, a ratio of the total amount of vanadium in the positive electrolyte to the total amount of vanadium in the negative electrolyte remains in a first preset ratio range, or a ratio of a vanadium ion concentration in the positive electrolyte to a vanadium ion concentration in the negative electrolyte remains in a second preset ratio range.

A fuel cell system includes a plurality of fuel cell units each configured to generate lower-voltage DC power. The fuel cell system includes a plurality of DC-DC converters each electrically connected to each of the fuel cell units and configured to convert the lower-voltage DC power to higher-voltage DC power. The fuel cell system includes a primary load power conversion unit electrically connected to the plurality of DC-DC converters and configured to output a primary load. The fuel cell system includes an auxiliary load power conversion unit electrically connected to the plurality of DC-DC converters and configured to output an auxiliary load.

The low efficiency power generation part of a control device is provided with an operating point setting part setting a target current and a target voltage defining an operating point of the fuel cell at the time of low efficiency power generation and a generated electric power control part making the generated electric power of the fuel cell increase and decrease at the time of low efficiency power generation by controlling the current of the fuel cell to the target current while making the flow rate of feed of oxidizing agent gas supplied to the fuel cell fluctuate so that the voltage of the fuel cell increases and decreases above and below the target voltage within a range where the charged and discharged electric powers of the rechargeable battery do not become larger than the allowable charged and discharged electric powers.

A method for controlling a fuel cell system including a fuel cell, includes measuring an impedance of the fuel cell that includes a solid polymer electrolyte membrane to generate electric power via an electrochemical reaction between a fuel gas and an oxidant gas. An output electric current output from the fuel cell is increased to a threshold electric current value when the impedance is equal to or higher than a threshold impedance value and a target electric current value is larger than the threshold electric current value. The output electric current is maintained at the threshold electric current value. The output electric current is increased from the threshold electric current value to the target electric current value.

A method of improving the electrical performance of an operating fuel cell catalyst-containing cathode in a fuel cell connected to an electrical load by: reducing the flow of air to the cathode; disconnecting the load from the fuel cell; connecting a potentiostat to the fuel cell; cycling an applied voltage, current, or power to the fuel cell one or more times; disconnecting the potentiostat from the fuel cell; reconnecting the load to the fuel cell; and resuming the flow of air to the cathode.

A fuel cell system includes a battery, a fuel cell configured to generate power in accordance with a load, an inverter configured to convert power output from the fuel cell into alternating-current power and supply the alternating-current power to a motor, and a converter configured to control voltage between the inverter and the fuel cell using power output from the battery. The fuel cell system includes a voltage control unit configured to control the converter such that the voltage between the inverter and the fuel cell does not fall below a voltage lower limit of the inverter, and a lower limit voltage control unit configured to, when power required by the motor increases, cause the voltage between the inverter and the fuel cell to fall below the voltage lower limit of the inverter.