A fuel cell vehicle includes a fuel tank, a first detector, a control circuit, and a transmitter. The fuel tank stores fuel gas. The first detector detects information on a state in the fuel tank. The control circuit is configured to receive the information and to generate a signal based on the information. The transmitter includes a transmitter circuit and a response data transmitter circuit. The transmitter circuit is configured to transmit the information to a fuel supply station outside of the fuel cell vehicle according to the signal output from the control circuit. The response data transmitter circuit is configured to transmit response data corresponding to the signal. The control circuit includes a response data receiver circuit to acquire the response data transmitted from the response data transmitter circuit.

In a case where a load amount of a load is a predetermined value or less, a control device of an FC vehicle implements extremely low current control for performing power generation at an extremely low current below a lower limit current of an FC for normal operation. At the time of implementing the extremely low current control, upper and lower limit values of a target output voltage of the converter are set in correspondence with the extremely low current, and the output voltage of the FC is controlled to be within a range between the upper and lower limit values.

The invention relates to a method for operating a fuel cell system, wherein hydrogen from a tank and recirculated hydrogen are fed as anode gas to at least one fuel cell via an anode circuit (1), and water (6) contained in the anode gas is separated by means of a water separator (2) integrated into the anode circuit (1), is collected in a container (3), and is removed from the system by intermittently opening a drain valve (4). According to the invention, the following steps are carried out to detect whether the container (3) is full: opening a purge valve (5) on the container (3), acquiring the point in time of a sudden change in the opening cross-section of a hydrogen metering valve integrated into the anode circuit (1) to maintain a set pressure in the anode circuit (1), and comparing said point in time with the point in time the purge valve (5) opened.

The invention further relates to a control device for carrying out the method or individual method steps.

A method and device of controlling a drain valve of a fuel cell, a controller, a fuel cell system, and a medium is disclosed. The method includes (i) acquiring a permeate water mass flow rate from a cathode to an anode of the fuel cell system and a separation efficiency of a water-gas separator in the fuel cell system, (ii) determining a water mass flow rate level of water passing through a hydrogen circulating pump based on a drive current of the hydrogen circulating pump in the fuel cell system, (iii) determining a circulating water mass flow rate passing through the hydrogen circulating pump based on the permeate water mass flow rate, the separation efficiency, and the water mass flow rate level, and (iv) controlling the drain valve in the fuel cell system based on the circulating water mass flow rate. Solutions provided by the examples of the present disclosure are capable of more precisely controlling a frequency and duration of opening the drain valve while saving costs, thereby being capable of improving the safety and performance of the fuel cell system.

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 are a fuel cell power net system and a method for controlling the same. The fuel cell power net system includes: a fuel cell controller configured to control current output from a fuel cell unit; at least one DC/DC converter configured to boost DC voltage and to output the boosted DC voltage; a battery connected to the fuel cell unit in parallel so as to supply DC power to the fuel cell unit; a load controller configured to provide demand output information; and a fuel cell power controller configured to receive the demand output information, to calculate output levels required by the fuel cell unit and the battery, to compare a current output level of the fuel cell unit with the output level required by the fuel cell unit, and to provide a control value to the fuel cell controller depending on a result of the comparison.

To provide a fuel cell system configured to appropriately measure the AC impedance of a fuel cell. A fuel cell system wherein a controller controls ON and OFF of switches of n phases; wherein the controller monitors current values of coils; the controller operates the switches of the n phases at different phases; wherein the controller operates duty ratios of the switches of the n phases with periodically increasing and decreasing them, and the controller measures an AC impedance of a fuel cell from a current waveform of and a voltage waveform of the fuel cell; and wherein, when the controller determines that a predetermined condition 1 is met, the controller makes amplitudes which increase and decrease the duty ratios large compared to other operating conditions.

The present disclosure pertains to a system (5) comprising a plurality of power converters (20-1 to 20-n) configured, via a processing device (30), to balance heat from a plurality of fuel cell stacks (10-1 to 10-n). Some embodiments may: set one or more parameter values of one of the power converters (20-1) located at the output of one of the plurality of stacks (10-1) such that the one stack preferentially provides power to a load; determine a heat power of the one stack (10-1) and of one or more other stacks of the plurality of stacks (10-2 to 10-n), each of the heat powers being determined based on a voltage and current that are determined at the input of the respective power converter (20-1 to 20-n); determine whether the heat power of the one stack (20-1) satisfies a criterion; and responsive to a determination that the heat power of the one stack satisfies the criterion, set one or more parameter values of each of the power converters (20-2 to 20-n) located at the output of the one or more other stacks such that the determined heat power of each of the one or more other stacks (10-2 to 10-n) more closely matches the determined heat power of the one stack (10-1).

The present disclosure pertains to a system (5) comprising a plurality of power converters (20-1 to 20-n) configured, via a processing device (30), to balance heat from a plurality of fuel cell stacks (10-1 to 10-n). Some embodiments may: set one or more parameter values of one of the power converters (20-1) located at the output of one of the plurality of stacks (10-1) such that the one stack preferentially provides power to a load; determine a heat power of the one stack (10-1) and of one or more other stacks of the plurality of stacks (10-2 to 10-n), each of the heat powers being determined based on a voltage and current that are determined at the input of the respective power converter (20-1 to 20-n); determine whether the heat power of the one stack (20-1) satisfies a criterion; and responsive to a determination that the heat power of the one stack satisfies the criterion, set one or more parameter values of each of the power converters (20-2 to 20-n) located at the output of the one or more other stacks such that the determined heat power of each of the one or more other stacks (10-2 to 10-n) more closely matches the determined heat power of the one stack (10-1).

The present disclosure relates to a valve opening/closing detection device for a fuel cell system and a method therefor and provides a valve opening/closing detection device for a fuel cell system, which detects a current (current waveform) supplied to a valve of the fuel cell system, determines a differential value of the current, detects opening/closing of the valve on the basis of a fluctuation range of the differential value, and thus may accurately detect an opening time point and a closing time point of the valve without a separate sensor, and a method therefor. To this end, the present disclosure may include a current sensor that measures a current applied to a valve, and a controller that determines a differential value of the current and detects opening/closing of the valve on the basis of a fluctuation range of the differential value.