A method for controlling multiple fuel cells of a fuel cell vehicle includes equally controlling, by a controller, power generation amounts of the respective fuel cells, deriving, by the controller, differences between output voltages of the respective fuel cells in a state in which the power generation amounts of the respective fuel cells are equal and determining whether or not differential control of the power generation amounts of the respective fuel cells is required based on the differences between the output voltages, correcting, by the controller, power generation control values of the respective fuel cells depending on the differences between the output voltages upon determining that differential control of the power generation amounts of the respective fuel cells is required, and differentially controlling, by the controller, the power generation amounts of the respective fuel cells depending on the corrected power generation control values.

A fuel cell comprising an upper plate and a lower plate, a stack of energy cells, the stack being disposed between the upper plate and the lower plate, the stack being divided into a plurality of energy cell stages, a plurality of collectors separating each energy cell stage, three inlet vents extending from the lower plate to the upper plate, over the entire height of the stack of energy cells, the three inlet vents being configured to respectively provide the energy cells with heat transfer fluid, comburent fluid and liquid fuel, and a movable piston is disposed in each of the inlet vents, each piston being configured so that its position in the inlet vent selectively opens one or more of the fluid ducts of one or more energy cell stages, and wherein each piston is driven independently of the other pistons.

A power supply system of a fuel cell using user authentication includes: a tagging device that receives user information of a user terminal; an identity authentication unit, which compares the user information inputted through the tagging device with previously stored authentication information and outputs a use authority signal when the user information matches the authentication information; a power module complete that produces electric power by a chemical reaction between hydrogen and oxygen; a battery that receives and is charged with electric power produced by the power module complete; an output terminal that is connected to the battery to output electric power stored in the battery; and an integrated body control unit that controls electric power to be outputted through the output terminal when the identity authentication unit outputs the use authority signal.

An electric power supply system of an embodiment includes a plurality of fuel cell systems having fuel cell stacks, a controller configured to control to perform stable output electric generation in one fuel cell system having one fuel cell stack, in which a degraded state of an electrode is relatively large, among the plurality of fuel cell stacks, and to perform transient response electric generation in other fuel cell system having other fuel cell stack, in which a degraded state of an electrode is relatively small, and a cell voltage sensor.

If a difference between pressure values detected by a plurality of pressure detectors is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, a anode pressure in the fuel gas supply pipe is estimated based on a supply situation of the fuel gas supplied from a pressure regulator and a consumption situation of the fuel gas in a fuel cell stack, and it is determined that a pressure detector detecting a pressure value closer to an estimated pressure value is a normal pressure detector. Thereafter, a power generation operation of a fuel cell system is continued based on the pressure value of the pressure detector determined to be normal.

A fuel cell system includes: a plurality of fuel cell units of which each includes a fuel cell, an air supply pipe, an air supply device, an air discharge pipe, and a control unit; and an exhaust pipe connected to the plurality of air discharge pipes and configured to discharge exhaust gas to the outside of the fuel cell system. The control units of the plurality of fuel cell units are configured such that, when one or more fuel cell units included in the plurality of fuel cell units are operating to generate electric power and each of the remainder of the plurality of fuel cell units is not operating to generate electric power, the control unit of the fuel cell unit that is not operating to generate electric power activates the air supply device of the corresponding fuel cell unit.

A control system and a control method of fuel cell stacks are provided. The control system includes a set of fuel cell stacks, a secondary battery, a monitoring device, and a control device. Each fuel cell stack has a power output that can be independently started up or shut down. The secondary battery is connected to power output terminals of the fuel cell stacks via a power transmission path. The monitoring device is configured to monitor an electrical parameter of the power transmission path. The control device receives an electrical parameter signal from the monitoring device, and outputs a control signal to shut down or start up the power output of at least one of the fuel cell stacks if the electrical parameter's value is higher than a predetermined upper limit or lower than a predetermined lower limit.

A fuel cell system includes: a fuel cell unit including first to nth fuel cells connected in series to each other to supply electric power to a load device; first to nth supply systems that independently supply cathode gas to the first to nth fuel cells, respectively; a switching device capable of switching a state between a connected state and a disconnected state; and a control unit, when required output to the fuel cell unit is equal to or smaller than a threshold value, configured to control the switching device to switch the state from the connected state to the disconnected state, and to control the first to nth supply systems to respectively control the first to nth fuel cells so as to respectively control flow rates of the cathode gas to be supplied to the first to nth fuel cells.

An illustrative example fuel cell power plant includes a cell stack assembly having a plurality of fuel cells configured to generate electricity based on an electrochemical reaction. The power plant includes a capacitor, a plurality of inverters, and at least one controller that is configured to control the plurality of inverters in a first mode and a second mode. The first mode includes the cell stack assembly associated with at least one of the inverters. A cell stack assembly and the associated inverter provide real power to a load external to the fuel cell power plant in the first mode. The second mode includes at least a second one of the inverters associated with the capacitor. The capacitor and the second one of the inverters selectively provide reactive power to or receive reactive power from a grid external to the fuel cell power plant in the second mode.

Provided is a cogeneration system that includes a plurality of fuel cell devices capable of supplying heat and power to a heat load and a power load and a control device connected to the fuel cell devices. The control device determines an operation mode on the basis of at least one of a heat demand value and a power demand value. The control device controls a power generation efficiency and a heat recovery efficiency by controlling the fuel cell devices on the basis of the operation mode determined.