Systems and methods for controlling operation of a fuel cell system in a vehicle are provided. Pressures at one or more of an anode side, a cathode side, and a coolant subsystem are controlled to be maintained within a pressure corridor during a normal operation of the fuel cell system. At an emergency shutdown, pressure at an anode side is controlled. A method of controlling operation of a fuel cell system includes detecting a shutdown of the fuel cell system, determining whether the shutdown is an emergency shutdown, and, responsive to determination that the shutdown is the emergency shutdown, controlling a degree of opening of an anode purge valve, positioned at an anode outlet path extending between an anode outlet and a cathode outlet path, based on availability of pressure sensor data and/or a power level at which the fuel cell system was operating at a time when the emergency shutdown was detected.

A fuel cell system with a plurality of fuel cell modules connected to form a fuel cell group having first and second electrical supply terminals that terminate to an electrical load; a measuring device connected to the fuel cell modules that measures a load current of the respective fuel cell modules; and a controller that detects a respective operating state of the fuel cell modules. The controller is connected to and controls operation of the fuel cell modules, and detects whether the operating state is in a respective partial load range of the respective fuel cell module. The controller provides a load current demanded by the load in a first partial-load operating mode of the load by operating all fuel cell modules of the fuel cell group such that all of the fuel cell modules are within the respective partial load range of the respective fuel cell module.

A fuel cell system includes: a fuel cell outputting generated power to an external load; a secondary battery outputting charged power to the external load; and a controller performing a first control that controls output power of the fuel cell and output power of the secondary battery such that the output power of the secondary battery has a ratio predetermined in accordance with an output demand from the external load, in the power supplied to the external load, the controller switches the first control to a second control when the output demand satisfies a predetermined condition with which the output power of the secondary battery is predicted to reach a limit value with the first control, the second control sets a target value of the output power of the fuel cell such that the output power of the secondary battery is smaller than that in the first control.

Power is generated efficiently using fuel. A power generation unit includes a power generation module that generates power using fuel, a supply unit that supplies fuel to the power generation module, a power converter that converts DC power supplied by the power generation module into AC power, and a controller that controls the supply unit and the power converter. The controller controls the supply unit or the power converter so that the output power supplied to a load with fluctuating power consumption becomes greater than the power consumption of the load by a predetermined margin.

A method of cleaning power cells in an array of power cells, comprising coupling at least one first power cell to second power cells in an array of power cells and causing the second power cells to drive the at least one first power cell with a voltage to clean catalyst on the at least one first power cell.

A fuel battery system is provided which can start up without receiving an energy supply from the outside. This fuel battery system 1 is provided with an input unit 11 which is connected to a hydrogen source 41, a reformer 12 which produces a hydrogen-containing gas, a hydrogen storage container 13, a fuel battery 15 which generates power using the hydrogen-containing gas, and a control unit 18. The control unit 18 stores a threshold value of the hydrogen-containing gas necessary for start-up of the fuel battery 15, and controls the amount stored in the hydrogen storage container 13 to be greater than or equal to the amount necessary for start-up of the fuel battery 15. Further, when starting up, the fuel battery 15 generates power by receiving a supply of the hydrogen-containing gas stored in the hydrogen storage container 13 and supplies power to the reformer 12 from a first power supply path 16. The reformer 12 starts up and the necessary hydrogen is produced.

A fuel cell system includes a fuel cell unit configured to generate an amount of electrical power for supply to a varying electrical load and a fuel cell controller configured to receive a first indication that the varying electrical load is at a local maximum within a predetermined period, and, in response, operate the fuel cell unit with an operational parameter having a first value such that the fuel cell unit produces a limited maximum amount of electrical power that is a predetermined percentage of a maximum rated power output of the fuel cell unit. The fuel cell controller is also configured to receive an indication that the varying electrical load has reduced, and, in response, operate the fuel cell unit with the operational parameter having a second value such that the fuel cell unit produces an amount of electrical power below the limited maximum amount of electrical power.

The present invention provides a thermoelectric cooperative control method for the SOFC system based on fractional order sliding mode variable structure, comprising the following steps: S1, collecting parameters of system states and output under combinations of different input parameters of the SOFC system, acquiring an influence function of steady-state power, temperature, efficiency response characteristics and bypass valve opening BP within a full load interval on efficiency optimization, as well as an efficiency optimization function within a specified load switching interval and under a time-delay condition; S2, acquiring a local optimal steady-state operation function, a global optimal function under the steady state developed and formed, and a power tracking function with different switching intervals and different time-delay conditions; S3, calculating a sliding mode interval; S4, calculating a series reaching law function according to optimization functions; S5, eliminating chattering of the series reaching law function through a fractional order optimization method, and solving the reaching law by calculation. The present method can provide precise, flexible and stable control, greatly speed up the switch process, overcome time-delay feature of the great inertia of the SOFC system, and realize fast load switching.

A fuel cell cooling system includes an air temperature estimating unit, an air temperature sensor and an abnormality determining unit. The air temperature sensor senses an air detection temperature of the air that flows out of the air cooler and is supplied to the fuel cell. The air temperature estimating unit estimates an air estimation temperature of the air, based on a temperature of a refrigerant flowing into the air cooler, a power supply quantity of a power supplied to the circulation pump, a temperature of the air flowing into the air cooler and a flow volume of the air. The abnormality determining unit determines that a circulation flow volume of the refrigerant is in an abnormal state when the air detection temperature is higher than the air estimation temperature by a value greater than or equal to a predetermined value.

A fuel cell system includes a FC, a TRC, an oxygen-containing gas supply apparatus, a battery, and an ECU. The ECU is capable of performing power consumption control which allows the oxygen-containing gas supply apparatus to consume electrical energy during regeneration of the TRC. The ECU is configured to determine a charge margin with respect to a charge limitation value of the battery, in a manner that the charge margin set after the power consumption control starts becomes smaller than the charge margin set before the power consumption control is performed.