The fuel cell control system includes: a reactor; an air compressor, wherein the air compressor has a compressing cavity, the compressing cavity has a gas inlet and a gas outlet, a rotatable pressure wheel is disposed inside the compressing cavity, and the gas outlet is in communication with the reactor; a control flow channel, wherein a first end of the control flow channel is in communication with the gas-intake side of the pressure wheel, a second end of the control flow channel is in communication with the wheel-back side of the pressure wheel, and the control flow channel is provided with a return valve for regulating the flow rate of the control flow channel; and a central control unit, wherein the central control unit is communicatively connected to the return valve to control the opening degree of the return valve.

An air pressure in fuel cells of an electric power generation system comprising a fuel cell stack (PCS) is raised with a pressurized air cooling system with recirculation to values at least two times greater than typical values for an PCS with air cooling. The FCS is either placed in a high-pressure chamber to which air is injected, or air outgoing from the FCS is redirected via a duct back to the FCS inlet and a portion of pressurized fresh air is added thereto. The chamber or the duct is provided with a radiator by means of which circulating air heat is transferred into the external environment. Air recirculation in the chamber or the duct is effected by means of fans for cooling fuel cells. Useful capacity of electric power generation systems based on fuel cells is raised significantly, the necessity of using a humidifier is excluded, and the temperature range of fuel cell operation is expanded.

A system and method for cooling and humidifying a cathode subsystem of a fuel cell for an automobile. The system includes a compressor, an air input line including an intercooler configured to cool air output by the compressor, a fluid output line including a fluid injection system, a cathode stack configured to receive air via the air input line and output a fluid to the fluid output line, and an electronic processor. The electronic processor is configured to control the fluid injection system such that the fluid output from the cathode stack is injected into the air input line.

A fuel cell system comprising (i) at least one fuel cell stack (30) comprising at least one intermediate-temperature solid oxide fuel cell, and having an anode inlet (41) and a cathode inlet (61) and (ii) a reformer (70) for reforming a hydrocarbon fuel to a reformate, and a reformer heat exchanger (160); and defining: an anode inlet gas fluid flow path from a fuel source (90) to said reformer (70) to said fuel cell stack anode inlet (41); a cathode inlet gas fluid flow path from an oxidant inlet (140, 140′, 140″) through at least one cathode inlet gas heat exchanger (110, 150) to said reformer heat exchanger (160) to said fuel cell stack cathode inlet (61); wherein said at least one cathode inlet gas heat exchanger (110, 150) is arranged to heat relatively low temperature cathode inlet gas by transfer of heat from at least one of (i) an anode off-gas fluid flow path and (ii) a cathode off-gas fluid flow path; wherein said reformer heat exchanger is arranged for heating said anode inlet gas from said relatively high temperature cathode inlet gas to a temperature T.sub.3 at the anode inlet that is below a temperature T.sub.1 at the cathode inlet; and wherein oxidant flow control means (200) for controlled mixing of low temperature oxidant from the or each oxidant inlet (140, 140′, 140″) with high temperature cathode inlet gas to control a temperature T.sub.1 at the cathode inlet (61) relative to a temperature T.sub.3 at the anode inlet (41) and at a level higher than T.sub.3.

A pressurized air supply system supplies, to a pressurization object device, flowing air that includes at least one of compressed air, which is generated by compressing air supplied from an air supply source, or discharged air from a turbocharger compressor forming a turbocharger. The compressor is controlled such that a saturated steam temperature of the flowing air supplied from the air supply source to the pressurization object device is lower than a temperature in the pressurization object device, at startup.

The invention relates to a heat exchanger system for operating a fuel cell stack, comprising: a first compressor and a second compressor for the cathode gas fed to the fuel cell stack, the second compressor being fluidically downstream of the first compressor; a turbine, which is mechanically coupled to the second compressor and against which the cathode gas discharged from the fuel cell stack flows; a first heat exchanger, which is thermally coupled to the fed cathode gas between the first compressor and the second compressor; a second heat exchanger, which is thermally coupled to the fed cathode gas downstream of the second compressor; a fourth heat exchanger, which is thermally coupled to the discharged cathode gas downstream of the turbine; wherein the fourth heat exchanger is thermally variably coupled to the first heat exchanger and to the second heat exchanger in order to control a heat exchange for cooling the first heat exchanger and the second heat exchanger.

There is provided an air supply system and method for a fuel cell, the air supply system includes an air supply device configured to reduce a temperature of compressed air using heat exchange air and to provide the cooled air as power generation air to a fuel cell stack, and an indoor temperature adjustment device configured to provide external air as the heat exchange air to the air supply device or to cool the external air to provide the cooled external air as the heat exchange air to the air supply device, based on operation control information.

A pressure control system of a fuel cell stack includes: an air supply control unit for controlling a revolutions per minute (RPM) of an air compressor for supplying air to a cathode side of the fuel cell stack based on a required output of the fuel cell stack; a hydrogen supply control unit for controlling a pressure at an anode side of the fuel cell stack with a target pressure based on the required output of the fuel cell stack; and a differential pressure control unit for controlling the air supply control unit or the hydrogen supply control unit to calculate a differential pressure between the anode side and the cathode side of the fuel cell stack, and to modify the target pressure or the RPM of the air compressor based on the calculated differential pressure.

The invention relates to a media management plate (1) for a fuel cell assembly (5), a fuel cell system (10) comprising the media management plate and a fuel cell assembly, and a method of operating a fuel cell system (10) comprising a fuel cell assembly (5) and the media management plate (1). All lines for supplying and discharging the fuel cell media and all devices necessary for treating the fuel cell media are integrated in the media management plate (1). The media management plate (1) can be heated by means of coolant and is functional both when oriented vertically and horizontally.

A method of operating a solid oxide fuel cell system may comprise contacting a cathode gas comprising oxygen with a heating element to produce a heated cathode gas, passing the heated cathode gas through a cathode of a solid oxide fuel cell stack to increase the temperature of the solid oxide fuel cell stack to an operation temperature and reduce the oxygen to oxygen anions, and passing an anode gas through an anode of the solid oxide fuel cell stack to initiate the electrochemical oxidation of the oxygen anions within the anode. The passing of the anode gas through the anode of the solid oxide fuel cell stack may be initiated when the solid oxide fuel cell stack is heated to an operational temperature.