The invention relates to a fuel cell system (100) having at least one fuel cell stack (101), an air path (10), wherein air from the surroundings reach the fuel cell stack (101) via the air path (10), an exhaust gas path (12), a fuel line (20), wherein fuel is transported to the fuel cell stack (101) via the fuel line (20). According to the invention, the air path (10) is connected to a cooling line (30) via a branch (33), wherein the cooling line (30) is connected to a PDU unit (32).

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.

The present invention relates to a protective reformer device (10) for the protection of an anode section (112) of a fuel cell stack (110) against oxidizing damage during a heating-up process, having a gas duct (20) with a gas inlet (22) and a gas outlet (24) for conducting fuel gas from an anode feed section (120) of the fuel cell stack (110), wherein a catalytic converter section (30) is arranged in the gas duct (20) for a catalytic oxidation of at least part of the fuel gas into a protective gas for feeding to the anode section (112), wherein, furthermore, the gas duct (20) has a temperature control device (40) in thermally transmitting contact with the catalytic converter section (30) for an active temperature control of the catalytic converter section (30).

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 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.

The invention provides a water tank heating method and unit, an electronic device and a solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) system. Before the SOFC system is started, ice in a water tank has been heated up, so after the SOFC system is started, the heating time of the heated ice, i.e., the thawing time of the water tank, will be shortened. Further, in the ice heating process, a pre-set needed SOFC thawing time determined according to current stack outlet temperature is used as a heating control parameter. As the stack outlet temperature is a key factor influencing the starting time of the SOFC system, the heating control will be more accurate if the pre-set needed SOFC thawing time corresponding to the stack outlet temperature is used as a heating control parameter.

A fuel cell system is provided and the fuel cell system includes: a fuel cell; a fuel processing unit configured to process a raw fuel to produce a fuel gas for the fuel cell; an oxidant gas heating unit configured to heat an oxidant gas for the fuel cell; a combustor configured to combust the raw fuel to produce a combustion gas for use in heating the fuel processing unit and the oxidant gas heating unit; a supply control unit configured to, during a warm-up of the fuel cell, control supply of the raw fuel to the fuel processing unit and the combustor; and a power generation control unit configured to control a power generation state during the warm-up of the fuel cell. When the fuel cell has reached a power generation available temperature, the power generation control unit is configured to cause the fuel cell to perform power generation, and the supply control unit is configured to supply the raw fuel to both the fuel processing unit and the combustor.

A fuel cell system includes fuel cell, an electrical storage device that stores electric power generated by the fuel cell, and a control device that controls generation of power by the fuel cell, that acquires a charging rate of the electrical storage device, when the electric power in the electrical storage device is supplied to external devices, the control device performs first control which increases a charging rate of the electrical storage device and second control which restricts a power generation amount of the fuel cell to be smaller than in the first control and decreases a charging rate of the electrical storage device, and when a temperature detected by the temperature sensor is lower than a predetermined temperature, a power generation amount per hour of the fuel cell in the first control is reduced in comparison when the detected temperature is equal to or greater than the predetermined temperature.

A method for operating a fuel cell system is provided. The method includes controlling a provision of fuel to the fuel cell system operating in a steady-state mode. The catalyst sensor is operated by providing a portion of the fuel and anode exhaust generated by the system to the catalyst sensor. Further, a change in an outlet temperature of the catalyst sensor is detected. Thereafter, it is determined whether a reformation catalyst of the catalyst sensor is poisoned by contaminants in the fuel based on the detected change in the outlet temperature.

A gas supply system includes: a plurality of tanks that are filled with a gas; a supply pipe that branches and is connected to the plurality of tanks and supplies the gas to a destination of supply; a plurality of shutoff valves that shut off connections between the plurality of tanks and the supply pipe; a plurality of temperature measuring units that measures an internal temperature of the plurality of tanks; and a control unit that determines the shutoff valve that is to be opened first out of the plurality of shutoff valves by using the internal temperatures of the plurality of tanks, which are measured at a time of start of the supply of the gas, when the control unit switching the plurality of shutoff valves from a closed state to an open state at the time of start of the supply of the gas.