An integrated cooling module of a fuel cell stack is attached to a housing of the fuel cell stack, and the integrated cooling module is connected to a plurality of components constituting a thermal management system of a fuel cell. In particular, the integrated cooling module includes: a first injection member defining flow paths guiding coolant into one or more components of the thermal management system of the fuel cell, and at least one second injection member coupled to the first injection member, and the coolants going through the components flow into the fuel cell stack through any one of the flow paths defined by the integrated cooling module.

A cooling control method of a fuel cell is provided. The method includes estimating a temperature of a separator based on heat exchange between the separator formed between unit cells of a fuel cell stack and coolant flowing through a cooling line between the separators. A ratio of coolant passing through a heat exchange device to coolant bypassing the heat exchange device is adjusted based on the estimated temperature of the separator. Additionally, a rotation speed of a pump for circulating coolant for cooling the fuel cell stack is adjusted based on the estimated temperature of the separator.

A control device for a fuel cell vehicle includes a power limiter limiting power of a fuel cell when a temperature correlation value correlated to a temperature of the fuel cell indicates that the temperature is equal to or higher than a temperature threshold, a calculation unit calculating a weight of a towed vehicle, a gradient acquirer acquiring upward gradients at respective points on a planned traveling route, a predictor predicting whether the power of the fuel cell is limited when the fuel cell vehicle is traveling along the planned traveling route in a towing travel state, and a controller issuing, when the predictor predicts that the power of the fuel cell is limited, an alert that a vehicle speed of the fuel cell vehicle is expected to decrease when the fuel cell vehicle is traveling along the planned traveling route in the towing travel state.

A fuel cell system capable of improving the chemical durability of a membrane electrode assembly by compensating for the amount of an antioxidant lost within the electrolyte membrane or electrode of the fuel cell stack in such a manner that the antioxidant is provided from an antioxidant supply device, provided in a fuel processing system and/or an air processing system, to a fuel cell stack, in preparation for a case where the antioxidant within the electrolyte membrane or electrode is lost due to the dissolution or migration characteristic of the antioxidant.

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).

A fuel cell system includes: a reformer which generates a reformed gas containing hydrogen by reacting hydrocarbon and moisture with each other; a fuel cell stack which generates electric energy through electrochemical reaction of the reformed gas and an oxidant; an ejector which, using steam as a drive fluid, sucks either a raw fuel containing the hydrocarbon or a recycled gas recovered from an anode exhaust gas, and supplies a resultant gas to the reformer; and a vaporizer which generates the steam by vaporizing water, wherein an operation temperature of the fuel cell stack is higher than a boiling point of water at an operation pressure, and the vaporizer generates the steam through heat exchange with the anode exhaust gas.

A fuel cell cooling system mounted on a vehicle includes a flow path for a coolant; a cooling unit that cools the coolant in a cooling unit flow path; a fuel cell to be cooled through heat exchange with the coolant in a fuel cell flow path; a heat generating body to be cooled through heat exchange with the coolant in a heat generating body flow path; first and second pumps that pump the coolant in the fuel cell and heat generating body flow paths, respectively; and a control circuit. When the vehicle is started, the control circuit performs a first process of actuating the first pump with the second pump stopped, and a second process of actuating the first and second pumps when the temperature of the coolant in the fuel cell or cooling unit flow path exceeds a first reference value during the first process.

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 fuel cell module includes: a cell stack in which fuel cells are stacked; and a stack temperature controller through which the oxidant gas before being supplied to the cell stack flows. The fuel cell module includes a warm-up burner that produces combustion gas for warming the cell stack. The warm-up burner is arranged outside a housing space in which the cell stack is housed. The stack temperature controller is arranged to face the cell stack with a predetermined gap therebetween so as to exchange heat with the cell stack. The stack temperature controller is located adjacent to a combustion gas passage through which the combustion gas generated by the warm-up burner flows so as to allow heat exchange between the oxidant gas flowing through the stack temperature controller and the combustion gas generated by the warm-up burner.

A fuel cell module includes: a cell stack in which fuel cells are stacked; and a stack temperature controller through which the oxidant gas before being supplied to the cell stack flows. The fuel cell module includes a warm-up burner that produces combustion gas for warming the cell stack. The warm-up burner is arranged outside a housing space in which the cell stack is housed. The stack temperature controller is arranged to face the cell stack with a predetermined gap therebetween so as to exchange heat with the cell stack. The stack temperature controller is located adjacent to a combustion gas passage through which the combustion gas generated by the warm-up burner flows so as to allow heat exchange between the oxidant gas flowing through the stack temperature controller and the combustion gas generated by the warm-up burner.