Fuel cell system

• US 10,249,894 B2
• Filed: 07/28/2015
• Issued: 04/02/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 07/28/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Tanaka, Daiki, Yaguchi, Tatsuya
• Primary Examiner(s): Douyette, Kenneth J
• Application Number:
  US15/747,656
• Publication Number:
  US 20180219238A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,344 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 2250/20 Fuel cells in motive systems, e.g. vehicle, ship, plane
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/04225 during start-up
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/04302 applied during start-up
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/0432 Temperature; Ambient temperature
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/04559 of fuel cell stacks
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/04716 of fuel cell exhausts
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/0488 of fuel cell stacks
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/2465 Details of groupings of fuel cells
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/2495 of fuel cells of different types
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/40 Application of hydrogen technology to transportation, e.g. using fuel cells

Abstract

A fuel cell system includes: a first fuel cell stack; and a second fuel cell stack with lower output voltage than the first fuel cell stack, a pre-switching stack configured by the first fuel cell stack or the second fuel cell stack, a step-up stack configured by the first fuel cell stack or the second fuel cell stack, a post-switching stack configured by at least the first fuel cell stack, and steps up voltage of the step-up stack with the pre-switching stack connected to the load and then switches to a connection state where the post-switching stack is connected to the load.

Claims

1. A fuel cell system comprising:

a first fuel cell stack;

a second fuel cell stack with lower output voltage than the first fuel cell stack, a pre-switching stack configured by the first fuel cell stack or the second fuel cell stack, a step-up stack configured by the first fuel cell stack or the second fuel cell stack, a post-switching stack configured by at least the first fuel cell stack; and

an electricity control device configured to step up voltage of the step-up stack with the pre-switching stack connected to a load and then switch to a connection state where the post-switching stack is connected to the load.

2. The fuel cell system according to claim 1, wherein

the pre-switching stack and the step-up stack are configured by the second fuel cell stack, and

the post-switching stack is configured by the first fuel cell stack.

3. The fuel cell system according to claim 1, wherein

the pre-switching stack is configured by the first fuel cell stack,

the step-up stack is configured by the first fuel cell stack or the second fuel cell stack, and

the post-switching stack is configured by the first fuel cell stack and the second fuel cell stack connected in series.

4. The fuel cell system according to claim 1, wherein

the pre-switching stack and the step-up stack are configured by the second fuel cell stack, and

the post-switching stack is configured by the first fuel cell stack and the second fuel cell stack connected in series.

5. The fuel cell system according to claim 2, wherein voltage of the second fuel cell stack is stepped up to voltage equal to voltage of the first fuel cell stack and supplied to the load, when temperature of the first fuel cell stack and temperature of the second fuel cell stack are each equal to or lower than a predetermined threshold.

6. The fuel cell system according to claim 1, further comprising an exhaust passage configured to heat the first fuel cell stack by supplying exhaust of the second fuel cell stack to the first fuel cell stack.

7. The fuel cell system according to claim 1, wherein when at least one of temperature and voltage of the first fuel cell stack exceeds a predetermined threshold, power generation in the second fuel cell stack is suppressed and power generation in the first fuel cell stack is promoted.

8. The fuel cell system according to claim 2, wherein the electricity control device steps up voltage of the second fuel cell stack such that voltage supplied to the load becomes equal to estimated voltage calculated based on a current-voltage characteristic of the first fuel cell stack.

9. The fuel cell system according to claim 3, wherein the electricity control device switches to a high-output mode when target load voltage exceeds a predetermined threshold.

10. The fuel cell system according to claim 9, wherein in the switching to the high-output mode, the electricity control device steps up voltage of the second fuel cell stack such that voltage supplied to the load becomes equal to sum of the voltage of the second fuel cell stack and estimated voltage calculated based on a current-voltage characteristic of the first fuel cell stack.

11. The fuel cell system according to claim 4, wherein the electricity control device steps up voltage of the second fuel cell stack by alternately switching between a state where the electricity control device connects the second fuel cell stack to the load and a state where the electricity control device connects the first fuel cell stack and the second fuel cell stack in series to the load.

12. The fuel cell system according to claim 3, wherein the electricity control device steps up voltage of the first fuel cell stack by alternately switching between a state where the electricity control device connects the first fuel cell stack to the load and a state where the electricity control device connects the first fuel cell stack and the second fuel cell stack in series to the load.

13. The fuel cell system according to claim 1, wherein in system start-up, fuel is made to flow into the second fuel cell stack when temperature reaches a predetermined threshold, and the electricity control device causes a current of the second fuel cell stack to circulate through the second fuel cell stack via a resistance.