Direct methanol fuel cell system, fuel cartridge, and memory for fuel cartridge

• US 20040009381A1
• Filed: 06/11/2003
• Published: 01/15/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 06/12/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Shibuya, Nobuo, Hasebe, Hiroyuki, Akita, Masato, Sakai, Hirotaka, Miyamoto, Hirohisa, Tomimatsu, Norihiro, Sumino, Hiroyasu
• Granted Patent: US 7,297,426 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 429/23
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/04186 of liquid-charged or electrolyte-charged reactants
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/04208 Cartridges, cryogenic media or cryogenic reservoirs
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/04298 Processes for controlling fuel cells or fuel cell systems
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/04559 of fuel cell stacks
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/04589 of fuel cell stacks
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/04753 of fuel cell reactants
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/04947 of auxiliary devices, e.g. batteries, capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/1011 Direct alcohol fuel cells [DAFC], e.g. direct methanol fuel cells [DMFC]
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/50 Fuel cells

Abstract

The invention provides a fuel cartridge for supplying methanol aqueous solution to a direct methanol fuel cell system, comprising a memory which stores at least a concentration of the methanol aqueous solution.

Claims

1. A direct methanol fuel cell system comprising:

a power generating unit which includes an anode electrode, a cathode electrode, and an electrolyte layer provided between the anode electrode and the cathode electrode;

a characteristic-measuring mechanism which measures one characteristic of a voltage characteristic and a current-voltage characteristic in the power generating unit; and

an external load supply mechanism which supplies an electric power of the power generating unit to an external load on the basis of said one characteristic.

5. The direct methanol fuel cell system according to claim 1, further comprising a memory which stores information about amount of methanol aqueous solution to be supplied in the power generating unit and information about amount of air to be supplied in the power generating unit.

8. The direct methanol fuel cell system according to claim 1, wherein the characteristic-measuring mechanism measures current and voltage of the power generating unit by changing over plural resistors with different values connected in parallel.

9. The direct methanol fuel cell system according to claim 1, wherein the characteristic-measuring mechanism comprises load, a switch that is connected in series to the load and is controlled to be opened or closed by a control signal subjected to pulse width modulation varying in the on/off time, a resistor which detects a current flowing into the load from the power generating unit, and a voltage detection mechanism which detects a voltage of the power generating unit when the current flows in the load.

2. A direct methanol fuel cell system comprising:

a power generating unit which includes an anode electrode, a cathode electrode, and an electrolyte layer provided between the anode electrode and the cathode electrode;

a variable resistor;

a resistor which detects a current flowing into the variable resistor from the power generating unit;

a voltage detection mechanism which detects a voltage of the power generating unit when the current flows in the variable resistor; and

an external load supply mechanism which supplies an electric power of the power generating unit into an external load on the basis of a current-voltage characteristic.

3. A direct methanol fuel cell system comprising:

a power generating unit which includes an anode electrode, a cathode electrode, an electrolyte layer provided between the anode electrode and the cathode electrode, an anode fluid channel which supplies methanol aqueous solution to the anode electrode, and a cathode fluid channel which supplies air to the cathode electrode;

a liquid supply mechanism which supplies methanol aqueous solution to the anode fluid channel;

an air supply mechanism which supplies air to the cathode fluid channel;

an auxiliary power source which drives the air supply mechanism and the liquid supply mechanism;

a variable resistor;

a resistor which detects a current flowing into the variable resistor from the power generating unit;

a voltage detection mechanism which detects a voltage of the power generating unit when the current flows in the variable resistor;

an external load supply mechanism which supplies an electric power of the power generating unit into an external load on the basis of a current-voltage characteristic; and

a changeover mechanism which changes over between the auxiliary power source and the power generating unit on the basis of the voltage of the power generating unit.

4. The direct methanol fuel cell system according to claim 3, wherein, after the changeover mechanism changes over the supply of electric power to the external load from the power generating unit to the auxiliary power source, the current detection and the voltage detection are performed, and then the changeover mechanism changes over again the supply of electric power to the external load from the auxiliary power source to the power generating unit.

10. The direct methanol fuel cell system according to claim 3, wherein the auxiliary power source comprises a secondary battery, and the secondary battery is charged when the electric power by the power generating unit is supplied in the external load.

11. The direct methanol fuel cell system according to claim 3, wherein the auxiliary power source comprises a secondary battery, and the secondary battery is charged by the power generating unit at the time of end of power generation.

6. A direct methanol fuel cell system comprising:

a power generating unit which includes an anode electrode, a cathode electrode, an electrolyte layer provided between the anode electrode and the cathode electrode, an anode fluid channel which supplies methanol aqueous solution to the anode electrode, and a cathode fluid channel which supplies air to the cathode electrode;

a characteristic-measuring mechanism which measures a current-voltage characteristic of the power generating unit;

an external load supply mechanism which supplies an electric power of the power generating unit to an external load on the basis of the current-voltage characteristic;

a methanol aqueous solution container which stores methanol aqueous solution to be supplied to the anode fluid channel; and

a fuel cartridge which stores methanol aqueous solution to be replenished in the methanol aqueous solution container.

7. The direct methanol fuel cell system according to claim 6, further comprising mechanism which returns methanol aqueous solution discharged from the anode fluid channel to the methanol aqueous solution container.

12. A fuel cartridge for supplying methanol aqueous solution to a direct methanol fuel cell system, comprising:

a memory which stores at least a concentration of the methanol aqueous solution.

13. A memory for fuel cartridge for use in a direct methanol fuel cell system that comprises a container and a fuel cartridge from which accommodates methanol aqueous solution is to be supplied into the container,

wherein the memory is fixed in the fuel cartridge, and a first information about the fuel cartridge, or a second information about the methanol aqueous solution is stored the memory.

14. The memory for fuel cartridge of claim 13, wherein the first information is capable of identifying the fuel cartridge.

15. The memory for fuel cartridge of claim 13, wherein the second information relates to a concentration of the methanol aqueous solution or amount of the methanol aqueous solution.

16. A direct methanol fuel cell system comprising:

a power generating unit including an anode electrode, a cathode electrode, and an electrolyte layer provided between the anode electrode and the cathode electrode;

a fuel tank which stores a fuel containing methanol; and

a fuel cartridge comprising a spare fuel tank which stores a fuel that contains methanol and is to be replenished in the fuel tank, and a harmful substance trap member which traps harmful substances in a gas in the fuel tank.

17. A fuel cartridge to be connected to a fuel tank of a direct methanol fuel cell system, comprising:

a spare fuel tank which stores a fuel to be replenished in the fuel tank; and

a harmful substance trap member which traps harmful substances in a gas in the fuel tank.

18. The fuel cartridge of claim 17, further comprising a memory which is fixed to the spare fuel tank, and stores at least one of information about the spare fuel tank and information about the fuel.

19. The fuel cartridge of claim 17, wherein the harmful substance trap member includes a trap material container having a gas exhaust port, a gas diffusion passage which is formed in the trap material container, a gas diffusion hole opened in a wall of the gas diffusion passage, and a harmful substance trap material filled in a space between the inner side of the trap material container and the wall of the gas diffusion passage.