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FUEL CELL SYSTEM

  • US 20090197129A1
  • Filed: 12/26/2006
  • Published: 08/06/2009
  • Est. Priority Date: 12/27/2005
  • Status: Active Grant
First Claim
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1. A fuel cell system including a fuel cell stack, a fuel gas supplying unit for supplying fuel gas to the fuel cell stack, and an oxidizer gas supplying unit for supplying oxidizer gas to the fuel cell stack, wherein the fuel cell stack includes a plurality of stacked cells each formed by interposing an electrolyte membrane between a fuel electrode supplied with the fuel gas and an oxidizer electrode supplied with the oxidizer gas;

  • wherein;

    a current control device extracts a current from the fuel cell stack;

    a voltage sensor measures voltages from a plurality of different cells of the fuel cell stack; and

    a controller is electrically coupled to the current control device and the voltage sensor such that at a time of initiating operation of the fuel cell stack, the fuel gas is supplied to the fuel electrode without supplying the oxidizer gas to the oxidizer electrode, until such time as a minimum value detected by the voltage sensor becomes zero volts or more, whereupon the oxidizer gas is supplied to the oxidizer electrode to start producing electricity in the fuel cell stack.

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