METHOD FOR EARLY DETECTION OF MEMBRANE FAILURES OF FUEL CELL STACKS AND FUEL CELL SYSTEM COMPONENT DEFECTS
First Claim
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1. A method for detecting a possible membrane failure in fuel cells for a fuel cell stack, said method comprising:
- monitoring voltages of the fuel cells in the fuel cell stack;
identifying a minimum cell voltage from the cell voltages of the fuel cells in the fuel cell stack;
determining a current density of the fuel cell stack;
calculating a multiplication factor from a multiplication of representative values of the minimum cell voltage and the stack current density; and
comparing the multiplication factor to a threshold multiplication factor to determine whether the possible membrane failure is occurring.
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Abstract
A system and method for determining a possible failure of membranes in the fuel cells for a fuel cell stack. The method includes monitoring the stack current density and the minimum cell voltage of the fuel cells in the stack. If both the minimum cell voltage and the stack current density are below predetermined values, then the method multiplies scaling factors of the minimum cell voltage and the stack current density to provide a membrane failure factor. If the membrane failure factor is greater than a threshold, then an indication is given of a possible membrane failure.
15 Citations
19 Claims
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1. A method for detecting a possible membrane failure in fuel cells for a fuel cell stack, said method comprising:
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monitoring voltages of the fuel cells in the fuel cell stack; identifying a minimum cell voltage from the cell voltages of the fuel cells in the fuel cell stack; determining a current density of the fuel cell stack; calculating a multiplication factor from a multiplication of representative values of the minimum cell voltage and the stack current density; and comparing the multiplication factor to a threshold multiplication factor to determine whether the possible membrane failure is occurring. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. A method for detecting possible membrane failure in fuel cells for a fuel cell stack, said method comprising:
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monitoring voltages of the fuel cells in the fuel cell stack; identifying a minimum cell voltage from the cell voltages of the fuel cells in the fuel cell stack; determining whether the minimum cell voltage is less than a predetermined minimum cell voltage; determining a current density of the fuel cell stack; determining whether the stack current density is less than a predetermined minimum stack current density; scaling the minimum cell voltage between 0 and 10 to provide a minimum cell voltage scale factor if the minimum cell voltage is less than the predetermined minimum cell voltage, where zero represents the predetermined minimum cell voltage and 10 represents zero cell voltage; scaling the stack current density between 0 and 10 if the stack current density is less than the predetermined minimum stack current density, where zero represents the predetermined minimum stack current density and 10 represents zero stack current density; calculating a multiplication factor that is the minimum cell voltage scale factor times the minimum stack current density scale factor; comparing the multiplication factor to a threshold multiplication factor; and determining that membrane failure may be occurring if the multiplication factor is greater than the multiplication factor threshold. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13)
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14. A system for detecting a possible membrane failure in fuel cells for a fuel cell stack, said system comprising:
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means for monitoring voltages of the fuel cells in the fuel cell stack; means for identifying a minimum cell voltage from the cell voltages of the fuel cells in the fuel cell stack; means for determining a stack current density of the fuel cell stack; means for calculating a multiplication factor from a multiplication of representative values of the minimum cell voltage and the stack current density; means for comparing the multiplication factor to a threshold multiplication factor to determine whether the possible membrane failure is occurring; and means for determining that membrane failure is occurring if the multiplication factor is greater than the threshold multiplication factor for more than a plurality of predetermined number of times that the multiplication factor is calculated. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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Specification