Patent ID: 8426072
Filing Date: 2013-04-23
Classification: H01M,Y02E

Abstract:
1. A fuel cell system having a circulation route so that a fuel gas containing hydrogen is supplied on the side of an anode electrode for electrochemical reaction in a fuel cell, and a part or whole of an anode off-gas given from said fuel cell can be circulated on the side of said anode electrode of said fuel cell again for the electrochemical reaction, said system comprising: an electrochemical cell having an inlet port electrode and an outlet port electrode with an electrolyte film being interposed therebetween, connected to said circulation route so that a part or whole of the anode off-gas discharged from said fuel cell is supplied to said inlet port electrode, getting the hydrogen contained in the anode off-gas to selectively transmit said outlet port electrode by a current flowing between said inlet electrode and said outlet port electrode, and connected to enable the transmitted hydrogen to be supplied on the side of said anode electrode; a current control unit which is programmed to control a current flowing between said inlet port electrode and said outlet port electrode in said electrochemical cell; a discharge unit which is provided on the side of said inlet port electrode of said electrochemical cell and discharges the anode off-gas within at least said inlet port electrode toward the outside of said system; and a discharge control unit which is programmed to control a discharge timing of the anode off-gas by said discharge unit according to a predetermined discharge reference determined by a correlation between electric power consumed for the hydrogen transmission in said electrochemical cell and a residual hydrogen concentration in the anode off-gas discharged by the discharge unit.