Patent ID: 7666535
Filing Date: 2010-02-23
Classification: H01M,Y02E

Abstract:
1. A method of operating a fuel cell system comprising a fuel cell, which is operated to provide power generation by consuming a fuel gas supplied to an anode and an oxygen-containing gas supplied to a cathode, the method comprising the steps of: detecting an atmospheric pressure with a first pressure sensor; detecting an operating pressure of the oxygen-containing gas supplied to the cathode represented as a gauge pressure with a second pressure sensor, wherein the gauge pressure is a differential pressure derived from the atmospheric pressure; detecting an operating pressure of the fuel gas supplied to the anode represented as an absolute pressure with a third pressure sensor, wherein the absolute pressure is equal to a sum of the gauge pressure and the atmospheric pressure; setting an oxygen-containing gas operating pressure target value on the cathode side using the gauge pressure; setting a fuel gas operating pressure target value on the anode side using the absolute pressure; and controlling a power generation current of said fuel cell using as command values the gauge pressure and the absolute pressure.