Patent ID: 8623562
Filing Date: 2014-01-07
Classification: H01M,Y02E

Abstract:
1. A method for reducing the consumption of safety gas in a fuel cell system, said fuel cell system having at least one fuel cell unit whose fuel cells include an anode side and a cathode side, and an electrolyte interposed between the anode side and the cathode side, the method comprising: supplying the anode side with a flow of unspent safety gas; exhausting a spent safety gas coming from the anode side supplied with the unspent safety gas; recirculating a specific percentage of the exhausted spent safety gas flow coming from the anode side of the fuel cells into the anode side of the fuel cells; regulating the unspent safety gas supply flow to the fuel cell unit to achieve on the anode side a desired total amount of a reducing component contained in a combined safety gas flow of unspent and spent safety gases and/or a desired unspent safety gas flow rate; and heating the safety gas flowing on the anode side by thermal energy contained in the gas flowing on the cathode side.