Patent ID: 8298712
Filing Date: 2012-10-30
Classification: H01M,Y02E

Abstract:
1. A fuel cell system comprising: a fuel cell that includes an electricity generation body formed by joining an anode to a surface of an electrolyte membrane and joining a cathode to another surface of the electrolyte membrane and that generates electricity while a fuel gas supplied to the anode is not discharged to outside but resides inside; a fuel gas supply portion that supplies the fuel gas to the anode; an oxidant gas supply portion that supplies an oxidant gas containing oxygen and an impurity gas other than oxygen to the cathode, wherein amounts of the impurity gas supplied to the cathode is capable of permeating to the anode; a cathode off-gas discharge portion that discharges a cathode off-gas that is an oxidant gas left unused for electricity generation in the cathode, to an outside of the fuel cell; a requested-output input portion that inputs a requested output that is requested by a load; an output control portion that controls output of the fuel cell based on the input requested output, wherein the output control portion controls the fuel gas supply portion, the oxidant gas supply portion and the cathode off-gas discharge portion based on the input requested output, and causes the fuel gas to be supplied to the anode, and causes the oxidant gas to be supplied to the cathode, and causes the cathode off-gas to be discharged from the cathode, and the output control portion restricts the output of the fuel cell to an output that is smaller than the requested output at a time of start-up of the fuel cell; and a determination portion that determines whether or not a difference between a partial pressure of the impurity gas in the anode and a partial pressure of the impurity gas in the cathode is less than a predetermined value, wherein if it is determined by the determination portion that the difference between the partial pressure of the impurity gas in the anode and the partial pressure of the impurity gas in the cathode is less than the predetermined value, the output control portion lifts the restriction for the output of the fuel cell, and controls the output of the fuel cell according to the input requested output.