Patent ID: 8231717
Filing Date: 2012-07-31
Classification: H01M,Y02E,Y02T

Abstract:
1. An oxidizing gas purification apparatus for a fuel cell comprising: a compressor, disposed in an oxidizing gas supply path to the fuel cell, that compresses oxidizing gas and sends the oxidizing gas; a cooling apparatus, disposed in the oxidizing gas supply path downstream from the compressor, that cools the oxidizing gas passing through the cooling apparatus; an adsorbent unit, disposed in the oxidizing gas supply path downstream from the cooling apparatus, that houses an adsorbent that adsorbs impurities included in the oxidizing gas sent from the cooling apparatus at a prescribed adsorption temperature and releases the adsorbed impurities at a prescribed thermal regeneration temperature above the prescribed adsorption temperature; and a controller that controls the operation of the cooling apparatus to cool the oxidizing gas that has a temperature above the prescribed adsorption temperature and that is sent from the compressor, so that the adsorbent is brought to the prescribed adsorption temperature for adsorption operation when the fuel cell operates, and so that the adsorbent is brought to the prescribed thermal regeneration temperature for thermal regeneration operation when the adsorbent is thermally regenerated; wherein the compressor is configured to compress the oxidizing gas to a temperature that is substantially equal to or higher than the prescribed thermal regeneration temperature.