Patent ID: 8993186
Filing Date: 2015-03-31
Classification: H01M,Y02E,Y02P

Abstract:
1. A fuel cell system comprising: a fuel cell to generate electric power using a fuel gas and an oxidant gas supplied to the fuel cell, the fuel cell comprising: a fuel gas passage through which the fuel gas passes along the fuel electrode in the fuel cell; an oxidant gas passage through which the oxidant gas passes along the oxidant electrode in the fuel cell; a coolant passage via which a coolant flows into the fuel cell to adjust a temperature of the fuel cell; an oxidant gas outlet temperature detector connected to the oxidant gas passage to detect an outlet temperature of the oxidant gas discharged from an outlet of the oxidant gas passage; a coolant temperature detector connected to the coolant passage to detect an outlet temperature of the coolant passing through an outlet of the coolant passage; and an electric control unit programmed to control components of the fuel cell, said electric control unit being programmed to receive the outlet temperature of the oxidant gas detected by the oxidant gas outlet temperature detector and the outlet temperature of the coolant detected by the coolant temperature detector, the electric control unit including a dry-up controller programmed to determine that the solid polymer membrane is in a dry-up state when a temperature difference between the outlet temperature of the coolant and the outlet temperature of the oxidant gas exceeds a stack dry-up decision threshold value that is set to a point in which the outlet temperature of the coolant is slightly higher than the outlet temperature of the oxidant gas.