Patent ID: 8486577
Filing Date: 2013-07-16
Classification: H01M,Y02E,Y02T

Abstract:
1. A fuel cell system having fuel cells, the fuel cell system comprising: a hydrogen supply unit that feeds a supply of hydrogen to the fuel cells; a hydrogen supply flow path that connects the hydrogen supply unit to the fuel cells: a shutoff valve located between the hydrogen supply unit and the hydrogen supply flow path, that shuts off the supply of hydrogen from the hydrogen supply unit into the hydrogen supply flow path; a pressure regulator that is provided in the hydrogen supply flow path to reduce a pressure of hydrogen supplied from the hydrogen supply unit; a state quantity measurement unit that measures at least one of a pressure and a flow rate as a state quantity of hydrogen in the hydrogen supply flow path in an upstream direction from the pressure regulator to the shutoff valve and also in the flow path in a downstream direction from the pressure regulator to the fuel cells; a state control module programmed in a leak detection mode to close the shutoff valve and open the pressure regulator to keep the hydrogen supply flow path in a state with no pressure regulation and make the fuel cell in a leakage detectable state; and a leakage detection module programmed to analyze in the leakage detectable state a behavior of the state quantity detected by the state quantity measurement unit and accordingly specify occurrence of a hydrogen leakage in the downstream of the hydrogen supply unit, wherein the leakage detection module is programmed to measure a time elapsed until the pressure regulator is opened to make the hydrogen supply flow path in the state with no pressure regulation since the closure of the shutoff valve by the state control module, and the leakage detection module includes at least either one of: a module programmed to specify occurrence of a hydrogen leakage when the elapsed time is shorter than a reference time required for opening the pressure regulator and making the hydrogen supply flow path in the state with no pressure regulation in a normal state with no hydrogen leakage; and a module programmed to specify occurrence of a hydrogen leakage from the closed shutoff valve into the hydrogen supply flow path when the elapsed time is longer than the reference time.