Patent ID: 8855898

Claim:
A method for detecting a tank valve leak in a fuel cell-powered vehicle storing anode reactant as part of a gaseous fuel system, the fuel system including a plurality of connected vessels having tank valves regulating the flow of anode reactant therefrom, the method comprising: utilizing a processor to send a valve close command to a tank valve at a first time, when the remaining tank valves in the plurality are open such that the anode reactant being delivered from at least one of the connected vessels to at least one anode in a fuel cell stack remains uninterrupted even during the closure of the tank valve; utilizing the processor to send a valve open command to the tank valve at a second time; receiving, at the processor, pressure data measured from the gaseous fuel system; using the pressure data and the processor to determine a derivative pressure differential signal representative of the rate of change in the pressure of the anode reactant being delivered from the gaseous fuel system as a function of time; and using the pressure differential signal to determine if a valve leak condition exists by comparing the pressure differential signal to a threshold parameter.