Patent ID: 8580442

Claim:
A fuel cell system, comprising: a fuel cell stack comprising a stack of a plurality of single cells, each single cell comprising: a membrane electrode assembly in which electrode catalyst layers and gas diffusion layers are disposed on both surfaces of an electrolyte membrane formed of a gel electrolyte having a sol-gel phase transition temperature, and separators disposed on both sides of the membrane electrode assembly, wherein the gel electrolyte undergoes a reversible sol-gel phase change at the sol-gel phase transition temperature; a temperature adjustment apparatus which adjusts a temperature of the electrolyte membrane in at least one of the single cells; and an operation control apparatus operatively connected to the temperature adjustment apparatus, the operation control apparatus being configured to instruct the temperature adjustment apparatus to heat the gel electrolyte of the at least one of the single cells to a temperature sufficient to change the gel electrolyte from a gel state to a sol state when an occurrence of a pinhole in the electrolyte membrane in the fuel cell stack is predicted or detected.