A battery block composed of a plurality of battery cells and a voltage detecting circuit (state detecting circuit) for detecting a voltage between terminals of each battery cell are included, and a flexible printed circuit board, in which a voltage detecting line for electrically connecting a positive electrode terminal or a negative electrode terminal of the battery cell and the voltage detecting circuit (state detecting circuit) is integrated with a substrate made or a flexible material, is provided.

Battery module, battery system, and electric vehicle

There is a request for charging and discharging of a lithium-ion battery with as less degradation as possible. In an operation using only binary values as in conventional technology, however, in a charged state in which the battery is used, there is a high possibility that the battery is used toward accelerating the degradation thereof. In a power distribution device for distributing power between a plurality of batteries and a plurality of customers, when distributing the power of the batteries to the loads of the customers, by being based at least on the degradation information of the batteries, the state of charge, and the temperature data of the batteries, a battery discharging function is achieved that makes the degradation of the batteries minimum.

Power distribution device

A humidifier for transferring water vapour from a first gas stream to a second gas stream in a fuel cell system comprises a stack of thin plates having planar sealing surfaces at their edges, along which they are sealed together. A water permeable membranes is provided between each pair of plates in the stack. Each plate defines a gas flow passage along its top and bottom surfaces, with an inlet and outlet defined along edges of the plate, and a flow field extending between the inlet and outlet openings. Inlet and outlet passages connect the inlet and outlet openings to the flow field, and the planar sealing surfaces on both sides of the plate include bridging portions which extend across the inlet and outlet passages. Support structures such as ribs are provided throughout the flow field and the inlet and outlet passages to support the membrane and diffusion medium layer(s). The support structures may optionally be connected together by webs, and the webs are provided with holes to permit flow distribution between the top and bottom of each plate.

Humidifier for fuel cell systems

A battery controller 10 outputs a voltage sampling and holding command signal to an integrated circuit CCn located at an upstream end of cascade connection of integrated circuits CC1-CCn such that integrated circuits CC1-CCn sample and hold output voltages of unit cells 1 grouped into battery modules M1-Mn. The battery controller 10, after confirming that the voltage sampling and holding command signal has been transmitted to an integrated circuit CC1 located at a downstream end of the cascade connection, outputs a transmission command signal to the integrated circuit CCn at the upstream end of the cascade circuit to transmit output voltages of the unit cells 1 held in the integrated circuits CC1-CCn to the battery controller 10. As a result, a time lag in the detection timings of output voltages of the unit cells 1 of the battery modules M1-Mn can be decreased.

Battery voltage monitoring device

An anode electrode for use in a fuel cell comprises a stacked structure including, in sequence: a catalyst layer, a hydrophobic, microporous layer (“MPL”), a porous gas diffusion layer (“GDL”), and an anode plate with at least one recessed fuel supply-fuel/gas exhaust channel formed in a surface thereof facing the GDL, wherein the stacked structure further comprises at least one hydrophobic region aligned with the at least one recessed channel. The electrode is useful in direct oxidation fuel cells and systems, such as direct methanol fuel cells operating with highly concentrated liquid fuel.

Anode electrodes for direct oxidation fuel cells and systems operating with concentrated liquid fuel

A lamellar structure graphite foil is used as a material for a separator for a fuel cell, and a hydrophobic layer is formed by impregnation on flow-field channels of the graphite foil. Such a separator is manufactured by forming the flow field channel by etching the graphite foil formed with the mask pattern thereon and forming a hydrophobic layer by impregnation. According to such a separator, performance of a fuel cell stack is enhanced and the manufacturing process of a separator is simplified.

Separator for fuel cell, manufacturing method thereof, and fuel cell having such a separator

A fuel cell system according to one embodiment of the present invention comprises: a fuel treatment device which supplies fuel gas containing hydrogen; an oxidant gas supply device which supplies oxidant gas containing oxygen; a fuel cell stack which initiates an electrochemical reaction using the fuel gas and the oxidant gas; a cooling device which cools heat generated by the fuel cell stack; a heat recovery device which recovers waste heat from the high temperature cooling water supplied by the cooling device, circulated through the fuel cell stack, and discharged; and a vapor-generating device which supplies water with a pressure to generate vapor using the waste heat from the fuel treatment device, and which supplies the thus-generated vapor to at least the fuel gas or the oxidant gas being supplied to the fuel cell stack to humidify the fuel gas or the oxidant gas.

Fuel cell system and control method thereof

The present invention relates to a fuel cell system, and to a cooling control method of the fuel cell system. The cooling control method of the fuel cell system includes measuring a voltage generated from the fuel cell stack in accordance with a time variation, and maintaining an internal temperature of the fuel cell stack at a predetermined value in accordance with the measured voltage. The method may further include controlling a cooling water temperature difference. Herein, when the measured voltage is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, the cooling water is normally supplied, and when the measured voltage is less than the predetermined value, a difference between cooling water inlet and outlet temperatures of the fuel cell stack is varied by a controller. The deterioration of the power generation performance due to the excessive moisture in the fuel cell stack can be prevented and thus the power generation can be effectively realized through the electrochemical reaction.

Fuel cell system and cooling control method thereof

The present invention relates to a fuel process apparatus of multiple desulfurizers and a fuel cell system including the same. A fuel process apparatus for a fuel cell system according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention includes a first desulfurizer through which fuel passes and that includes an adsorbent that adsorbs sulfuric components in the fuel, and a second desulfurizer through which the fuel passes and that includes a desulfurizing catalyst involved in an exothermic reaction with the sulfuric components in the fuel, wherein the second desulfurizer is connected to the first desulfurizer. The fuel process apparatus for a fuel cell system further includes a reformer through which the fuel passes and that reforms the fuel into a reformed gas that contains hydrogen, wherein the reformer is connected to the second desulfurizer.

Fuel process apparatus of multiple desulfurizers and fuel cell system with the same

The present invention relates to a sealing structure for polymer electrolyte fuel cell, which comprises a bipolar plate with sealing groove to be filled with rubber using a dispenser, and a gasket interposed between the bipolar plate and a membrane electrode assembly. That is, according to the present invention, the thickness deviation in a gasket can be softened by interposing a gasket between a rubber ands a membrane electrode assembly after filling rubber in a sealing groove formed on a bipolar plate using a dispenser. Also, nonuniform stress distribution can be resolved because a gasket covers with a pressure despite the height deviation of rubber, and a stress is not directly transmitted to a membrane electrode assembly and dispersed by a gasket despite nonuniform stress distribution.

Byung-Sun Hong

Papers

Separator for fuel cell, manufacturing method thereof, and fuel cell having such a separator

Fuel cell system and control method thereof

Fuel cell system and cooling control method thereof

Fuel process apparatus of multiple desulfurizers and fuel cell system with the same

Sealing structure for polymer electrolyte fuel cell