LOW-TEMPERATURE STARTING METHOD OF FUEL CELL, AND FUEL CELL SYSTEM

摘要

PPROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To carry out a prompt start-up at a freezing temperature or lower surely, and enhance the power generation performance of a fuel cell under low temperatures. PSOLUTION: When the temperature of the fuel cell stack is detected that it is at the freezing point of water or lower (step S3) at the start-up time, an appropriate pressure map is selected (step S4) among a plurality of pressure maps for increasing the pressure comparing with that at the normal operation time in accordance with the detected value of the temperature of a refrigerant at the start-up time. In accordance with the selected pressure map, a hydrogen target pressure is decided from the temperature of the refrigerant and a generation target of the generated current (step S5). A reaction gas is supplied to the fuel cell at the decided target gas pressure. Since the pressure map is exchanged in accordance with the temperature of the refrigerant at the start-up time, an energy loss that may accompany an unnecessary increase of the pressure at the start-up time under the low temperatures can be reduced. PCOPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI