Fuel cell system

Details

Inventors: Tsutsumi, Masaru; Nishizawa, Nobuyoshi; Itoh, Tsukasa; Matsubayashi, Takaaki; Yonesaki, Takehiro; Satoh, Koichi; Furukawa, Akio; Yonezu, Ikuo; Fujitani, Shin; Nasako, Kenji; Saito, Toshihiko;
Assignee: Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd. (Moriguchi, JP)
Primary Examiner: Langel; Wayne
Assistant Examiner:
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Morrison; Thomas R., Burstyn; Harold L.

A fuel cell system for directly converting chemical energy of a fuel into electric energy electrochemically. A fuel cell has a cathode and an anode. A main hydrogen absorbing alloy supplies hydrogen gas to the anode of the fuel cell during steady-state operation of the system. An auxiliary hydrogen absorbing alloy originally having a higher hydrogen gas absorbing/desorbing equilibrium pressure than the main hydrogen absorbing alloy at an equal temperature supplies hydrogen gas to the anode until the equilibrium pressure of the main hydrogen absorbing alloy, which is supplied an exhaust gas from the fuel cell is equal to a hydrogen gas absorbing/desorbing equilibrium pressure of the auxiliary hydrogen absorbing alloy, the auxiliary hydrogen absorbing alloy receiving the hydrogen gas from the main hydrogen absorbing alloy during steady-state operation.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION Accordingly, this invention has an object of offering a fuel cell system for supplying a hydrogen gas smoothly to a fuel cell even at an operation starting time, when an exhaust heat has a low temperature.
Another object of this invention is to offer a fuel cell system which can be manufactured at a low cost.
Still another object of this invention is to offer a fuel cell system for starting an operation of the system without an external hydrogen gas source.
Still another object of this invention is to offer a fuel cell system for improving safety.
Still another object of this invention is to offer a fuel cell system, in which a pressure container accommodating a main hydrogen absorbing alloy can be compact.
Still another object of this invention is to offer a fuel cell system for generating power smoothly even during the replacement of the hydrogen absorbing alloys.
Still another object of this invention is to offer a fuel cell system which informs you of an appropriate time for supplying the hydrogen gas.
The above objects are fulfilled by a fuel cell system for directly converting a chemical energy of a fuel into an electric energy electrochemically, the system comprising a fuel cell having a cathode and an anode; a main hydrogen absorbing alloy for supplying a hydrogen gas to the anode of the fuel cell during a steady-state operation of the system; and an auxiliary hydrogen absorbing alloy originally having a higher hydrogen gas absorbing/desorbing equilibrium pressure than the main hydrogen absorbing alloy at an equal temperature, whereby supplying a hydrogen gas to the anode until the equilibrium pressure of the main hydrogen absorbing alloy, which is supplied exhaust heat from the fuel cell becomes equal to a hydrogen gas absorbing/desorbing equilibrium pressure of the auxiliary hydrogen absorbing alloy, the auxiliary hydrogen absorbing alloy receiving the hydrogen gas from the main hydrogen absorbing alloy during steady-state operation.
The fuel cell and the main hydrogen absorbing alloy may be connected to each other through a hydrogen gas supply path, which is equipped with the auxiliary hydrogen absorbing alloy

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