fuel cell system

Abstract

A fuel cell system is provided that can improve the power generation performance of a fuel cell by more efficiently irradiating light onto a catalyst that constitutes the fuel cell. [Solution] A fuel cell system in one embodiment of the present disclosure includes a fuel cell stack in which multiple fuel cell cells, each having a catalyst layer sandwiched between light-transmitting separators that can transmit light, are stacked in the stacking direction, a light source that can irradiate the fuel cell stack with light, and a control device that controls the light source, and the control device adjusts the amount of light irradiated from the light source onto the catalyst layer in accordance with the current distribution in the in-plane direction of the fuel cell.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to fuel cell systems and the like. [Background technology]

[0002] Fuel cell systems that use fuel cells as a power source are well known. In fuel cell systems, hydrogen gas is supplied to one electrode (fuel electrode) and oxygen gas is supplied to the other electrode (air electrode), and electrical energy is generated through a chemical reaction between these.

[0003] A fuel cell stack that makes up a fuel cell system is made up of several hundred unit cells (fuel cell units) that are separated and stacked by separators. Over time, the performance of individual fuel cell units can decline due to catalyst degradation. In response to this issue, Patent Document 1, for example, proposes a technology in which the anode electrode is made of a light-transmitting, photocatalytic material, and light is introduced into the anode electrode unit. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2007-165205 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] It is certainly effective to decompose and remove poisoning components from the anode catalyst through photocatalytic action in order to recover the catalyst from poisoning, as exemplified in Patent Document 1. However, conventional techniques including Patent Document 1 are limited to refreshing the anode catalyst by introducing light into it, and make no mention whatsoever of efficient light irradiation methods in the in-plane direction of the fuel cell.

[0006] On the other hand, when a fuel cell generates electricity, a current distribution can occur in the in-plane direction. Taking this current distribution into account when irradiating the catalyst that makes up the fuel cell with light can also contribute to improving the power generation performance of the fuel cell. The present disclosure has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned problems as an example, and aims to provide a fuel cell system that can improve the power generation performance of the fuel cell by more efficiently irradiating light onto the catalyst that constitutes the fuel cell. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to solve the above problem, a fuel cell system in one embodiment of the present disclosure includes a fuel cell stack in which multiple fuel cell cells, each having a catalyst layer sandwiched between light-transmitting separators that can transmit light, are stacked in a stacking direction; a light source that can irradiate the fuel cell stack with light; and a control device that controls the light source, wherein the control device adjusts the amount of light irradiated from the light source onto the catalyst layer in accordance with the current distribution in the in-plane direction of the fuel cell. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the present disclosure, by more efficiently irradiating the catalyst constituting the fuel cell with light in accordance with the current distribution in the in-plane direction, the current distribution in the in-plane direction can be made as uniform as possible, thereby improving the power generation performance of the fuel cell. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram showing a schematic diagram of functional blocks of a fuel cell vehicle equipped with a fuel cell system according to a first embodiment. [Figure 2] 1 is a schematic diagram showing components (one example) of a fuel cell stack that constitutes a fuel cell system according to a first embodiment. [Figure 3] 3 is a schematic diagram showing a partial cross section (cross section taken along line AA in FIG. 2) of a fuel cell according to a first embodiment, and an enlarged view of a portion α in the cross section taken along line AA. [Figure 4]FIG. 2 is a top view schematically showing a cathode separator and a light source in the fuel cell according to the first embodiment. [Figure 5] 3 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the arrangement of a diffused light generating section in a cathode separator of a fuel cell according to the first embodiment. FIG. [Figure 6] 3 is a schematic diagram showing an example of current distribution in the in-plane direction in the power generation region of a fuel cell. FIG. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing how light is guided from a light source to a catalyst layer (CCM) via a cathode separator of a fuel cell in the first embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing a current distribution (another example) in the in-plane direction in the power generation region of a fuel cell. [Figure 9] 10 is a schematic diagram showing an arrangement (another example) of a diffused light generating section in a cathode separator of a fuel cell according to the first embodiment. FIG. [Figure 10] 10 is a schematic diagram showing a partial cross section (another example of the AA cross section in FIG. 2) of a fuel cell according to a second embodiment, and an enlarged view of a β portion in the AA cross section. [Figure 11] FIG. 10 is a top view schematically showing a cathode separator and a light source in a fuel cell according to a second embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] Next, preferred embodiments of the present disclosure will be described. Furthermore, configurations other than those described in detail can be implemented by appropriately supplementing elemental technologies and configurations related to known fuel cells, fuel cell stacks, and fuel cell systems, including the driving thereof, including those described in the above-mentioned patent documents.

[0011] [First embodiment] <Fuel cell vehicle FCV> First, the configuration of a fuel cell vehicle (FCV) as an example of a mobile body in the present disclosure will be described with reference to Fig. 1. As shown in Fig. 1, the fuel cell vehicle (FCV) in this embodiment may be configured to include a fuel cell system 200 including a fuel cell stack 100 (described below), an inverter 220, a load 230, and a control device 70. In the fuel cell vehicle (FCV), under the control of the control device 70, electric power generated in the fuel cell stack 100 is supplied to the load 230 via the well-known inverter 220. Note that the fuel cell vehicle (FCV) in this embodiment is configured to include various well-known devices (not shown) that are mounted on fuel cell vehicles, such as a hydrogen tank, a gas supply mechanism (anode gas supply device, cathode gas supply device), a refrigerant supply device, and a DC / DC converter.

[0012] The fuel cell stack 100 is configured by stacking, for example, several tens to several hundreds of fuel cell units 1, which serve as unit cells (described later), in the stacking direction. Each fuel cell unit 1 has the function of generating electricity by reacting an anode gas (also referred to as fuel gas or hydrogen gas) and a cathode gas (oxygen in the air, also referred to as oxidant gas) as reactant gases. The fuel cell stack 100 may also be equipped with a known voltage sensor capable of measuring the voltage applied to the fuel cell stack and the voltage of each fuel cell unit 1, and a known current sensor capable of measuring the current flowing through the fuel cell unit 1. There are no particular limitations on the fuel cell unit 1 as long as it does not deviate from the spirit of the present disclosure, and a known PEFC (polymer electrolyte fuel cell), for example, is suitable.

[0013] The inverter 220 is configured to have the function of converting DC power obtained by boosting the voltage with a DC / DC converter (not shown) into AC power suitable for driving an electric motor, which is the downstream load 230. There are no particular limitations on the inverter 220 as long as it performs the above function, and various known inverters including, for example, a three-phase bridge circuit can be used.

[0014] The load 230 is configured to include, for example, a known electric motor capable of outputting power for driving drive wheels (not shown) of a fuel cell vehicle FCV. Note that in this embodiment, an electric motor that generates the power required for the drive wheels is exemplified as an example of the load 230, but the load 230 may also be other electrical equipment mounted on the fuel cell vehicle FCV. Furthermore, one example of the electric motor is a known three-phase AC electric motor.

[0015] The control device 70 is one or more known ECUs (Electronic Control Units) mounted on the electric vehicle, and is configured to include a known CPU, which is an arithmetic processing device, a known ROM, which is a memory element that stores programs used by the CPU, calculation parameters, etc., and a known RAM, which is a memory element that temporarily stores various information. The control device 70 may also be configured to include a known BMU (Battery Management Unit) that monitors and controls the state of the battery. The control device 70 may be configured to be able to communicate with other known EUCs and various sensors (not shown) mounted on the fuel cell vehicle FCV.

[0016] While the following description uses a fuel cell vehicle as an example of a moving body, the present disclosure can be applied to various known moving bodies that can move using a fuel cell system as a driving source, such as ships, aircraft, trains, etc. In other words, the fuel cell stack and fuel cell system of the present disclosure can be applied not only to fuel cell vehicles, but also to other moving bodies such as ships and aircraft.

[0017] <Fuel cell system 200> FIG. 2 shows the configuration of a fuel cell system 200 according to this embodiment. The fuel cell system 200 of this embodiment is configured to include a fuel cell stack 100 in which multiple fuel cell cells are stacked in the stacking direction, each cell having a light-transmitting separator that can transmit light, as described below, on at least one side, a light source 50 that can irradiate the fuel cell stack 100 with the light, a power source 60 that supplies the necessary driving force to the light source 50, and the above-mentioned control device 70 that controls the light source 50 via the power source 60.

[0018] As will be described later, the control device 70 of this embodiment is configured to have the function of adjusting the amount of light irradiated from the light source 50 onto the catalyst layer 20 (in this example, the cathode catalyst layer 20B) in accordance with the current distribution in the in-plane direction of the fuel cell 1. Each component of the fuel cell system 200 will be described in detail below.

[0019] <Fuel cell 1> Next, the configuration of the fuel cell 1 in the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 to 5 as appropriate. As shown in these figures, the fuel cell 1 of this embodiment includes a known electrolyte membrane 10, catalyst layers 20 (anode catalyst layer 20A and cathode catalyst layer 20B) that sandwich the electrolyte membrane 10, known gas diffusion layers 30 (anode GDL 30A and cathode GDL 30B) that are provided on the opposite side of the catalyst layer 20 from the electrolyte membrane 10, and separators 40 (anode separator 40A and cathode separator 40B) that are provided on the opposite side of the gas diffusion layer 30 from the catalyst layer 20. In this embodiment, the combination of the electrolyte membrane 10 and catalyst layers 20 (three-layer MEA) is also referred to as a "CCM (Catalyst Coated Membrane)."

[0020] As shown in Fig. 3, the CCM of this embodiment is sandwiched between a pair of gas diffusion layers 30 (anode GDL 30A and cathode GDL 30B). As can be seen from Fig. 3(a), an anode gas flow channel 48 through which anode gas can flow is formed on the side of the anode separator 40A that contacts the anode GDL 30A. This anode gas flow channel 48 is connected to the anode manifold AN on the upstream side.in and is connected to the anode manifold AN out Therefore, for example, anode gas (hydrogen) supplied from a known hydrogen tank via a known manifold is supplied to the anode GDL 30A and CCM (anode catalyst layer 20A) via this anode gas flow path 48.

[0021] <Detailed structure of light-transmitting separator> In this embodiment, the timing and amount of light irradiated from the light source 50 to the catalyst layer 20 through the separator 40 are controlled to perform a poisoning recovery process for the catalyst metal (such as platinum) that constitutes the catalyst layer 20 and an improvement process for power generation performance (uniform current density in the in-plane direction).

[0022] 3 to 5, an example in which light is irradiated onto the cathode catalyst layer 20B of the catalyst layer 20 through the cathode separator 40B will be described below as an example of a light-transmitting separator. However, the present disclosure is not limited to this embodiment, and may be an embodiment in which light is irradiated onto the anode catalyst layer 20A from the light-transmitting anode separator 40A, or an embodiment in which both the anode catalyst layer 20A and the cathode catalyst layer 20B are light-transmitting and light is irradiated onto each catalyst layer 20.

[0023] 3 and other figures, the light-transmitting cathode separator 40B in this embodiment is configured to include a conductive member 41, a cathode gas flow path 42, a light guide plate 43, a light diffusion portion 44, a reflective layer 45, a refrigerant-side separator 46, and a refrigerant flow path 47. As shown in the figure, the light-transmitting cathode separator 40B in this embodiment is supplied with cathode gas (air containing oxygen) on the CCM side, and with refrigerant (known cooling water in this example) on the side opposite the CCM.

[0024] The conductive member 41 has the function of ensuring electrical continuity in the stacking direction of each of the fuel cell units 1 that make up the fuel cell stack 100. That is, the conductive member 41 of this embodiment electrically connects adjacent fuel cell units 1 in the stacking direction. More specifically, as shown in FIG. 3 and other figures, the conductive member 41 is embedded in a light guide plate 43 (described later) and is provided upright between the cathode GDL 30B and the refrigerant-side separator 46.

[0025] The conductive member 41 also functions as a spacer inserted between the cathode GDL 30B and the refrigerant-side separator 46. As a result, even when a desired load is applied in the stacking direction in the fuel cell stack 100, a conduction path is ensured via the conductive member 41, which also functions as a spacer, and damage to the light guide plate 43 and the like is suppressed, thereby maintaining a pressurized state on the fuel cell 1. Specific examples of the conductive member 41 in this embodiment are not particularly limited as long as they perform the above-mentioned function, and include, for example, known conductive metal materials such as copper pillars. The shape of the conductive member 41 is also not particularly limited as long as they perform the above-mentioned function, and may be, for example, a cylinder with a circular cross-sectional shape as shown in FIG. 4.

[0026] The cathode gas flow passage 42 through which the cathode gas can flow is provided in a light guide plate 43, which will be described later. The cathode gas flow passage 42 may be formed by processing a part of the light guide plate 43. As can be seen from FIGS. 3 and 4, the cathode gas flow passage 42 of this embodiment is formed by a cathode manifold CA in and is connected downstream to the cathode manifold CA out The cathode gas flow channel 42 of this embodiment is provided on the side of the light-transmitting cathode separator 40B that contacts the cathode GDL 30B. Therefore, for example, cathode gas (air containing oxygen) supplied via a known manifold in the fuel cell stack 100 is supplied to the cathode GDL 30B and CCM (cathode catalyst layer 20B) via this cathode gas flow channel 42.

[0027] The light guide plate 43 is configured to guide light emitted from a light source 50, which will be described later. In other words, the light emitted from the light source 50 is primarily irradiated onto the cathode GDL 30B via the light guide plate 43. At this time, because the cathode GDL 30B is made of a porous material that allows light to pass through, at least a portion of the light emitted from the light source 50 passes through the cathode GDL 30B and is irradiated onto the CCM (cathode catalyst layer 20B). If the fuel cell 1 does not include the cathode GDL 30B, the light emitted from the light source 50 passes through the light guide plate 43 and is directly irradiated onto the CCM (cathode catalyst layer 20B).

[0028] 3 and 4, the light guide plate 43 of this embodiment is formed with a plurality of circular holes into which the above-described conductive members 41 can be inserted. The specific shape of the light guide plate 43 is not particularly limited as long as it performs the above-described functions, and may be a plate-shaped or rectangular parallelepiped transparent member, as an example, as shown in Fig. 4. In the example shown in Fig. 4, a plurality of cathode gas flow paths 42 are arranged side by side in the light guide plate 43, with a predetermined gap (approximately the width of the conductive member 41) between the cathode GDL 30B and the refrigerant-side separator 46 in the Y direction.

[0029] Furthermore, the specific material of the light guide plate 43 is not particularly limited as long as it exhibits the above-mentioned functions, and various known transparent materials can be used, such as acrylic material, glass material, etc. Furthermore, if mechanical strength can be ensured, known conductive plastics may be used as the material of the light guide plate 43, and if the light guide plate 43 is conductive, the conductive member 41 may be omitted as appropriate.

[0030] 7, the light diffusion section 44 is configured to have the function of diffusing light irradiated from the light source 50 into the light guide plate 43 toward the cathode GDL 30B and the CCM. As an example, the light diffusion section 44 of this embodiment may be a roughened region capable of diffusing light applied to the light guide plate 43, or may be a known light diffusing material such as inorganic fine particles embedded in the light guide plate 43. Note that as long as the light irradiated from the light source 50 into the light guide plate 43 can sufficiently reach the cathode GDL 30B and the CCM, the light diffusion section 44 is not essential and may be omitted as appropriate.

[0031] The reflective layer 45 has the function of reflecting light irradiated from the light source 50 into the light guide plate 43 and irradiating it toward the cathode GDL 30B and the CCM. As an example, the reflective layer 45 in this embodiment may be a known metal foil film such as an aluminum thin film provided between the light guide plate 43 and the refrigerant-side separator 46, or may be a known glass thin film capable of reflecting light. Note that as long as the light irradiated from the light source 50 into the light guide plate 43 can sufficiently reach the cathode GDL 30B and the CCM, the reflective layer 45 is not essential and may be omitted as appropriate.

[0032] The refrigerant side separator 46 is provided on the opposite side of the light guide plate 43 from the cathode GDL 30B and the CCM. The refrigerant side separator 46 of this embodiment is provided with a refrigerant flow path 47 through which a refrigerant can flow. More specifically, on the opposite side of the refrigerant side separator 46 from the light guide plate 43 (the side in contact with other fuel cell cells 1), a refrigerant flow path 47 through which cooling water, as an example of a refrigerant, can flow is formed. This refrigerant flow path 47 is connected to a refrigerant manifold W on the upstream side. in and is connected to the refrigerant manifold W downstream. out Therefore, for example, cooling water supplied from a coolant source equipped in a fuel cell vehicle FCV via the manifold flows through this coolant flow path 47, thereby controlling the temperature of the fuel cell 1. In this embodiment, the light guide plate 43 and the refrigerant side separator 46 are formed separately, but the light guide plate 43 and the refrigerant side separator 46 may be formed integrally, for example, by making the refrigerant side separator 46 also out of a transparent material.

[0033] The light source 50 is configured to be able to receive power from a power source 60 and irradiate light onto the light guide plate 43 under the control of the control device 70. Note that there are no particular limitations on the power source 60 as long as it can drive the light source 50, and for example, in the case of a fuel cell vehicle, a known power source such as an on-board battery may be used.

[0034] 2 and the like, the light source 50 of this embodiment may be configured to include a first light source 50A arranged on one side of the fuel cell stack 100 and a second light source 50B arranged on the other side of the fuel cell stack 100. Furthermore, as can be seen from Fig. 4 and the like, the first light source 50A and the second light source 50B may be configured so that the amount of light irradiation and the irradiation position of light can be adjusted individually for each fuel cell 1.

[0035] An example of such a light source 50 is a known LED 51 capable of emitting light of a desired wavelength. The optimum wavelength for the light source 50 can be determined in advance by experiment or simulation depending on the material of the catalyst layer 20 to be used, etc. As shown in FIG. 4 and other figures, a plurality of first light sources 50A and second light sources 50B of this embodiment may be provided side by side for one fuel cell 1 on the side of the fuel cell stack 100.

[0036] In the example shown in Figure 4, the first light source 50A has multiple LEDs 51 arranged at predetermined intervals along the macro flow direction of the cathode gas, and each LED 51 of the second light source 50B is arranged on either side of the light guide plate 43 so as to face each LED 51 that constitutes the first light source 50A.

[0037] As will be described later, the control device 70 may adjust the amount of light irradiation using at least one of the number of lit light sources (LEDs 51) and the timing of lighting in accordance with the current distribution in the in-plane direction of the fuel cell 1. This allows, for example, the amount of light irradiation to be greater in areas with a relatively low current density in the in-plane direction than in other areas, thereby suppressing bias in the current distribution in the in-plane direction.

[0038] 4, the first light source 50A and the second light source 50B each include a plurality of LEDs 51, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the first light source 50A and the second light source 50B may each be a known stick-shaped (straight tube) LED. Either the first light source 50A or the second light source 50B may be omitted, in which case, for example, only the first light source 50A consisting of a stick-shaped LED may be arranged in multiples along the stacking direction on the side of the fuel cell stack in one-to-one correspondence with each fuel cell cell.

[0039] In this case, the control device 70 may adjust the light intensity of the plurality of light sources (stick-shaped LEDs in this example) individually for each cell, depending on the current distribution in the in-plane direction of the corresponding fuel cell 1. In this way, the light sources 50 of this embodiment may be arranged on the side of the fuel cell stack 100, and a plurality of light sources 50 may be arranged side by side along the stacking direction in one-to-one correspondence with each individual fuel cell.

[0040] For example, the range of output required for the fuel cell stack 100 to be mounted on a fuel cell vehicle FCV is set in advance depending on the vehicle model, class, etc. Therefore, the power generation status and current distribution of each individual fuel cell 1 that actually constitutes the fuel cell stack 100 can be analyzed in advance by experiment or simulation.

[0041] Figure 6 shows an example of current distribution in the in-plane direction of the fuel cell 1. For example, in the case of a fuel cell 1 having the current distribution characteristics shown in Figure 6, there is a region H-CDA of relatively high current density on the upstream side of the cathode gas, a region M-CDA of relatively medium current density in the midstream region of the cathode gas, and a region L-CDA of relatively low current density on the downstream side of the cathode gas.

[0042] Therefore, in this embodiment, under the control of the control device 70, a process is executed in which the light source 50 irradiates the CCM (cathode catalyst layer 20B) corresponding to the low current density region L-CDA with relatively strong light, and the light source 50 irradiates the CCM (cathode catalyst layer 20B) corresponding to, for example, the high current density region H-CDA with relatively weak light. As a result, the cathode catalyst layer 20B corresponding to the relatively low current density region L-CDA is activated by the light irradiation, and the bias in the current density in the in-plane direction is leveled out.

[0043] Furthermore, when the light-transmitting cathode separator 40B is provided with the light diffusion portions 44, the installation density of the light diffusion portions 44 may be varied depending on the current distribution in the in-plane direction of the fuel cell 1. For example, in the case of a fuel cell 1 having the current density distribution characteristics illustrated in Fig. 6, a relatively large number of light diffusion portions 44 (high-density areas HDA) may be arranged in the areas corresponding to the low-current-density areas L-CDA as shown in Fig. 5, while a relatively small number of light diffusion portions 44 (low-density areas LDA) may be arranged in the areas corresponding to the high-current-density areas H-CDA (see Fig. 5). By varying the installation density of the light diffusion section 44 in accordance with the distribution of the current density in this manner, it is possible to, for example, increase the amount of light irradiated onto the cathode catalyst layer 20B corresponding to the region L-CDA with a relatively low current density.

[0044] Fig. 8 shows another example of current distribution in the in-plane direction of the fuel cell 1. In a fuel cell 1 having the current distribution characteristics shown in Fig. 8, there is a region L-CDA of relatively low current density on the upstream side of the cathode gas, a region H-CDA of relatively high current density in the midstream region of the cathode gas, and a region M-CDA of relatively medium current density on the downstream side of the cathode gas.

[0045] Therefore, if the characteristics of the current distribution as illustrated in FIG. 8 are determined in advance through experiments or simulations, as shown in FIG. 9, the light diffusion sections 44 may be arranged so that there are a relatively large number of light diffusion sections 44 (high density area HDA) in the area corresponding to the low current density area L-CDA, a relatively even number of light diffusion sections 44 (medium density area MDA) in the area corresponding to the medium current density area M-CDA, and a relatively small number of light diffusion sections 44 (low density area LDA) in the area corresponding to the high current density area H-CDA.

[0046] According to the fuel cell system 200 including the fuel cell 1 and light source 50 of the first embodiment described above, by more efficiently irradiating light from the light source through the light guide plate onto the catalyst constituting the fuel cell in accordance with the current distribution of the cell in the in-plane direction, it is possible not only to suppress catalyst deterioration but also to improve the power generation performance of the fuel cell.

[0047] [Second embodiment] Next, a second preferred embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to FIGS. In the fuel cell system 200 of the first embodiment described above, the light source 50 was installed on the side of the fuel cell stack 100, but the main feature of the fuel cell system 210 of this embodiment is that the light source 50 is built into the light-transmitting cathode separator 40B. Therefore, in the following description, differences from the first embodiment will be mainly described in detail, and the same reference numerals will be used for configurations with the same functions as those already described, and descriptions thereof will be omitted as appropriate.

[0048] 10 and 11, the light-transmitting cathode separator 40B of this embodiment does not have a light source disposed on the side of the fuel cell stack 100, unlike the light-transmitting cathode separator 40B of the first embodiment, and includes a light source-embedded substrate 49 between the light guide plate 43 and the refrigerant-side separator 46. Furthermore, as shown in the drawings, the light-transmitting cathode separator 40B of this embodiment may omit the light diffusion portion 44 and the reflective layer 45 described above.

[0049] As illustrated in FIG. 11, the light source-embedded substrate 49 of this embodiment has multiple light sources (LEDs 51) embedded in the in-plane direction of the fuel cell 1 so as to be scattered along the X direction (the macro gas flow direction) and the Y direction (the direction crossing the flow path). 10, a through hole into which the above-described conductive member 41 can be inserted is also formed in the light source-embedded substrate 49. Therefore, the conductive member 41 of this embodiment is inserted between the cathode GDL 30B and the refrigerant-side separator 46 so as to penetrate the above-described light source-embedded substrate 49.

[0050] Furthermore, each of the light sources (LEDs 51) embedded in the light source-embedded substrate 49 is connected to a power source 60 via known wiring (not shown). Therefore, the control device 70 can individually adjust the timing and amount of light irradiation of each of the LEDs 51 embedded in the light source-embedded substrate 49 via the power source 60.

[0051] In this way, by providing the above-mentioned light source embedded substrate 49 in the fuel cell system 210 of the second embodiment, it is possible to divide the amount of light irradiation and the timing of irradiation in the in-plane direction of the fuel cell 1 into any area and adjust them individually. Therefore, according to the fuel cell system 210 of the second embodiment, in addition to the effects of the fuel cell system 200 of the first embodiment described above, by being equipped with a known in-plane current distribution measuring means disclosed, for example, in Patent Publication No. 2007-87859 and Patent Publication No. 2009-212000, it is possible to actively switch and adjust the amount of light irradiation from the light source according to the characteristics of the current distribution in the fuel cell 1 without conducting experiments or simulations in advance.

[0052] Although the preferred embodiments of the present disclosure have been described in detail above with reference to the accompanying drawings, the present disclosure is not limited to such examples. It is clear that a person skilled in the art of the present disclosure may attempt further modifications to these embodiments and variations within the scope of the technical ideas set forth in the claims, and it is understood that these modifications also fall within the technical scope of the present disclosure. [Explanation of symbols]

[0053] 100 fuel cell stack 1 Fuel cell 10 Electrolyte membrane 20 Catalyst layer (anode catalyst layer 20A, cathode catalyst layer 20B) 30 Gas diffusion layer (anode GDL30A, cathode GDL30B) 40 Separator (anode separator 40A, cathode separator 40B) 41 Conductive material 42 cathode gas flow path 43 Light guide plate 44 Light diffusion section 45 Reflective layer 46 Refrigerant side separator 47 Refrigerant flow path 48 anode gas flow path 49 Light source embedded board 50 light sources (1st light source 50A, 2nd light source 50B) 60 power supply 70 Control device 200, 210 fuel cell system 220 Inverter 230 load FCV fuel cell vehicle (mobile)

Claims

1. a fuel cell stack in which a plurality of fuel cell units, each having a catalyst layer sandwiched between light-transmitting separators that can transmit light, are stacked in a stacking direction; a light source capable of irradiating the fuel cell stack with the light; a control device for controlling the light source, the control device adjusts the amount of light irradiated from the light source onto the catalyst layer in accordance with the current distribution in the in-plane direction of the fuel cell. A fuel cell system characterized by:

2. a plurality of the light sources are arranged side by side along the stacking direction in one-to-one correspondence with the fuel cell cells on the side of the fuel cell stack, 2. The fuel cell system according to claim 1, wherein the control device adjusts the light intensity of the plurality of light sources individually for each cell in accordance with the current distribution in the in-plane direction of the corresponding fuel cell.

3. a plurality of the light sources are provided in parallel with each of the fuel cell cells on the sides of the fuel cell stack, 3. The fuel cell system according to claim 2, wherein the control device adjusts at least one of the number of lights on and the lighting timing of the plurality of light sources in accordance with the current distribution in the in-plane direction of the fuel cell.

4. 2. The fuel cell system according to claim 1, wherein the light source is built into the light-transmitting separator and a plurality of the light sources are arranged in the in-plane direction of the catalyst layer.

5. 5. The fuel cell system according to claim 1, wherein the light-transmitting separator has a conductive member embedded therein that electrically connects the fuel cells adjacent in the stacking direction.

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