Fuel Cell Sensor for Impurity Gas Detection

The patent applies local quality by differentiating between cells with different potentials for hydrogen deficiency. Instead of uniformly discharging anode off gas from all cells, the system identifies specific cells (second cell with specific flow path structure) that are more prone to hydrogen deficiency and targets impurity gas discharge specifically to those cells. This localized approach prevents membrane electrode assembly deterioration in vulnerable cells while minimizing fuel gas waste from cells that do not require discharge.

The patent uses copying by creating a second cell that replicates the flow path structure of other cells but is specifically designed to be more prone to hydrogen deficiency. This second cell serves as a representative model or copy that, when monitored, provides information about the hydrogen deficiency status of the entire fuel cell stack. By measuring local current in this single representative cell rather than all cells, the system achieves adequate detection accuracy while significantly reducing the number of sensors required.

The patent applies local quality by identifying that different cells have different potentials for fuel gas concentration decrease due to manufacturing variations in pressure loss. Instead of maintaining fuel gas concentration uniformly across all cells through frequent discharge, the system targets concentration maintenance specifically in the second cell type that has higher potential for concentration decrease. This localized maintenance approach improves power generation efficiency in vulnerable cells while minimizing unnecessary fuel gas discharge from other cells.