Method of qualifying at least a portion of a fuel cell system and an apparatus employing same

Abstract

The present invention provides a method for enabling qualification of at least a portion of a fuel cell system. The method includes electronically obtaining at least one result of a test of the at least a portion of a fuel cell system and electronically comparing the at least one result to at least one qualifying criteria.

1 . A method for enabling qualification of a fuel cell system, the method comprising: 
 performing a first test on a first portion of the fuel cell system;    electronically obtaining a first result of the first test;    electronically comparing the first result to a first qualifying criteria; and    performing a second test on a second portion of the fuel cell system in response to the first result comparing favorably relative to the first qualifying criteria.    
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the first test is different from the second test.  
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 2  further comprising: 
 electronically obtaining a second result of the second test;  
 electronically comparing the second result to a second qualifying criteria; and  
 providing an indication that the fuel cell is functioning properly to produce electrical energy in response to the electronically comparing the first result and the electronically comparing the second result.  
 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the first test comprises a first measurement of performance of the fuel cell system and the second test comprises a second measurement of performance of the fuel cell system, the first test being different from the second test.  
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the first test comprises a first electrical demand, a first reactant gas composition, and a first temperature of reactant gas, wherein the second test comprises a second electrical demand, a second reactant gas composition, and a second temperature of reactant gas, and wherein at least one of the first electrical demand differs from the second electrical demand, the first temperature differs from the second temperature, and the first reactant gas composition differs from the second reactant gas composition.  
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the performing the first test and the performing the second test comprise warming the fuel cell system prior to incubation of the fuel cell system.  
     
     
         7 . A method for enabling qualification of a fuel cell stack, the method comprising: 
 providing a flow rate of reactant gases to the fuel cell stack to mimic full scale operating conditions;    applying a load to the fuel cell stack to mimic the full scale operating conditions;    electronically obtaining at least one measurement of voltage drop from a voltage drop test across a plurality of fuel cells of the fuel cell stack;    electronically comparing the at least one measurement of voltage drop of the voltage drop test to a qualifying criteria; and    providing at least one of an indication that each fuel cell of the fuel cell stack is functioning properly to produce electrical energy and an indication that each fuel cell is not functioning properly in response to the comparison of the at least one measurement of voltage drop of the voltage drop test to the qualifying criteria.    
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 7  further comprising: 
 determining an average of fuel cell voltage drop from the at least one measurement of voltage drop of the voltage drop test;  
 electronically comparing the average to a second qualifying criteria; and  
 providing an indication regarding an electrical output capability of the fuel cell stack based on the comparison of the average to the second qualifying criteria.  
 
     
     
         9 . An apparatus for enabling qualification of at least a portion of a fuel cell system comprising: 
 a testing mechanism couplable to the at least a portion of a fuel cell system;    a computing unit couplable to said testing mechanism; and    wherein said testing mechanism is configured to perform a first test on the at least a portion of a fuel cell system;    wherein the computing unit is configured to control the testing mechanism to obtain a first result of the first test on the at least a portion of a fuel cell system and to compare the first result to a first qualification criteria; and    wherein the computing unit is configured to provide an indication: that the fuel cell system is disqualified in response to the first result comparing negatively relative to the first qualification criteria, that the system is qualified in response to the first result comparing favorably relative to the first qualification criteria and the first test being a last test of a plurality of tests, and that the fuel cell system requires further testing in response to the first result comparing favorably relative to the first qualification criteria.    
     
     
         10 . The apparatus of  claim 9  wherein the computing unit is configured to control the testing mechanism to obtain a second result of a second test in response to the first result comparing favorably relative to the first qualification criteria.  
     
     
         11 . The apparatus of  claim 9  wherein the computing unit is configured to cause the testing mechanism to perform a second test on the at least a portion of the fuel cell system, in response to the first result comparing favorably to the first qualification criteria.  
     
     
         12 . The apparatus of  claim 11  wherein the first test comprises a first electrical demand, a first reactant gas composition, and a first temperature of reactant gas, wherein the second test comprises a second electrical demand, a second reactant gas composition, and a second temperature of reactant gas, and wherein at least one of the first electrical demand differs from the second electrical demand, the first temperature differs from the second temperature, and the first reactant gas composition differs from the second reactant gas composition.  
     
     
         13 . The apparatus of  claim 11  wherein the performing the first test and the performing the second test comprise warming the fuel cell system prior to incubation of the fuel cell system.  
     
     
         14 . The apparatus of  claim 9  wherein the computing unit is configured to control the testing mechanism to obtain the first result before incubation of the at least a portion of the fuel cell system.  
     
     
         15 . An apparatus for enabling qualification of a fuel cell system comprising: 
 means for electronically obtaining a result of a test on the fuel cell system;    means for electronically comparing the result to at least one qualifying criteria; and    means for indicating: that the fuel cell system is qualified in response to the result comparing favorably relative to the at least one qualifying criteria and the first test being a last test of a plurality of tests, that the system is disqualified in response to the result comparing negatively relative to the at least one qualifying criteria, and that the fuel cell system requires further testing in response to the result comparing favorably relative to the at least one qualifying criteria.    
     
     
         16 . The apparatus of  claim 15  wherein the means for electronically obtaining is configured to obtain a second result of a second test in response to the result comparing favorably relative to the at least one qualifying criteria.  
     
     
         17 . The apparatus of  claim 16  wherein the test comprises a first electrical demand, a first reactant gas composition, and a first temperature of reactant gas, wherein the second test comprises a second electrical demand, a second reactant gas composition, and a second temperature of reactant gas, and wherein at least one of the first electrical demand differs from the second electrical demand, the first temperature differs from the second temperature, and the first reactant gas composition differs from the second reactant gas composition.  
     
     
         18 . The apparatus of  claim 16  wherein performing the test and performing the second test comprise warming the fuel cell system prior to incubation of the fuel cell system.  
     
     
         19 . An apparatus for enabling qualification of at least a portion of a fuel cell system comprising: 
 a first computing unit adapted to obtain a first result of a first test on the at least a portion of a fuel cell system;    a second computing unit adapted to compare the first result to at least one qualifying criteria;    and a third computing unit adapted to provide an indication: that the fuel cell system is disqualified in response to the first result comparing negatively relative to the first qualification criteria, that the system is qualified in response to the first result comparing favorably relative to the first qualification criteria and the first test being a last test of a plurality of tests, and that the fuel cell system requires further testing in response to the first result comparing favorably relative to the first qualification criteria.    
     
     
         20 . The apparatus of  claim 19  wherein the first computing unit is adapted to control a testing mechanism to obtain a second result of a second test in response to the first result comparing favorably relative to the first qualification criteria.  
     
     
         21 . The apparatus of  claim 20  wherein the first test comprises a first electrical demand, a first reactant gas composition, and a first temperature of reactant gas, wherein the second test comprises a second electrical demand, a second reactant gas composition, and a second temperature of reactant gas, and wherein at least one of the first electrical demand differs from the second electrical demand, the first temperature differs from the second temperature, and the first reactant gas composition differs from the second reactant gas composition.  
     
     
         22 . The apparatus of  claim 20  wherein performing the first test and performing the second test comprise warming the fuel cell system prior to incubation of the fuel cell system.  
     
     
         23 . The apparatus of  claim 19  wherein the first computing unit, the second computing unit, and the third computing unit comprise a same computing unit.  
     
     
         24 . An article of manufacture comprising: 
 at least one computer usable medium having computer readable program code means embodied therein for enabling qualification of at least a portion of a fuel cell system, the computer readable program code means in said article of manufacture comprising: 
 computer readable program code means for causing a computing unit to obtain a first result of a first test on the at least a portion of a fuel cell system;  
 computer readable program code means for electronically comparing the first result to at least one qualifying criteria; and  
 computer readable program code means for providing an indication: that the fuel cell system is disqualified in response to the first result comparing negatively relative to the first qualification criteria, that the system is qualified in response to the first result comparing favorably relative to the first qualification criteria and the first test being a last test of a plurality of tests, and that the fuel cell system requires further testing in response to the first result comparing favorably relative to the first qualification criteria.  
   
     
     
         25 . The article of manufacture of  claim 24  further comprising computer readable program code for causing the computing unit to obtain a second result of a second test in response to the first result comparing favorably relative to the first qualification criteria.  
     
     
         26 . The article of manufacture of  claim 24  wherein the first test comprises a first electrical demand, a first reactant gas composition, and a first temperature of reactant gas, wherein the second test comprises a second electrical demand, a second reactant gas composition, and a second temperature of reactant gas, and wherein at least one of the first electrical demand differs from the second electrical demand, the first temperature differs from the second temperature, and the first reactant gas composition differs from the second reactant gas composition.  
     
     
         27 . The article of manufacture of  claim 25  wherein performing the first test and performing the second test comprise warming the fuel cell system prior to incubation of the fuel cell system.  
     
     
         28 . The article of manufacture of  claim 24  wherein the obtaining the first result comprises obtaining the first result of the first test before incubation of the at least a portion of the fuel cell system.