JP2002231283A - Solid polymer electrolyte fuel cell generating device and its operating method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a fuel cell generating set and its operating method, capable of obtaining a high cell output by keeping an electrolyte film in a sufficiently wet condition, even if a cell operating condition fluctuates. SOLUTION: Differences between the partial pressure of steam in exhaust air from the cell 2, the partial pressure of steam in exhaust fuel gas, at least one measured value among internal resistances of the cell, and reference values preset in advance are monitored, and when the value of the partial pressure rise of the steam in the air, the value of the partial pressure drop of the steam in the fuel gas, and the value of the internal resistance rise reach prescribed values, the humidified condition of the electrolyte film is determined to be abnormal, at least either one of the partial pressures of the steam in the air led into the cell or in the fuel gas is raised, the flow of the air is reduced, the flow of the fuel gas is increased, and at least one control among those control operations to lower the temperature of the cell is carried out. In addition, in order to lower the temperature of the cell, either one of those controls such as a control to lower the temperature of a cell coolant, a control to increase the flow of the cell coolant, or a control to reduce operating current density is carried out.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a solid polymer electrolyte fuel cell power generator and a method of operating the same, and more particularly to a method and a device for optimizing the humidification of a solid polymer electrolyte membrane.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A solid polymer electrolyte fuel cell power generator includes a fuel cell stack (hereinafter, also simply referred to as "cell", "fuel cell") in which a plurality of single cells, which are the minimum units of a fuel cell, are stacked. The fuel cell is basically composed of a gas supply device for supplying a required amount of a reaction gas (a fuel gas containing hydrogen and an oxidizing gas containing oxygen, usually air), and other peripheral devices and a control device. You.

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing a system configuration of a conventional general solid polymer electrolyte fuel cell power generator. For example, when supplying natural gas, methanol, or the like as a raw fuel, the raw fuel is supplied to the fuel processing apparatus 1 including a desulfurizer, a reformer, a CO shift converter, a CO remover, and the like, so that about several tens ppm of CO
Then, the fuel gas is reformed into a fuel gas mainly containing hydrogen containing about 20% of CO ₂ and supplied to the battery 2. Air is supplied to the battery 2 from the air blower 3, and the battery 2 generates power by an electrochemical reaction between hydrogen and oxygen.

[0004] The air not consumed by the battery 2 is exhausted to the atmosphere, and the fuel gas is returned to the fuel processor 1 to be burned and consumed as a heat source necessary for the reforming reaction. A battery cooling medium 4 is supplied to keep the temperature of the battery 2 at an appropriate level. As the cooling medium, water is generally used, but air cooling may be used. After being cooled by the heat exchanger 6, the battery cooling medium 4 is supplied to the battery 2 by the circulation pump 5. Since the battery output is DC, an inverter is incorporated when AC output is required.

The structure of a cell, which is the minimum power generation unit of a solid polymer electrolyte fuel cell, is generally represented as shown in FIG. Membrane electrode assembly (MEA: Membrane)
eElectrode Assembly) is a catalyst layer 4 containing a noble metal (mainly platinum) on both surfaces of the electrolyte membrane 31.
0 (hereinafter also referred to as an electrode catalyst layer). A porous diffusion layer 33 (hereinafter, also referred to as a diffusion electrode layer) is provided outside the MEA, and serves to pass a fuel gas and an oxidizing gas as a reaction gas and to transmit a current to the outside.

When the porous diffusion layer 33 and the catalyst layer 40 are combined, the side through which the fuel gas flows is called the anode electrode, and the side through which the oxidizing gas flows is the cathode electrode. Further, the MEA in a broad sense may include a diffusion layer. A cell is formed by sandwiching the two electrodes between the separators 32 each having a fuel gas flow path and an oxidizing gas flow path.

For the electrolyte membrane, a fluorine-based polymer material is most commonly used. Typical commercially available electrolyte membranes include
There is Nafion ^TM (trade name, manufactured by DuPont, USA). The features of these electrolyte membranes are that they have higher proton conductivity than other polymer electrolytes, and that the proton conductivity rapidly decreases when the electrolyte membrane dries. For this reason, in a solid polymer electrolyte fuel cell, it is required to always control the electrolyte membrane to an appropriate water-containing state. Usually, drying of the electrolyte membrane is prevented by humidifying the reaction gas.

FIG. 6 is a schematic sectional view of a cell configuration partially different from FIG. In the polymer electrolyte fuel cell shown in FIG. 6, an electrode catalyst layer 40 and a diffusion electrode layer 33 are provided on both sides of a solid polymer electrolyte membrane 31, and these are connected to a cathode separator having a gas flow groove 50. The battery unit cell is constituted by being sandwiched between the 32k and the anode-side separator 32a. A cooling water flow groove 60 for cooling heat generated by the power generation reaction is formed on one surface of the separator shown in FIG.

As described above, the solid polymer electrolyte membrane used in the solid polymer electrolyte fuel cell exhibits high ionic (proton) conductivity in a wet state containing water. High battery characteristics can be obtained by humidification. The fuel humidifier 7 and the air humidifier 8 shown in FIG.
This is a device that humidifies the gas before introducing it into the gas and raises the partial pressure of water vapor in the gas.

These humidifiers are provided for the purpose of preventing the electrolyte membrane 31, which is a constituent material of each single cell of the battery 2, from drying and lowering the ion conductivity. In FIG. 4, the humidifier is shown as one component of the fuel cell power generator. However, actually, the humidifier is built in the battery 2 or by utilizing the water generated by the battery reaction or the steam in the reformed fuel gas. ,
One or both may be omitted.

Usually, the method of humidifying the reaction gas includes:
A method of humidifying the reaction gas with a humidification tank provided outside the stack and then supplying it (external humidification method), or incorporating a humidification cell with a size / shape similar to that of a cell into a part of the stack, A method of supplying the passed reaction gas to the power generation unit (internal humidification method) has been considered.

For example, as an external humidification system, a reaction gas is diffused into water stored in a humidification container, and the reaction gas degassed from the water is deposited on a laminated fuel cell by a system called a bubbling tank system. And a separator having a gas circulation groove, and a separator having a humidification water circulation groove sandwiching a water permeable membrane via a porous support, and the entire structure as an internal humidification method. And a humidifying plate configured to humidify the reaction gas through a water permeable membrane as a humidifying membrane.

In any case, a proper condition in which the electrolyte membrane is sufficiently wetted is necessary for obtaining a high output of the battery 2.

As described above, even in a solid polymer electrolyte fuel cell power generator equipped with a humidifier, the partial pressure of water vapor of fuel gas and air is saturated at the operating temperature of each unit cell of the battery 2. If the pressure is lower than the water vapor pressure, the fuel gas or air deprives the electrolyte membrane of water, and as a result, the water content of the electrolyte membrane may decrease. Therefore, from the viewpoint of keeping the electrolyte membrane sufficiently wet, the steam partial pressure of the fuel gas and air at the battery inlet has a steam partial pressure equal to or higher than the saturated steam pressure at the operating temperature of each single cell of the battery 2. Is desired.

On the other hand, a reaction gas having a high water vapor partial pressure is supplied to the battery 2
In this case, the supersaturated water stays in the gas flow grooves 50 of the separators 32a and 32k in FIG. 6 as water droplets, impeding the flow of the reaction gas, and possibly lowering the battery output. Therefore, from the viewpoint of preventing a decrease in gas flowability due to water droplets in the gas flow path, the partial pressure of water vapor in the reaction gas introduced into the battery 2 is made lower than the saturated vapor pressure at the operating temperature of each unit cell of the battery 2. It is desirable.

As a preferable configuration of the fuel cell which addresses the above contradictory problems, it is desirable to have a configuration capable of humidifying the electrolyte membrane by effectively utilizing water generated on the air electrode side as a result of the cell reaction. For the fuel cell, a fuel cell having a configuration in which a fuel gas as a reaction gas and air flow so as to face each other is desirable.

That is, the water vapor partial pressure of the air at the cell outlet is increased by the moisture generated at the cathode (air electrode) side, and the fuel gas is introduced into the cell outlet of the air from the opposite part with the electrolyte membrane interposed therebetween. Then, when the partial pressure of water vapor in the fuel gas is lower than that of air, the movement of water from the air to the fuel gas via the electrolyte membrane occurs, and the partial pressure of water vapor of the fuel gas at the cell inlet increases.

As described above, by causing the air and the fuel gas to flow in opposite directions, even if the water vapor partial pressure of the reaction gas introduced into the battery is lowered, the water produced by the battery reaction generated at the cathode (air electrode) can be used. The steam partial pressure of the reaction gas in the reaction section can be kept high, and the electrolyte membrane can be kept in a good wet state.

[0019]

However, even in the fuel cell power generation apparatus in which the air and the fuel gas flow in opposite directions and the electrolyte membrane is humidified by the water produced by the reaction of the fuel cell as described above, the operation of the fuel cell power generation apparatus may continue for some reason during operation. When the wettability of the electrolyte decreases, there is a problem that the battery output is likely to fluctuate under the influence of operating conditions such as the flow rate of the reaction gas, the partial pressure of steam, and the battery temperature.

This is because, when the wettability of the electrolyte membrane is reduced, the movement of water between the reaction gases through the electrolyte membrane is hindered, and the partial pressure of water vapor in the air at the outlet of the battery increases. It has been found that the partial pressure of water vapor in the fuel gas decreases, and at that time the internal resistance of the battery increases.

On the other hand, when a battery is operated as a power generator, a certain degree of change in operating conditions is inevitable with a change in required output.

In such a situation, in order to obtain a stable and high battery output, the power generator is controlled so that the battery output does not decrease due to insufficient wetting of the electrolyte membrane even when the operating conditions fluctuate. There is a need.

However, since the decrease in the battery output is caused by a cause other than the drying of the electrolyte membrane, it is impossible to optimally control the power generator even if only the battery output is monitored.

The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and it is an object of the present invention to maintain a sufficiently wet electrolyte membrane and obtain a high battery output even when the operating conditions of the battery fluctuate. It is an object of the present invention to provide a solid polymer electrolyte fuel cell power generation device capable of controlling the power generation device as described above and an operation method thereof.

[0025]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, a problem in a conventional method for operating a solid polymer electrolyte fuel cell power generator is that when the wettability of the electrolyte membrane is reduced, the The reaction through the membrane hinders the movement of water between the cells, and the partial pressure of water vapor in the air at the outlet of the cell increases, but the partial pressure of water vapor in the fuel gas decreases. Given that it is rising,
When the wettability of the electrolyte membrane is reduced and the battery output is reduced, the operation method for restoring the battery output is to increase the partial pressure of water vapor of at least one of air or fuel gas introduced into the battery, and to increase the reaction air flow rate. At least one control such as reducing, increasing the fuel flow rate, or lowering the battery temperature is effective.Furthermore, in order to lower the battery temperature, the temperature of the battery cooling medium is reduced or the battery cooling medium is reduced. The above problem can be achieved by, for example, increasing the flow rate or reducing the operating current density.

That is, in the present invention, the following claim 1
The invention can be achieved by any one of the inventions of (7) to (7). Claim 1
According to the invention, a fuel gas comprising an anode electrode and a cathode electrode having an electrode catalyst layer disposed with a solid polymer electrolyte membrane interposed therebetween, and a cooling device for cooling with a cooling medium, wherein the anode electrode contains hydrogen A method for operating a solid polymer electrolyte fuel cell power generator including a fuel cell in which air as an oxidant gas flows through the cathode electrode so as to face each other, wherein a reaction discharged from the fuel cell is performed. A rising value which is a difference between a measured value of at least one of the following partial pressure of water vapor in air, the partial pressure of water vapor in fuel gas after the reaction, and the internal resistance of the fuel cell, and a preset reference value. Alternatively, the humidification state of the electrolyte membrane is monitored when the decrease value of the partial pressure of water vapor in the air, the decrease value of the partial pressure of water vapor in the fuel gas, and the increase value of the internal resistance become predetermined values. It determines that the normal, and performing control to reduce the air flow rate supplied to the fuel cell.

The first aspect of the present invention is an operation method for performing control for reducing the flow rate of air supplied to a fuel cell.
Instead of the control for reducing the air flow rate, the following inventions 2 to 5 are preferable. That is, in the operation method according to the first aspect, instead of the control for decreasing the flow rate of the air supplied to the fuel cell, the control for increasing the flow rate of the fuel gas supplied to the fuel cell is performed (the invention of the second aspect). ).

Further, instead of the control for decreasing the air flow rate, control for increasing the flow rate of the cooling medium for cooling the fuel cell is performed (the invention of claim 3), or the temperature of the cooling medium for cooling the fuel cell is reduced. It is assumed that the control for decreasing the operation temperature is performed (invention of claim 4) or the control for decreasing the operating temperature of the fuel cell by decreasing the operating current density of the fuel cell is performed (invention of claim 5).

In the case of a solid polymer electrolyte fuel cell power generator having a humidifier for humidifying the fuel gas or air, the invention of claim 6 described below is also suitable. That is,
2. The operating method according to claim 1, wherein the solid polymer electrolyte fuel cell power generator further includes a humidifier for humidifying the fuel gas or air, and controls to reduce a flow rate of air supplied to the fuel cell. Instead, control is performed to increase the partial pressure of water vapor in the fuel gas or air by increasing the amount of humidification of the fuel gas or air in the humidifier.

Further, in the case of a solid polymer electrolyte fuel cell power generator having a reformer for supplying a fuel gas obtained by steam reforming a raw fuel to a fuel cell, the invention of the following claim 7 is also suitable. . That is, in the operation method according to claim 1, the solid polymer electrolyte fuel cell power generator further includes a reformer that supplies a fuel gas obtained by steam reforming raw fuel to the fuel cell, A control for increasing the partial pressure of steam in the fuel gas supplied to the fuel cell by increasing the flow rate of steam for fuel reforming supplied to the reformer instead of the control for decreasing the flow rate of air supplied to the fuel cell Shall be performed.

As the solid polymer electrolyte fuel cell power generator for carrying out the operation method, the following claims 8 to 10 are preferable.

That is, an apparatus for carrying out the method for operating the solid polymer electrolyte fuel cell power generator according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the electrodes are provided with the solid polymer electrolyte membrane interposed therebetween. An anode and a cathode having a catalyst layer, and a cooling device for cooling with a cooling medium, a fuel gas containing hydrogen on the anode, air as an oxidant gas on the cathode, opposed to each other. In a solid polymer electrolyte fuel cell power generator including a flowing fuel cell, a water vapor partial pressure measuring means for measuring a partial pressure of water vapor in air after reaction discharged from the fuel cell; Among the air vapor partial pressure measuring means for measuring the water vapor partial pressure in the discharged fuel gas after reaction, and the internal resistance measuring means for measuring the internal resistance of the fuel cell, At least one means for performing control according to any one of claims 1 to 5, 1) air flow rate adjusting means, 2) fuel gas flow rate adjusting means, 3) cooling medium flow rate adjusting means, 4) cooling. Medium temperature adjusting means, 5) At least one of the operating current density adjusting means of the fuel cell and the at least one measured value are input, and the increased value of the partial pressure of water vapor in the air after the reaction is measured. At least one of a lowering value of the partial pressure of water vapor in the fuel gas and a rising value of the internal resistance of the fuel cell are monitored, and when the rising value or the decreasing value reaches a predetermined value, the electrolyte membrane is monitored. And a control means for outputting a control command to at least any one of the above-mentioned adjustment means for performing the control according to any one of claims 1 to 5 by judging that the humidification state is abnormal. (The invention of claim 8) .

Further, the solid polymer electrolyte fuel cell power generator according to claim 8, further comprising a humidifier for humidifying the fuel gas or air, in place of the adjusting means of 1) to 5), A fuel gas or air humidification amount adjusting means is provided (the invention of claim 9).

The solid polymer electrolyte fuel cell power generator according to claim 8, further comprising a reformer for supplying a fuel gas obtained by steam reforming raw fuel to the fuel cell, wherein In place of the adjusting means of (5), a steam flow rate adjusting means for fuel reforming to be supplied to the reformer is provided (the invention of claim 10).

[0035]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIGS. 1 to 3 are schematic diagrams of a system configuration of a solid polymer electrolyte fuel cell power generator according to different embodiments of the present invention.
Are different from the schematic diagram of the system configuration shown in FIG.
4 is the same as FIG. 4 except that a vapor pressure partial pressure measuring device 12a for exhaust gas and an internal resistance measuring device 13 are added.

(Embodiment 1) In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, a semiconductor sensor type dew point meter is mounted as a water vapor partial pressure measuring device 12 for measuring the partial pressure of water vapor in the air after reaction discharged from the battery 2. The power generation device shown in FIG. For simplicity, the humidifiers 7 and 8 for the reaction gas were of a bubbling tank type having heaters for both air and fuel gas. The power generator was operated while controlling the battery temperature at 80 ° C and the bubbling tank temperature at 70 ° C.

When the operating temperature of the battery was intentionally raised to 85 ° C., the partial pressure of water vapor measured by the attached water vapor partial pressure measuring device 12 for exhaust air increased, and the output of the battery decreased.

Then, when the following control operations according to the first to seventh aspects of the present invention were performed independently, the steam partial pressure measured by the steam partial pressure measuring device 12 returned to the original state, and the output of the battery was restored.

(Control operation) Air flow reduced by 20%
-Fuel flow increased by 20%-Cooling water flow increased by 10%-Cooling water temperature decreased by 5 ° C-Battery operating current density increased by 2
0% lowered ・ The temperature of the fuel humidifier was raised to 75 ℃
The flow rate of the reforming steam introduced into the reformer in the fuel processor was increased by 20% (Example 2) Next, in the example shown in FIG. A semiconductor sensor type dew point meter is attached as a water vapor partial pressure measuring device 12a that measures the water vapor partial pressure of the power generation device shown in FIG.
In the same manner as in Example 1, the battery temperature was controlled at 80 ° C., the bubbling tank temperature was controlled at 70 ° C., and the power generator was operated. Was.

According to the above experiment, the battery output decreases as the measured water vapor partial pressure in the exhaust fuel gas decreases. By the same control operation as in the first embodiment, the measured water vapor partial pressure returns to the original value and the battery output recovers. Was confirmed. The control operation in this embodiment includes the temperature of the air humidifier.
The same effect can be obtained by increasing the temperature to 75 ° C.

(Embodiment 3) Next, in the embodiment shown in FIG. 3, a milliohm meter was attached as the internal resistance measuring device 13 of the battery 2 to constitute a power generator shown in FIG. The humidifier for the reaction gas was a bubbling tank having a heater for both air and fuel gas, as in Example 1.
The same experiment was performed after operating the power generator with the battery temperature controlled at 80 ° C. and the bubbling tank temperature at 70 ° C., and further intentionally increasing the battery operating temperature to 85 ° C.

From the above experiment, it was confirmed that the battery output decreased as the battery internal resistance increased, and the measured internal resistance returned to the original state and the battery output recovered by the same control operation as in the second embodiment.

In the above Examples 1 to 3, the case where the battery operating temperature was increased was simulated. However, even when the operating conditions such as the temperature and the flow rate were changed, the condition under which the wettability of the electrolyte membrane was reduced was also considered. In the case of the above, the battery output similarly decreases as the measured steam partial pressure rises or falls, and the measured steam partial pressure returns to the original value and the battery output decreases by the control operation according to the above-described claims 1 to 7. Recovered.

[0045]

As described above, according to the present invention, there is provided a solid polymer electrolyte fuel cell power generator in which a fuel gas as a reaction gas and air flow in opposition to each other.
Partial pressure of water vapor in the air after reaction discharged from the fuel cell,
A rise or fall value, which is a difference between a measured value of at least one of the partial pressure of water vapor in the fuel gas after the reaction and the internal resistance of the fuel cell and a preset reference value, is monitored. When the increase value of the partial pressure of water vapor in the fuel gas, the decrease value of the partial pressure of water vapor in the fuel gas, and the increase value of the internal resistance become predetermined values, it is determined that the humidification state of the electrolyte membrane is abnormal,
Increase the water vapor partial pressure of at least one of the air or fuel gas to be introduced into the fuel cell, reduce the reaction air flow rate, increase the fuel flow rate, perform at least one of the control operations of lowering the cell temperature, To lower the battery temperature, lower the temperature of the battery cooling medium, increase the flow rate of the battery cooling medium, or perform at least one of the controls such as reducing the operating current density by performing In addition, even when the battery operating conditions fluctuate, it is possible to control the power generator so that the electrolyte membrane is maintained in a sufficiently wet state and a high battery output is obtained.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a system configuration of a solid polymer electrolyte fuel cell power generator according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a system configuration according to an embodiment different from FIG. 1 of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a system configuration according to an embodiment different from FIG. 1 of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of a system configuration of a conventional solid polymer electrolyte fuel cell power generator.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a cell configuration of a conventional fuel cell.

FIG. 6 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a different cell configuration of a conventional fuel cell.

[Explanation of symbols]

1: fuel processor, 2: battery, 7: fuel humidifier, 8:
Air humidifier, 12 and 12a: water vapor partial pressure measuring instrument, 1
3: internal resistance measuring instrument, 31: electrolyte membrane, 32k: cathode side separator, 32a: anode side separator, 3
3: diffusion electrode layer, 40: electrode catalyst layer, 50: gas flow groove.

Claims (10)

[Claims] 1. An anode electrode and a cathode electrode each having an electrode catalyst layer disposed with a solid polymer electrolyte membrane interposed therebetween,
A solid polymer having a cooling device for cooling with a cooling medium, and a fuel cell in which a fuel gas containing hydrogen flows through the anode electrode and air flows as an oxidant gas through the cathode electrode so as to face each other. An operating method of an electrolyte fuel cell power generator, comprising: a partial pressure of water vapor in air after reaction discharged from the fuel cell, a partial pressure of water vapor in fuel gas after the reaction, and an internal resistance of the fuel cell. And monitoring a rising value or a falling value, which is a difference between at least one of the measured values and a preset reference value. And determining that the humidification state of the electrolyte membrane is abnormal when the rise value of the internal resistance becomes a predetermined value, and performing control to reduce the flow rate of air supplied to the fuel cell. Burning Operating method of cell power plant. 2. The operating method according to claim 1, wherein instead of the control for reducing the flow rate of the air supplied to the fuel cell,
A method for operating a solid polymer electrolyte fuel cell power generator, characterized by performing control to increase the flow rate of fuel gas supplied to a fuel cell. 3. The operating method according to claim 1, wherein instead of controlling to reduce the flow rate of air supplied to the fuel cell,
A method for operating a solid polymer electrolyte fuel cell power generator, wherein control is performed to increase a flow rate of a cooling medium for cooling the fuel cell. 4. The operating method according to claim 1, wherein the control for reducing the flow rate of the air supplied to the fuel cell is performed,
A method for operating a solid polymer electrolyte fuel cell power generator, characterized by performing control to lower the temperature of a cooling medium for cooling the fuel cell. 5. The operating method according to claim 1, wherein instead of the control for reducing the flow rate of the air supplied to the fuel cell,
A method for operating a solid polymer electrolyte fuel cell power generator, wherein control is performed to lower the operating temperature of the fuel cell by lowering the operating current density of the fuel cell. 6. The operating method according to claim 1, wherein the solid polymer electrolyte fuel cell power generator further comprises a humidifier for humidifying the fuel gas or air, and the air supplied to the fuel cell. A solid polymer electrolyte type characterized by performing control to increase the partial pressure of water vapor in the fuel gas or air by increasing the humidification amount of the fuel gas or air in the humidifier instead of the control to decrease the flow rate. An operation method of the fuel cell power generator. 7. The operating method according to claim 1, wherein the solid polymer electrolyte fuel cell power generator further comprises a reformer for supplying a fuel gas obtained by steam reforming raw fuel to the fuel cell. In place of the control for decreasing the flow rate of air supplied to the fuel cell, the partial pressure of steam in the fuel gas supplied to the fuel cell is increased by increasing the flow rate of steam for fuel reforming supplied to the reformer. A method for operating a solid polymer electrolyte fuel cell power generator, characterized by performing increasing control. 8. An apparatus for carrying out the method for operating the solid polymer electrolyte fuel cell power generator according to claim 1, wherein the electrodes are arranged with the solid polymer electrolyte membrane interposed therebetween. An anode electrode and a cathode electrode having a catalyst layer, and a cooling device for cooling with a cooling medium, a fuel gas containing hydrogen on the anode electrode, air as an oxidant gas on the cathode electrode, so as to face each other. In a solid polymer electrolyte fuel cell power generator including a flowing fuel cell, a water vapor partial pressure measuring means for measuring a water vapor partial pressure in air after reaction discharged from the fuel cell; Of the air vapor partial pressure measuring means for measuring the partial pressure of water vapor in the discharged fuel gas after the reaction and the internal resistance measuring means for measuring the internal resistance of the fuel cell, only a few are used. 6) A means for controlling according to any one of claims 1 to 5, 1) air flow rate adjusting means, 2) fuel gas flow rate adjusting means, 3) cooling medium flow rate adjusting means, 4) cooling medium. Temperature adjusting means, 5) At least one of the operating current density adjusting means of the fuel cell and the at least one measured value are inputted to increase the partial pressure of water vapor in the air after the reaction, At least one of a decrease value of the partial pressure of water vapor in the fuel gas and an increase value of the internal resistance of the fuel cell, and when the increase value or the decrease value reaches a predetermined value, the electrolyte membrane of the fuel cell is monitored. 6. A control means for outputting a control command to at least one of the above-mentioned 1) to 5) adjusting means for performing the control according to any one of claims 1 to 5 when judging that the humidification state is abnormal. Characterized solid polymer electrolysis Type fuel cell power plant. 9. The solid polymer electrolyte fuel cell power generator according to claim 8, further comprising a humidifier for humidifying the fuel gas or air, wherein the humidifier is replaced with the adjusting means of 1) to 5) above. A solid polymer electrolyte fuel cell power generator comprising a fuel gas or air humidification amount adjusting means. 10. The solid polymer electrolyte fuel cell power generator according to claim 8, further comprising a reformer for supplying a fuel gas obtained by steam reforming raw fuel to the fuel cell, wherein A solid polymer electrolyte fuel cell power generator comprising a steam flow rate adjusting means for fuel reforming supplied to the reformer in place of the adjusting means of 5).