FUEL CELL SYSTEM HAVING ACTIVE HOUSING PURGING

A fuel cell system including a fuel cell stack having cathode and anode sides, a housing surrounding the fuel cell stack, a housing purging air inlet, an air-conveying installation disposed on the housing purging air inlet, a housing purging air outlet, an oxidation catalyst, a temperature sensor, and a control unit. The air-conveying installation continuously directs an airflow into the housing purging air inlet. The oxidation catalyst is disposed downstream of the housing purging air outlet and catalytically combusts hydrogen and oxygen. The temperature sensor is disposed on the oxidation catalyst and detects the oxidation catalyst temperature as an information item pertaining to a volumetric hydrogen flow occurring outside a fuel cell process and to be discharged. The control unit couples to the temperature sensor and to the air-conveying installation and receives the temperature detected by the temperature sensor and to therefrom determine variations of a hydrogen concentration.