Fuel cell engine system

Abstract

The present invention relates to a fuel cell engine system, comprising a stack subsystem, an air subsystem, a hydrogen subsystem, and a cooling subsystem; the stack subsystem comprises a reactor and two end plates fixed at both ends of the reactor; the hydrogen subsystem pre-treatment module and the hydrogen injector are both fixed on one of the end plates; the air compressor of the air subsystem is arranged in the area between the two end plates, fixed on one side of the reactor, and connected to the end plate through a gas distribution pipeline; the intercooler is arranged on the gas distribution pipeline. The hydrogen subsystem and the air subsystem are respectively fixed on the end plate and the side of the reactor, realizing an L-shaped layout of the two and simplifying the piping structure: at the same time, the hydrogen pre-treatment unit and the injection pump are directly integrated into the end cover, realizing an internal flow channel design and reducing external piping; the layout space of the air compressor and the intercooler is reserved on the side, solving the problems of the existing fuel cell power system being dispersed, difficult to assemble the whole vehicle, and inconvenient to maintain the whole vehicle.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention belongs to the technical field of fuel cells, and in particular relates to an integrated fuel cell engine system. Background Art

[0002] Powertrain development is a core component of fuel cell R&D. A fuel cell vehicle powertrain consists of the fuel cell engine subsystem, electric drive subsystem, energy conversion and management subsystem, and corresponding auxiliary systems. While fuel cell vehicle powertrain development is complex, the integration of its subsystems is low, and the overall powertrain integration is even more limited.

[0003] Current fuel cell vehicle designs utilize a decentralized layout for the fuel cell powertrain, with components secured using brackets. This is not ideal for the industrialization of fuel cell vehicles. This presents two main challenges: first, it fails to meet vehicle assembly technical requirements; second, it fails to meet vehicle maintainability requirements. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The present invention aims to provide a fuel cell engine system to solve the problems of dispersed arrangement of existing fuel cell power systems, difficulty in vehicle assembly, and inconvenience in vehicle maintenance.

[0005] The specific scheme is as follows: A fuel cell engine system includes a fuel cell stack subsystem, an air subsystem, a hydrogen subsystem, and a cooling subsystem; the fuel cell stack subsystem includes a reactor and two end plates fixed at both ends of the reactor;

[0006] The hydrogen subsystem includes a pre-processing module and a hydrogen injector which are connected in sequence, and the pre-processing module and the hydrogen injector are both fixed on one of the end plates;

[0007] The air subsystem includes an air compressor and an intercooler which are connected in sequence; the air compressor is arranged in the area between the two end plates, fixed on one side of the reactor, and connected to the end plates through an air distribution pipeline; the intercooler is arranged on the air distribution pipeline.

[0008] A further technical solution of the present invention is as follows: an end plate for fixing the pre-treatment module and the hydrogen injector is defined as a front end plate, and the other end plate is defined as a rear end plate; the end plates are respectively arranged at the front and rear sides of the reactor, and the air compressor is arranged at the lower side of the reactor;

[0009] The gas distribution pipeline is connected to the front end plate, and the gas distribution pipeline and the hydrogen injector are respectively connected to the fuel cell stack through a flow channel inside the front end plate.

[0010] A further technical solution of the present invention is that: the front end plate is further provided with an exhaust pipe connected to the reactor manifold, and the exhaust pipe is provided with an exhaust throttle valve;

[0011] The outlet end of the intercooler is connected to an air three-way valve, and the air three-way valve is also connected in parallel to the air inner flow channel of the front end plate and the stack outlet throttle.

[0012] A further technical solution of the present invention is: it also includes an air subsystem mounting plate, which is arranged on the lower side of the reactor and has two ends fixedly connected to the front end plate and the rear end plate; the air compressor and the intercooler are both fixed on the air subsystem mounting plate.

[0013] A further technical solution of the present invention is: the hydrogen injector comprises a plurality of solenoid valves connected in series, and the outlet end of the last stage solenoid valve is connected to the hydrogen injection inner flow channel of the front end plate through a safety valve pipeline.

[0014] A further technical solution of the present invention is: it also includes a temperature sensor and a pressure sensor, and the temperature sensor and the pressure sensor are arranged on the pipeline between the safety valve and the front end plate.

[0015] A further technical solution of the present invention is: it also includes a hydrogen reflux pipeline:

[0016] The hydrogen reflux pipeline includes a water separator, a hydrogen circulation pump and a hydrogen reflux pipe which are connected in sequence. The water separator is connected to the hydrogen discharge inner flow channel on the front end plate, and the hydrogen reflux pipeline is connected to the hydrogen injection inner flow channel of the front end plate.

[0017] A further technical solution of the present invention is as follows: the cooling subsystem includes a cooling circulation pump, which is fixed to the lower side of the reactor and is connected to the front end plate of the reactor through a circulation pipeline;

[0018] The circulation pipeline is connected in series with a cooling tee pipe, and is communicated with the vehicle's radiator coolant through the cooling tee pipe.

[0019] A further technical solution of the present invention is: it also includes a control integrator, which is fixed to the upper side of the reactor; the circulation pump controller and CVM maintenance panel of the cooling subsystem are respectively fixed to the left and right sides of the reactor.

[0020] A further technical solution of the present invention is: the fuel cell subsystem includes two groups of sub-reactors stacked up and down; correspondingly, the pre-treatment includes a hydrogen diversion channel, and the gas distribution pipeline is connected to a gas distribution module to correspondingly conduct to the two sub-reactors.

[0021] Beneficial effects: The fuel cell engine system of the present invention includes a stack subsystem, an air subsystem, a hydrogen subsystem, and a cooling subsystem; the stack subsystem includes a reactor and two end plates fixed at both ends of the reactor; the hydrogen subsystem pre-treatment module and the hydrogen injector are both fixed on one of the end plates; the air compressor of the air subsystem is arranged in the area between the two end plates, fixed on one side of the reactor, and connected to the end plate through a gas distribution pipeline; the intercooler is arranged on the gas distribution pipeline. The hydrogen subsystem and the air subsystem are respectively fixed on the end plate and the side of the reactor, realizing an L-shaped layout of the two and simplifying the piping structure: at the same time, the hydrogen pre-treatment unit and the injection pump are directly integrated into the end cover to realize the internal flow channel design and reduce the external pipeline; the layout space of the air compressor and the intercooler is reserved on the side, solving the problems of the existing fuel cell power system being dispersed, difficult to assemble the whole vehicle, and inconvenient to maintain the whole vehicle. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0022] Figure 1 Shows a front view of the fuel cell engine system of the present invention;

[0023] Figure 2 Shown Figure 1 Bottom view of

[0024] Figure 3 Shown Figure 1 Right view; DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0025] To further illustrate various embodiments, the present invention is provided with accompanying drawings. These drawings form part of the present disclosure and are primarily used to illustrate the embodiments and, in conjunction with the relevant description in the specification, to explain the operating principles of the embodiments. By referring to these drawings, one of ordinary skill in the art will understand other possible embodiments and the advantages of the present invention. The components in the figures are not drawn to scale, and similar reference numerals are generally used to represent similar components.

[0026] The present invention will now be further described with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments.

[0027] Combine Figures 1 to 3 As shown, this embodiment provides a fuel cell engine system, which includes a fuel cell stack subsystem, an air subsystem, a hydrogen subsystem, and a cooling subsystem.

[0028] The fuel cell stack subsystem includes a reactor and two end plates fixed at each end of the reactor. In this embodiment, the reactor is a reaction structure composed of multiple fuel cell units stacked in series. Bipolar plates and membrane electrode units (MEAs) are alternately stacked, with seals embedded between the units. These units are then compressed by front and rear end plates and secured with screws to form the fuel cell stack subsystem in this embodiment.

[0029] In this embodiment, the hydrogen subsystem includes a high-pressure gas cylinder (not shown in the figure, independently arranged on the vehicle frame), a pre-processing module 4, and a hydrogen injector, which are connected in sequence. In this embodiment, to achieve built-in integration of the hydrogen pipeline and minimize the exposure of the hydrogen pipeline, the pre-processing module 4 and the hydrogen injector are both fixed to one of the end plates; wherein, the end plate fixing the pre-processing module 4 and the hydrogen injector is defined as the front end plate, and the other end plate is defined as the rear end plate. The direction of the fuel cell subsystem from the rear end plate to the front end plate is the forward direction, that is, the two end plates are respectively arranged at the front and rear sides of the reactor.

[0030] The hydrogen supply principle of this embodiment is:

[0031] The high-pressure hydrogen is decompressed by the pressure reducing valve in the hydrogen bottle pre-processing module 4 and then transported to the hydrogen injector. In this embodiment, the hydrogen injector includes a plurality of solenoid valves connected in series, and the outlet end of the last-stage solenoid valve is connected to the hydrogen injection inner flow channel of the front end plate through a safety valve pipeline.

[0032] The hydrogen injector is composed of 5 solenoid valves. The flow rate and pressure of hydrogen entering the stack are controlled by controlling the opening frequency of the 5 solenoid valves. This injection method is simple to control, has high control accuracy, long service life and low maintenance cost. The hydrogen after the injector is passed into the safety valve. The opening pressure of the safety valve is 310kpa. If the hydrogen injection is out of control and the gas pressure is ≥310kpa, the safety valve opens and the gas is discharged from the safety valve to the tail exhaust, which plays a role in protecting the fuel cell stack. Under normal circumstances, the safety valve does not work, and the hydrogen directly enters the fuel cell stack through the flow channel inside the front end plate after real-time detection by the temperature and pressure sensors. That is, in this embodiment, it also includes a temperature sensor and a pressure sensor. The temperature sensor and pressure sensor are arranged on the pipeline between the safety valve and the front end plate. This structural setting realizes the maximum built-in integration of the hydrogen delivery pipeline, greatly reduces the length of the hydrogen flow channel after decompression, and ensures detection accuracy and gas supply stability.

[0033] At the same time, the front end panel also integrates a hydrogen return line: the hydrogen return line includes a water separator 8, a hydrogen circulation pump 2, and a hydrogen return pipe, which are connected in sequence. The water separator is connected to the hydrogen discharge inner flow channel on the front end panel, and the hydrogen return line is connected to the hydrogen injection inner flow channel of the front end panel. Furthermore, the water separator 8 separates the reaction waste gas from the water, and the water is discharged through the drain valve. The unused hydrogen is passed through the component 2 (circulation pump) and circulated back to the anode inlet of the stack for reuse. Because the hydrogen return line is also integrated into the front end panel, the exposed path of the hydrogen return line is short, achieving the maximum degree of pipeline integration within the stack subsystem.

[0034] In this embodiment, the air subsystem includes an air compressor 7 and an intercooler 9 that are connected in sequence. In this embodiment, in order to further reduce vibration and achieve a stable installation of the air subsystem, this embodiment also includes an air subsystem mounting plate. The air subsystem mounting plate is an insulating flat plate that is located on the lower side of the reactor and is fixedly connected to the front plate and the rear plate at both ends to achieve fixation. At the same time, the air compressor 7 and the intercooler 9 are both fixed to the air subsystem mounting plate. Furthermore, the air compressor 7 and the intercooler 9 are located in the area between the two end plates and are both integrated and fixed on the lower side of the reactor. Then, the air outlet of the air compressor 7 is connected to the end plate through an air distribution pipeline passing through the intercooler 9 to connect to the built-in air flow channel on the upper end plate to achieve conduction with the interior of the fuel cell stack. This downward placement of the air subsystem forms an L-shaped layout with the hydrogen pre-treatment module 4, with space between the two for the battery stack subsystem. This allows the compressor 7 and the intercooler 9 to avoid interference, resulting in a reasonable spatial layout, short pipelines, and improved ease of maintenance for the integrated system.

[0035] Furthermore, in this embodiment, in order to achieve efficient air intake: the front end plate is also provided with an exhaust pipe connected to the reactor manifold, and the exhaust pipe is provided with an exhaust throttle 5; at the same time, the outlet end of the intercooler 9 is connected to an air three-way valve 3, and the other two ends of the air three-way valve 3 are also connected in parallel to the air inner flow channel of the front end plate and the exhaust throttle 5.

[0036] In this embodiment, the working principle of the air path is:

[0037] The air path uses an air three-way valve 3 instead of a throttle, preferably a three-way ball valve: the three-way valve changes the flow rate of the three paths by controlling the rotation angle of the ball valve inside it. Compared with the throttle, it has two advantages. One is that the two paths are integrated into a three-way valve, and the other is that the flow rate of the three paths can be controlled; the air goes from the air filter to the mass flow meter and then to the air compressor 7; then, the air compressor 7 enters the intercooler 9 to reduce the gas temperature; after coming out of the intercooler 9, it goes to the air three-way valve 3, is detected in real time by the temperature and pressure integrated sensor, and enters the fuel cell stack through the flow channel inside the front end plate; and after coming out of the fuel cell stack, it passes through the temperature and pressure integrated sensor, and then is connected to the stack throttle 5 and arranged to the tail exhaust: the diversion setting of the air three-way valve 3 realizes the controllable air flow rate of the stack throttle 5, that is, the stack throttle 5 regulates the overall air intake, and the air three-way valve 3 regulates the stack air intake, so as to achieve precise air intake control.

[0038] At the same time, this embodiment also includes a cooling subsystem, which includes a cooling circulation pump 11. The cooling circulation pump 11 is fixed to the lower side of the reactor, that is, fixed to the air subsystem mounting plate to isolate vibrations and effectively utilize the space semi-enclosed by the air compressor 7 and the intercooler 9. The cooling circulation pump 11 is connected to the front end plate of the reactor through a circulation pipeline. In the company's embodiment, a cooling tee 10 is connected in series to the circulation pipeline, and is connected to the vehicle's radiator coolant through the cooling tee 10: due to the reaction of the battery stack, a certain range of temperature must be maintained. Too high or too low temperature will affect the reaction state; the coolant is connected in a tee manner, and the circulation process realizes the mixing of external low-temperature coolant and high-temperature coolant in the circulation pipeline to achieve high-temperature control, while preventing the temperature from being too low and reducing the efficiency of the battery stack.

[0039] It also includes a control integrator 1, which is fixed to the upper side of the reactor; the circulation pump controller 12 / water-cooled heater 13 of the cooling subsystem and the CVM maintenance panel are respectively fixed to the left and right sides of the reactor. All components are integrated at the bottom of the end plate, without obstruction between the components, and easy maintenance and disassembly; the integration is improved, sensors and small parts are integrated in the valve block, and the air compressor controller is integrated in the DCDC, that is, inside the control integrator 1.

[0040] In this embodiment, the stack subsystem preferably includes two groups of stacked sub-reactors; correspondingly, the pre-processor includes a hydrogen flow channel, and the gas distribution pipeline is connected to a gas distribution module to flow to the two sub-reactors, thereby achieving high-power reaction power supply.

[0041] Although the present invention has been particularly shown and described in conjunction with preferred embodiments, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and details may be made to the present invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims, and all such changes are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A fuel cell engine system comprising a stack subsystem, an air subsystem, a hydrogen subsystem, and a cooling subsystem; characterized in that: The stack subsystem includes a reactor and two end plates fixed at both ends of the reactor; The hydrogen subsystem includes a pre-processing module and a hydrogen injector which are connected in sequence, and the pre-processing module and the hydrogen injector are both fixed on one of the end plates; The air subsystem includes an air compressor and an intercooler connected in sequence; the air compressor is located between the two end plates and fixed to one side of the reactor, and is connected to the end plates through an air distribution pipeline; the intercooler is located on the air distribution pipeline; The end plate for fixing the pre-treatment module and the hydrogen injector is defined as the front end plate, and the other end plate is defined as the rear end plate; the end plates are respectively arranged at the front and rear sides of the reactor, and the air compressor is arranged at the lower side of the reactor; The gas distribution pipeline is connected to the front end plate, and the gas distribution pipeline and the hydrogen injector are respectively connected to the reactor through a flow channel inside the front end plate; It also includes an air subsystem mounting plate, which is arranged on the lower side of the reactor and has two ends fixedly connected to the front end plate and the rear end plate; the air compressor and the intercooler are both fixed to the air subsystem mounting plate; The front end plate is also provided with an exhaust pipe connected to the reactor manifold, and the exhaust pipe is provided with an exhaust throttle valve; the outlet end of the intercooler is connected to an air three-way valve, and the air three-way valve is also connected in parallel to the air inner flow channel of the front end plate and the exhaust throttle valve; The hydrogen injector comprises a plurality of solenoid valves connected in series, the outlet end of the last stage solenoid valve is connected to the hydrogen injection inner flow channel of the front end plate through a safety valve pipeline; It also includes a temperature sensor and a pressure sensor, which are arranged on the pipeline between the safety valve and the front end plate.

2. The fuel cell engine system according to claim 1, wherein: Also includes hydrogen return line: The hydrogen reflux pipeline includes a water separator, a hydrogen circulation pump and a hydrogen reflux pipe which are connected in sequence. The water separator is connected to the hydrogen discharge inner flow channel on the front end plate, and the hydrogen reflux pipeline is connected to the hydrogen injection inner flow channel of the front end plate.

3. The fuel cell engine system according to claim 1, wherein: The cooling subsystem includes a cooling circulation pump, which is fixed to the lower side of the reactor and is connected to the front end plate of the reactor through a circulation pipeline; The circulation pipeline is connected in series with a cooling tee pipe, and is communicated with the vehicle's radiator coolant through the cooling tee pipe.

4. The fuel cell engine system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: It also includes a control integrator, which is fixed to the upper side of the reactor; the left and right sides of the reactor are respectively fixed with a circulating pump controller of the cooling subsystem and a CVM maintenance panel.

5. The fuel cell engine system according to claim 1, wherein: The fuel cell subsystem includes two groups of sub-reactors stacked up and down; correspondingly, the pre-processing module includes a hydrogen diversion channel, and the gas distribution pipeline is connected to a gas distribution module to correspondingly conduct to the two sub-reactors.

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