Environmental adaptation control method and device for fuel cell system

Abstract

The present invention provides a method and device for controlling the environmental adaptability of a fuel cell system, belonging to the field of fuel cell technology. The method comprises: obtaining the fuel cell system output power currently required by a vehicle, the vehicle's current altitude, and the ambient temperature; utilizing a pre-established correspondence between the fuel cell system output power, altitude, and fuel cell system pressure control parameters to obtain the optimal pressure control parameters corresponding to the vehicle's current fuel cell system output power and the vehicle's current altitude; utilizing a pre-established correspondence between the fuel cell system output power, ambient temperature, and fuel cell system temperature control parameters to obtain the optimal temperature control parameters corresponding to the vehicle's current fuel cell system output power and the vehicle's current ambient temperature; and controlling the fuel cell system based on the optimal pressure control parameters and optimal temperature control parameters. The present invention can improve the environmental adaptability of a fuel cell system.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an environmental adaptation control method and device for a fuel cell system, belonging to the technical field of fuel cells. Background Art

[0002] Currently, the following two methods are mainly used to solve the environmental adaptation problem of fuel cell systems:

[0003] Method 1: For fuel cell vehicles operating in the same city for a long time, the control parameters of the fuel cell system are directly calibrated on-site according to the local temperature, altitude and air pressure conditions to complete the adaptive control of the fuel cell system in the local environment. However, this fixed control parameter cannot adapt to different altitudes and ambient temperatures. If the altitude and ambient temperature on the vehicle operation route still vary greatly, if the fixed control parameters are still used to control the fuel cell system, the fuel cell performance will be degraded;

[0004] Method 2: Add additional temperature and pressure sensors before the air compressor's intake. Based on the varying intake pressures caused by altitude, the compressor speed and other parameters are adjusted to adapt the fuel cell system to different environments. While this method can adapt to varying altitudes, it increases the cost by requiring additional sensors. Furthermore, the sensors are susceptible to the local environment in which the fuel cell system is located, resulting in lower reliability.

[0005] In summary, the current method 1 cannot adapt to the situation where the altitude and temperature change greatly on the vehicle operation route. Although method 2 can adapt to different altitudes, it increases the sensor layout, is more expensive, and has lower reliability.

[0006] In addition, the current shutdown and purging methods for fuel cell systems all determine whether purging is needed based on the ambient temperature when the fuel cell system is shut down. When the ambient temperature of the vehicle fluctuates drastically, the ambient temperature may be high when the system is shut down and low when the system is started. At this time, if purging is not performed based on the ambient temperature at shutdown, it may result in failure to start up normally. Therefore, this method cannot adapt to the situation where the ambient temperature of the vehicle fluctuates drastically, and has poor environmental adaptability. Summary of the Invention

[0007] The purpose of the present invention is to provide an environmental adaptation control method and device for a fuel cell system, which can ensure that the control parameters of the fuel cell system are always adapted to the current altitude and ambient temperature of the vehicle, thereby improving the environmental adaptability of the fuel cell system without the need for additional sensors, with low cost and high reliability.

[0008] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides an environmental adaptation control method for a fuel cell system, the method comprising the following steps:

[0009] During the operation of the fuel cell system, the fuel cell system output power currently required by the vehicle and the vehicle's current location data including altitude information are obtained, and the ambient temperature corresponding to the location data is obtained through the network;

[0010] Utilizing pre-established relationships between fuel cell system output power, altitude, and fuel cell system pressure control parameters, the optimal pressure control parameters corresponding to the vehicle's current required fuel cell system output power and the vehicle's current altitude are obtained. The pressure control parameters include the air compressor speed and the back pressure valve opening.

[0011] Utilizing pre-established correspondences between fuel cell system output power, ambient temperature, and fuel cell system temperature control parameters, optimal temperature control parameters corresponding to the vehicle's current required fuel cell system output power and the vehicle's current ambient temperature are obtained. The temperature control parameters include water pump speed, thermostat opening, and cooling fan speed.

[0012] The fuel cell system is controlled according to the optimal pressure control parameter and the optimal temperature control parameter.

[0013] The present invention also provides an environmental adaptation control device for a fuel cell system. The control device includes a processor and a memory. The processor executes a computer program stored in the memory to implement the above-mentioned environmental adaptation control method for the fuel cell system.

[0014] The beneficial effects of the present invention are: (1) by acquiring the altitude and ambient temperature (i.e., environmental parameters) of the vehicle in real time, and utilizing the pre-established correspondence between the fuel cell system output power, altitude, and fuel cell system pressure control parameters, and the correspondence between the fuel cell system output power, ambient temperature, and fuel cell system temperature control parameters, the optimal control parameters (including optimal pressure control parameters and optimal temperature control parameters) that match the environmental parameters of the fuel cell system are determined, so that the control parameters of the fuel cell system always match the current environmental parameters, ensuring that the fuel cell system is in the optimal output state, and improving the environmental adaptability of the fuel cell system; (2) by acquiring the vehicle's location data containing altitude information to obtain the vehicle's altitude, and acquiring the ambient temperature corresponding to the vehicle's location data through the network to obtain the vehicle's ambient temperature, there is no need to arrange additional sensors on the vehicle, which is low in cost and high in reliability.

[0015] Furthermore, in the above method and device, the method also includes a fuel cell system shutdown control step, the shutdown control step including: after the fuel cell system receives the shutdown command, first determining whether the fuel cell system needs to be purged before shutting down; if the purge conditions are met, then purging is performed first, and then shutting down after the purge is completed; if the purge conditions are not met, then shutting down directly; the purge conditions are: the lowest ambient temperature T of the vehicle's location within a set time period in the future when the fuel cell system is shut down. min ≤0, or T min ≤0 and the fuel cell system is shut down for the last time that day.

[0016] The beneficial effect of this is that the lowest ambient temperature T in the future set time period at the location of the vehicle when the fuel cell system is shut down is used. min Determining whether the fuel cell system needs to be purged before shutting down is compared with the existing technology that uses the current ambient temperature of the vehicle's location when the fuel cell system is shut down to determine whether the fuel cell system needs to be purged before shutting down. This method can adapt to the situation where the ambient temperature at the vehicle's location changes dramatically, and the fuel cell system has stronger environmental adaptability.

[0017] Furthermore, in the above method and device, when it is determined that the fuel cell system needs to be purged before shutting down, the pre-established T min and the corresponding relationship between the purge control parameters, and obtain T min The corresponding purge control parameters are used for purge control; the purge control parameters include compressor speed, back pressure valve opening, thermostat opening and purge time.

[0018] The beneficial effect of this is: taking into full consideration that the control of the water content of the fuel cell stack before subsequent startup is directly related to the minimum ambient temperature, press T min Determining the purge control parameters for shutdown purge can put the fuel cell system in the best startup state and effectively improve the life of the fuel cell. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0019] Figure 1 A schematic structural diagram of a fuel cell system in an embodiment of the device of the present invention;

[0020] Figure 2 A flow chart of the operation control of the fuel cell system in an embodiment of the device of the present invention;

[0021] Figure 3 A flowchart of the shutdown control of the fuel cell system in an embodiment of the device of the present invention;

[0022] In the figure, 1-1 is the water pump, 1-2 is the thermostat, 1-3 is the cooling fan, 2-1 is the air compressor, 2-2 is the back pressure valve, and 3-1 is the fuel cell system control device. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0023] The present invention provides a method and device for controlling the environmental adaptation of a fuel cell system, which can ensure that the control parameters of the fuel cell system are always adapted to the vehicle's current altitude and ambient temperature, thereby improving the environmental adaptability of the fuel cell system. This method and device do not require additional sensors, resulting in low cost and high reliability.

[0024] Among them, the fuel cell system is a device that directly converts the chemical energy of fuel (hydrogen) into electrical energy through electrochemical reaction under the action of a catalyst; the function of the fuel cell air circuit is to provide the oxygen (air) required for the fuel cell system reaction. The oxygen (air) supply system is composed of air filters, air compressors, intercoolers, humidifiers, pressure regulating devices (usually throttles), mufflers, pipes and other components.

[0025] In order to make the objectives, technical solutions and advantages of the present invention more clearly understood, the present invention is further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments.

[0026] Device Example:

[0027] like Figure 1 As shown, the fuel cell system of this embodiment includes:

[0028] Water pump 1-1, used to provide coolant flow power and feedback operating speed N w ;

[0029] Thermostat 1-2 is used to realize the change of large and small cycles, and together with the cooling fan, it controls the temperature of the battery stack and provides feedback on the operating opening K. w ;

[0030] Cooling fans 1-3 are used to dissipate the heat generated by the battery stack into the environment, and the feedback operating speed N f ;

[0031] Air compressor 2-1 is used to provide air power, provide the air required for the fuel cell system reaction, and feedback the operating speed N ac ;

[0032] Back pressure valve 2-2 is used to adjust the stack air inlet pressure by controlling the back pressure, and feedback the operating opening K a ; The back pressure valve can be a throttle valve or other types of valves;

[0033] The fuel cell system control device 3-1 can collect signals, calculate control algorithms and send control instructions to the responding actuator through feedback from sensors and other components, and is used to control the operation of the fuel cell system. It can also implement an environmental adaptation control method for the fuel cell system, and has the ability to modify the fuel cell system control parameters (including fuel cell system pressure control parameters (air compressor speed, back pressure valve opening) and fuel cell system temperature control parameters (water pump speed, thermostat opening, cooling fan speed)) according to the operation results of the control method.

[0034] Considering that the fuel cell system requires different control parameters to adapt to altitude changes and ambient temperature changes when it is running, and different purge control parameters are required to adapt to ambient temperature changes when the fuel cell system is shut down, the environmental adaptation control method of the fuel cell system of this embodiment includes the fuel cell system operation control (see Figure 2 ) and fuel cell system shutdown control (see Figure 3 ) two major parts.

[0035] like Figure 2 As shown, the specific steps of fuel cell system operation control are as follows:

[0036] S1: During the operation of the fuel cell system, the fuel cell system output power W currently required by the vehicle, the vehicle's current location data including altitude information, and the current control parameters of the fuel cell system (including the pressure control parameter I0 and the temperature control parameter Z0) are obtained;

[0037] S2: Obtain the vehicle's current altitude H from the vehicle's current location data, and obtain the ambient temperature T corresponding to the vehicle's current location data (i.e., the vehicle's current ambient temperature T) through the network;

[0038] S3: Using the pre-established correspondence between the fuel cell system output power, altitude and fuel cell system pressure control parameters (hereinafter referred to as power-altitude-I x Corresponding relationship), obtain the optimal pressure control parameter I corresponding to the fuel cell system output power W currently required by the vehicle and the current altitude H of the vehicle x ;

[0039] The corresponding relationship among the fuel cell system output power, ambient temperature and fuel cell system temperature control parameters (hereinafter referred to as power-temperature-Z x Corresponding relationship), obtain the optimal temperature control parameter Z corresponding to the fuel cell system output power W currently required by the vehicle and the current ambient temperature T of the vehicle x ;

[0040] S4: According to the optimal pressure control parameter I xand the optimal temperature control parameter Z x Control the fuel cell system to achieve environmental adaptation control during fuel cell system operation, specifically including:

[0041] When I0=I x And Z0=Z x When , no processing is done and the system returns to S1 periodic detection;

[0042] When I0≠I x But Z0=Z x When the pressure control parameter of the fuel cell system is modified to the optimal pressure control parameter I x , return to S1 periodic detection;

[0043] When I0=I x But Z0≠Z x When the temperature control parameter of the fuel cell system is modified to the optimal temperature control parameter Z x , return to S1 periodic detection;

[0044] When I0≠I x And Z0≠Z x When the pressure control parameter of the fuel cell system is modified to the optimal pressure control parameter I x , and modify the temperature control parameters of the fuel cell system to the optimal temperature control parameters Z x , return to S1 periodic detection;

[0045] Among them, the above power-altitude-I x Correspondence and Power-Temperature-Z x The corresponding relationship is calibrated by the fuel cell system environmental test. The fuel cell system environmental test can be carried out in the fuel cell system environmental chamber to test the calibration power-temperature-Z x For example, when calibrating, all temperature control parameters are calibrated together, that is, a set of power + temperature corresponds to a set of optimal temperature control parameters; in practical applications, these two correspondences can be presented in the form of a table, or in the form of an array or a linked list; in addition, each parameter in these two correspondences can be in the form of a specific value or a range of values, such as power-altitude-I x The altitude parameter in the corresponding relationship can be a specific altitude value or an altitude range [H n , H n+1 ]; Power-Temperature-Z x The ambient temperature parameter in the corresponding relationship can be a specific temperature value or a temperature range [T x , T x+1 ].

[0046] In this embodiment, the fuel cell system's operational control process is collaboratively implemented by a fuel cell system controller (FCU) and a remote data center. The FCU obtains the vehicle's current required fuel cell system output power W, the vehicle's current location data including altitude information, and the fuel cell system's current control parameters, and sends these to the remote data center. The remote data center obtains the vehicle's current ambient temperature via the network, calculates optimal pressure and temperature control parameters, and sends these optimal control parameters to the FCU. The FCU also performs logical judgment and control parameter modification. Alternatively, the fuel cell system's operational control process can be entirely implemented by the FCU or the remote data center.

[0047] like Figure 3 As shown, the specific steps of fuel cell system shutdown control are as follows:

[0048] S1: The fuel cell system receives a shutdown command;

[0049] S2: Obtain the vehicle's location when the fuel cell system is shut down;

[0050] S3: Based on the location of the vehicle when the fuel cell system is shut down, obtain the current ambient temperature of the location and the lowest ambient temperature T in the future set time period (e.g., the next 24 hours) of the location through the network. min ;

[0051] S4: Determine whether the fuel cell system needs to be purged before shutting down, as follows:

[0052] When T min When it is >0, it is determined that the fuel cell system does not need to be purged before shutting down, and it is shut down directly;

[0053] When T min When the value is ≤0 but the fuel cell system is not shut down for the last time that day, it is determined that the fuel cell system does not need to be purged before shutting down and is shut down directly;

[0054] When T min When the value is ≤0 and the fuel cell system is shut down for the last time that day, it is determined that the fuel cell system needs to be purged before shutting down, and the system will be shut down after the purge is completed;

[0055] Among them, when receiving the vehicle parking and fuel cell system shutdown instructions, the driver is asked whether it is the last time the vehicle is parked that day to determine whether the fuel cell system is shut down for the last time. If the vehicle is parked for the last time that day (that is, the vehicle's operation ends that day), then the fuel cell system is shut down for the last time.

[0056] S5: When it is determined that the fuel cell system needs to be purged before shutting down, the pre-established T minand the corresponding relationship between the purge control parameters, and obtain T min The corresponding purge control parameters are used for purge control.

[0057] The purge control parameters include the air compressor speed (used to adjust the air flow), the back pressure valve opening (used to adjust the air pressure), the thermostat opening (used to adjust the coolant temperature) and the purge time; T min The corresponding relationship between the T and purge control parameters is established by the low temperature environment experiment of the fuel cell system. As another embodiment, when judging whether the fuel cell system needs to be purged before shutting down, it is also possible to only perform T min Is it less than 0 to judge, when T min When ≤0, it is determined that the fuel cell system needs to be purged before shutting down.

[0058] In this embodiment, the shutdown control process of the fuel cell system is implemented in collaboration between the FCU and the remote data center. The FCU obtains the location of the vehicle when the fuel cell system is shut down and sends it to the remote data center. The remote data center obtains the current ambient temperature of the vehicle at the time of shutdown of the fuel cell system and the lowest ambient temperature T of the location within a set time period in the future through the network. min , and T min The FCU performs logic judgment and purge control. As another embodiment, the shutdown control process of the fuel cell system can also be entirely performed by the FCU, or entirely performed by a remote data center.

[0059] The environmental adaptation control method of the fuel cell system of this embodiment has the following advantages:

[0060] (1) The altitude of the vehicle is obtained by obtaining the vehicle's location data containing altitude information, and the ambient temperature corresponding to the vehicle's location data is obtained through the network to obtain the vehicle's ambient temperature. This eliminates the need to deploy additional sensors on the vehicle, resulting in lower costs and higher reliability.

[0061] (2) By obtaining the altitude and ambient temperature (i.e., environmental parameters) of the vehicle in real time, using the pre-established power-altitude-I x Correspondence and Power-Temperature-Z x The corresponding relationship determines the optimal control parameters (including optimal pressure control parameters and optimal temperature control parameters) that match the environmental parameters of the fuel cell system, so that the control parameters of the fuel cell system always match the current environmental parameters, ensuring that the fuel cell system is in the optimal output state and improving the environmental adaptability of the fuel cell system;

[0062] (3) The lowest ambient temperature T in the future set time period at the location of the vehicle when the fuel cell system is shut downmin Determining whether the fuel cell system needs to be purged before shutting down. Compared with the prior art that uses the current ambient temperature of the vehicle at the time of shutdown to determine whether the fuel cell system needs to be purged before shutting down, this method can adapt to the situation where the ambient temperature at the vehicle location fluctuates dramatically, and the fuel cell system has stronger environmental adaptability;

[0063] (4) Taking into full consideration that the control of the water content of the fuel cell stack before subsequent startup is directly related to the minimum ambient temperature, this embodiment uses T min Determining the purge control parameters for shutdown purge can put the fuel cell system in the best startup state and effectively improve the life of the fuel cell.

[0064] In this embodiment, the fuel cell system controller is used as the environmental adaptation control device of the fuel cell system, and the fuel cell system controller is used to implement the environmental adaptation control method of the fuel cell system; as other implementation methods, a separate environmental adaptation control device of the fuel cell system can also be set up, and the environmental adaptation control method of the fuel cell system can be implemented by using the control device. As long as the control device includes a processor and a memory, and the memory stores a computer program that can be run on the processor, the processor can implement the environmental adaptation control method of the fuel cell system when executing the computer program.

[0065] Here, the processor refers to a processing device such as a microprocessor MCU or a programmable logic device FPGA.

[0066] Memory refers to physical devices used to store information. This typically involves digitizing information and then storing it in electrical, magnetic, or optical media. Examples include various types of memory that use electrical energy to store information, such as RAM and ROM; various types of memory that use magnetic energy to store information, such as hard drives, floppy disks, magnetic tapes, magnetic core memory, bubble memory, and USB flash drives; and various types of memory that use optical energy to store information, such as CDs and DVDs. Of course, there are other types of memory, such as quantum memory and graphene memory.

[0067] The device composed of the above-mentioned memory, processor and computer program is implemented by the processor executing corresponding program instructions in the computer. The processor can be equipped with various operating systems, such as Windows operating system, Linux system, Android system, iOS system, etc.

[0068] Method Example:

[0069] The environmental adaptation control method of the fuel cell system in this embodiment is the same as the environmental adaptation control method of the fuel cell system in the device embodiment, and will not be repeated here.

Claims

1. A method for controlling environmental adaptation of a fuel cell system, characterized in that: The method comprises the following steps: During the operation of the fuel cell system, the fuel cell system output power currently required by the vehicle and the vehicle's current location data including altitude information are obtained, and the ambient temperature corresponding to the location data is obtained through the network; Utilizing pre-established relationships between fuel cell system output power, altitude, and fuel cell system pressure control parameters, the optimal pressure control parameters corresponding to the vehicle's current required fuel cell system output power and the vehicle's current altitude are obtained. The pressure control parameters include the air compressor speed and the back pressure valve opening. Utilizing pre-established correspondences between fuel cell system output power, ambient temperature, and fuel cell system temperature control parameters, optimal temperature control parameters corresponding to the vehicle's current required fuel cell system output power and the vehicle's current ambient temperature are obtained. The temperature control parameters include water pump speed, thermostat opening, and cooling fan speed. The corresponding relationship between output power, altitude and pressure control parameters and the corresponding relationship between output power, temperature and temperature control parameters are calibrated through fuel cell system environmental test. The fuel cell system is controlled according to the optimal pressure control parameter and the optimal temperature control parameter to adapt to changes in altitude and ambient temperature.

2. The environmental adaptation control method of the fuel cell system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The method further includes a fuel cell system shutdown control step, wherein the shutdown control step includes: after the fuel cell system receives the shutdown command, first determining whether the fuel cell system needs to be purged before shutting down; if the purge conditions are met, then purging is performed first, and then shutting down after the purge is completed; if the purge conditions are not met, then shutting down directly; the purge conditions are: the lowest ambient temperature T in the future set time period at the location of the vehicle when the fuel cell system is shut down min ≤0, or T min ≤0 and the fuel cell system is shut down for the last time that day.

3. The environmental adaptation control method of the fuel cell system according to claim 2, characterized in that: When it is determined that the fuel cell system needs to be purged before shutting down, the pre-established T min and the corresponding relationship between the purge control parameters, and obtain T min The corresponding purge control parameters are used for purge control; the purge control parameters include compressor speed, back pressure valve opening, thermostat opening and purge time.

4. An environmental adaptation control device for a fuel cell system, characterized in that: The control device includes a processor and a memory, and the processor executes a computer program stored in the memory to implement the environmental adaptation control method of the fuel cell system according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

Images