Fuel cell air control method, controller, system and vehicle

Abstract

The present invention provides a fuel cell air control method, controller, system and vehicle, the method comprising: obtaining a first actual pressure of a high-pressure bottle group and a required pressure of an intercooler; selectively controlling the connection of a first channel or a second channel based on the first actual pressure and the required pressure to provide gas for the intercooler; wherein an air compressor, a control valve, a low-pressure bottle group, a high-pressure bottle group and an intercooler are sequentially arranged on the first channel; the air compressor, the control valve and the intercooler are sequentially arranged on the second channel; in this way, when the gas pressure in the high-pressure bottle group is sufficient, the gas in the high-pressure bottle group can be directly used to provide the required gas for the fuel cell stack, so that the air compressor only needs to operate in a low power consumption area, reducing the working time of the air compressor in a high power consumption area, thereby saving electricity and improving system efficiency; and when the high-pressure bottle group is used to supply air to the intercooler, the probability of surge in the air compressor can also be reduced, thereby improving the life of the air compressor.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the field of fuel cell technology, and in particular to a fuel cell air control method, controller, system and vehicle. Background Art

[0002] Proton exchange membrane fuel cells are a new type of power supply device with high energy density, high energy conversion rate and environmental protection. They generate water and generate electricity through the redox reaction between hydrogen and oxygen. They have the advantages of low operating temperature, fast start-up speed, high working efficiency and convenient operation. Therefore, proton exchange membrane fuel cells have considerable market prospects in the field of new energy vehicles.

[0003] In high-power fuel cells, the commonly used air compressor is the centrifugal air bearing air compressor. This air compressor has the advantages of wide working range, low noise, and oil-free. However, the air compressor energy consumption of the centrifugal air bearing air compressor is not linear with the system power. As the system power increases, the power consumption begins to rise sharply. Take the energy consumption of a common air compressor as an example, you can refer to Figure 1 , when the system is 100kw, the power consumption of the air compressor is 14kw, but when the system is 200kw, it is not 28kw, but greater than 40kw.

[0004] Therefore, for high-power fuel cell systems, how to effectively reduce the power consumption of the air compressor and thereby improve the efficiency of the fuel cell system is a technical problem that needs to be solved urgently. Summary of the invention

[0005] In response to the problems existing in the prior art, the embodiments of the present invention provide a fuel cell air control method, controller, system and vehicle to solve or partially solve the technical problem in the prior art that the air compressor in the fuel cell system has high power consumption, resulting in reduced efficiency of the fuel cell system.

[0006] A first aspect of the present invention provides a fuel cell air control method, the method comprising:

[0007] Obtain the first actual pressure of the high-pressure bottle group and the required pressure of the intercooler;

[0008] Based on the first actual pressure and the required pressure, the first channel or the second channel is selectively controlled to be connected to provide gas for the intercooler; wherein,

[0009] The first channel is provided with an air compressor, a control valve, a low-pressure bottle group, a high-pressure bottle group and an intercooler in sequence; the second channel is provided with the air compressor, the control valve and the intercooler in sequence.

[0010] In the above solution, obtaining the required pressure of the intercooler includes:

[0011] Determining a target stack pressure and a target stack flow rate required by the fuel cell based on the received power request;

[0012] determining a pressure loss value of the intercooler based on the target stack inlet flow rate;

[0013] The required pressure of the intercooler is determined based on the pressure loss value and the target stack entry pressure; the required pressure is the sum of the target stack entry pressure and the pressure loss value.

[0014] In the above solution, the step of determining the pressure loss value of the intercooler based on the target stack inlet flow rate includes:

[0015] Based on the target stack feeding flow rate, a corresponding pressure loss value is searched in a preset first mapping table, wherein the first mapping table pre-stores a corresponding relationship between the stack feeding flow rate and the pressure loss value.

[0016] In the above solution, the selectively controlling the connection of the first channel or the second channel based on the first actual pressure and the required pressure includes:

[0017] If it is determined that the first actual pressure is greater than the required pressure, the electromagnetic three-way valve is used to control the first channel to be connected and the second channel to be closed, and the high-pressure bottle group is used to provide gas to the intercooler.

[0018] In the above solution, the use of the high-pressure bottle group to provide gas to the intercooler includes:

[0019] Adjusting the opening of the pressure reducing valve and the opening of the back pressure valve based on the required pressure of the intercooler and the target flow of the fuel cell stack;

[0020] Control the bypass valve opening to zero and the stop valve opening to maximum;

[0021] The pressure reducing valve is located between the intercooler and the high-pressure bottle group, the back pressure valve is located at the outlet of the fuel cell stack, the bypass valve is located at the outlet of the intercooler, and the shut-off valve is located at the inlet of the fuel cell stack.

[0022] In the above scheme, the method further includes:

[0023] When the high-pressure bottle group is used to provide gas to the intercooler, a second actual pressure and an actual flow rate at the outlet of the intercooler are collected in real time;

[0024] The opening of the pressure reducing valve and the opening of the back pressure valve are adjusted based on the second actual pressure, the actual flow rate, the target stack feeding pressure and the target stack feeding flow rate.

[0025] In the above solution, the selectively controlling the connection of the first channel or the second channel based on the first actual pressure and the required pressure includes:

[0026] If it is determined that the first actual pressure is less than or equal to the required pressure, the electromagnetic three-way valve is used to control the second channel to be connected and the first channel to be closed, so that the air compressor is used to provide gas for the intercooler.

[0027] In the above scheme, the air compressor is used to provide gas to the intercooler, including:

[0028] Determining the pressure ratio according to the required pressure of the intercooler and the inlet pressure of the air compressor;

[0029] searching in a second mapping table the minimum flow rate that the air compressor can provide under the pressure ratio, wherein the second mapping table is an air compressor surge protection mapping table, and the second mapping table pre-stores a correspondence between the pressure ratio and the flow rate that the air compressor can provide;

[0030] If it is determined that the target stack flow rate required by the fuel cell is greater than or equal to the minimum flow rate, adjusting the speed of the air compressor and the opening of the back pressure valve based on the target stack flow rate and the target stack pressure;

[0031] Control the bypass valve opening to zero, the stop valve opening to maximum and the electromagnetic pressure reducing valve to close;

[0032] The electromagnetic pressure reducing valve is located between the intercooler and the high-pressure bottle group, the back pressure valve is located at the outlet of the fuel cell stack, the bypass valve is located at the outlet of the intercooler, and the shut-off valve is located at the inlet of the fuel cell stack.

[0033] In the above scheme, the method further comprises:

[0034] If it is determined that the target stack flow rate required by the fuel cell is less than the minimum flow rate, adjusting the speed of the air compressor and the opening of the back pressure valve based on the minimum flow rate and the target stack pressure;

[0035] Acquire a flow difference between the minimum flow and the target stack inlet flow, and adjust the bypass valve opening based on the flow difference;

[0036] The stop valve is controlled to open to the maximum and the electromagnetic pressure reducing valve is controlled to close.

[0037] In the above scheme, the method further comprises:

[0038] The air at the outlet of the fuel cell stack is separated by a gas-liquid separator to obtain dry air;

[0039] The dry air is used to increase the pressure of a supercharger; the supercharger is installed between the low-pressure bottle group and the high-pressure bottle group.

[0040] A second aspect of the present invention provides a fuel cell air controller, the controller comprising:

[0041] An acquisition unit, used to acquire a first actual pressure of the high-pressure bottle group and a required pressure of the intercooler;

[0042] A control unit is used to selectively control the connection of the first channel or the second channel based on the first actual pressure and the required pressure to provide gas for the intercooler; wherein,

[0043] The first channel is provided with an air compressor, a control valve, a low-pressure bottle group, a high-pressure bottle group and an intercooler in sequence; the second channel is provided with the air compressor, the control valve and the intercooler in sequence.

[0044] A third aspect of the present invention provides a fuel cell air control system, the fuel cell system comprising:

[0045] The air compressor is connected to the low-pressure bottle group, the high-pressure bottle group and the intercooler in sequence through the first channel; the air compressor is also directly connected to the intercooler through the second channel;

[0046] The controller is used to obtain a first actual pressure in the high-pressure bottle group and a required pressure of the intercooler, and selectively control the connection of the first channel or the second channel based on the first actual pressure and the required pressure to provide gas for the intercooler.

[0047] In the above scheme, the system also includes:

[0048] A supercharger, located on the first channel, and installed between the low-pressure bottle group and the high-pressure bottle group;

[0049] A gas-liquid separator, wherein the inlet of the gas-liquid separator is connected to the outlet of the fuel cell stack, and the first outlet of the gas-liquid separator is connected to the supercharger;

[0050] The gas-liquid separator is used to separate the air at the outlet of the fuel cell stack and transport the separated dry air to the supercharger through the first outlet.

[0051] In the above solution, the system further comprises: a bypass valve;

[0052] When the target stack flow rate required by the fuel cell is less than the minimum flow rate that the air compressor can provide, the bypass valve is used to release the remaining flow rate, and the remaining flow rate is the flow rate difference between the minimum flow rate and the target stack flow rate.

[0053] A third aspect of the present invention provides a vehicle, characterized in that the vehicle includes the fuel cell air controller described in the second aspect or the fuel cell air system described in any one of the third aspect.

[0054] The present invention provides a fuel cell air control method, controller, system and vehicle, the method comprising: obtaining a first actual pressure of a high-pressure bottle group and a required pressure of an intercooler; selectively controlling the connection of a first channel or a second channel based on the first actual pressure and the required pressure to provide gas to the intercooler; wherein an air compressor, a control valve, a low-pressure bottle group, a high-pressure bottle group and an intercooler are sequentially arranged on the first channel; and the air compressor, the control valve and the intercooler are sequentially arranged on the second channel; in this way, when the gas pressure in the high-pressure bottle group is sufficient, the gas in the high-pressure bottle group can be directly used to provide the required gas for the fuel cell stack, so that the air compressor only needs to operate in a low power consumption area, reducing the working time of the air compressor in a high power consumption area, thereby saving electricity and improving system efficiency; and when the high-pressure bottle group is used to supply air to the intercooler, the probability of surge in the air compressor can also be reduced, thereby increasing the life of the air compressor. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0055] By reading the detailed description of the preferred embodiment below, various other advantages and benefits will become clear to those of ordinary skill in the art. The accompanying drawings are only used for the purpose of illustrating the preferred embodiment and are not considered to be limitations of the present invention. In addition, the same reference symbols are used to represent the same components throughout the accompanying drawings.

[0056] In the attached picture:

[0057] Figure 1 The power consumption diagram of the air compressor according to the prior art as the system changes is shown;

[0058] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the structure of a fuel cell air control system according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown;

[0059] Figure 3 A schematic flow chart of a fuel cell air control method according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown;

[0060] Figure 4 A logic diagram of a fuel cell air control method according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown;

[0061] Figure 5 shows a surge protection line in an air compressor map characteristic diagram according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0062] Figure 6 A schematic diagram of the structure of a fuel cell controller according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown.

[0063] Description of reference numerals:

[0064] 1-air filter; 2-air compressor; 3-electromagnetic three-way valve; 4-low-pressure bottle group; 5-supercharger; 6-check valve; 7-high-pressure bottle group; 8-electromagnetic pressure reducing valve; 9-intercooler; 10-bypass valve; 11-back pressure valve; 12-gas-liquid separator; 13-stop valve; T-air flow meter; 14-tail emission equipment; 15-safety valve, 16-controller; Stack-fuel cell stack. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0065] The exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in more detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Although the exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure are shown in the accompanying drawings, it should be understood that the present disclosure can be implemented in various forms and should not be limited by the embodiments set forth herein. On the contrary, these embodiments are provided to enable a more thorough understanding of the present disclosure and to fully convey the scope of the present disclosure to those skilled in the art.

[0066] In order to better understand the technical solution of the embodiment of the present invention, the structure of the fuel cell air control system is first introduced here. Figure 2 As shown, the system includes: air filter 1, air compressor 2, electromagnetic three-way valve 3, low-pressure bottle group 4, supercharger 5, one-way valve 6, high-pressure bottle group 7, electromagnetic pressure reducing valve 8, intercooler 9, bypass valve 10, back pressure valve 11, gas-liquid separator 12, stop valve 13, air flow meter T, tail discharge equipment 14 and safety valve 15; among which,

[0067] The air filter 1 is used to filter and adsorb air so that the quality of air entering the fuel cell stack meets the use requirements of the fuel cell stack.

[0068] The air compressor 2 is connected to the air filter 1, and is used to pressurize the air to increase the air pressure to the pressure required by the fuel cell stack.

[0069] The structure of the electromagnetic three-way valve 3 is one inlet and two outlets, and the outlets can be switched according to demand.

[0070] The low-pressure bottle group 4 is used to store the gas at the outlet of the air compressor 2, and has the function of caching and storing gas. Generally speaking, the pressure in the low-pressure bottle group 4 is less than 200KPa, and can also be determined based on the actual characteristics of the fuel cell system without limitation.

[0071] The supercharger 5 is an energy recovery turbocharger, which uses the dry gas separated by the gas-liquid separator 12 at the outlet of the fuel cell stack to drive the turbine of the supercharger 5 to rotate, pressurize the gas output by the low-pressure bottle group 4, and transport the pressurized gas to the high-pressure bottle group 7. The pressure of the high-pressure bottle group 7 should be less than 1000KPa, which can also be determined based on the actual characteristics of the fuel cell system without limitation.

[0072] A one-way valve 6 is also arranged between the booster 5 and the high-pressure bottle group 7. The one-way valve 6 is a mechanical valve. The gas can only flow in one direction inside the one-way valve 6 and cannot flow in the opposite direction. The one-way valve 6 is mainly used to prevent the gas in the high-pressure bottle group 7 from flowing back to the low-pressure bottle group 4.

[0073] The high-pressure bottle group 7 is used to store pressurized gas. A safety valve 15 is installed on the high-pressure bottle group 7 to ensure that the gas pressure in the high-pressure bottle group 7 is within a certain range. The safety valve 15 is a mechanical valve. In actual applications, the gas pressure in the high-pressure bottle group 7 can be adjusted by adjusting the trip pressure of the safety valve 15 (the pressure at which the valve opens). When the valve is closed, no gas flows in the safety valve 15. When the safety valve 15 is opened, the gas in the high-pressure bottle group 7 can be quickly released to ensure safety. Among them, the maximum pressure in the high-pressure bottle group 7 is consistent with the trip pressure of the safety valve 15.

[0074] The electromagnetic pressure reducing valve 8 is an electrically controlled valve that can adjust the flow rate and pressure of the gas to provide a target stack pressure and a target stack flow rate that meet the requirements of the fuel cell stack.

[0075] The bypass valve 10 is installed at the outlet of the intercooler 9. When the target stack flow required by the fuel cell is less than the minimum flow that the air compressor 2 can provide, the bypass valve 10 is used to release the remaining flow, which is the flow difference between the minimum flow and the target stack flow.

[0076] The back pressure valve 11 is installed at the outlet of the fuel cell stack to adjust the pressure and flow of the air entering the stack in real time.

[0077] The shut-off valve 13 is used to seal the fuel cell stack when the system is shut down.

[0078] The inlet of the gas-liquid separator 12 is connected to the outlet of the fuel cell stack, and the first outlet of the gas-liquid separator is connected to the supercharger 5; the gas-liquid separator 12 is used to separate the wet air at the outlet of the fuel cell stack, and transport the separated dry air to the supercharger 5 through the first outlet for supercharging, thereby recovering energy; the separated water is discharged to the tail emission device 14 through the second outlet.

[0079] The tail exhaust device 14 is used to discharge exhaust gas and water.

[0080] In this embodiment, a first temperature and pressure sensor T / P1 is provided at the inlet of the air compressor 2, and the first temperature and pressure sensor T / P1 is used to collect the temperature and pressure at the inlet of the air compressor 2; a second temperature and pressure sensor T / P2 is provided at the low-pressure bottle group 4, and the second temperature and pressure sensor T / P2 is used to collect the gas pressure and temperature in the low-pressure bottle group 4; a third temperature and pressure sensor T / P3 is provided at the high-pressure bottle group 7, and the third temperature and pressure sensor T / P3 is used to collect the pressure and temperature in the high-pressure bottle group 7; a fourth temperature and pressure sensor T / P4 and an air flow meter T are provided at the outlet of the intercooler 9 in sequence, and the fourth temperature and pressure sensor T / P4 is used to collect the gas pressure and temperature at the outlet of the intercooler 9, and the air flow meter T is used to collect the air flow at the outlet of the intercooler 9.

[0081] In this embodiment, the air compressor 2 is connected to the low-pressure bottle group 4, the high-pressure bottle group 7 and the intercooler 9 in sequence through the first channel; a supercharger 5 is also provided on the first channel, and the supercharger 5 is installed between the low-pressure bottle group 4 and the high-pressure bottle group 7; the air compressor 2 is also directly connected to the intercooler 9 through the second channel;

[0082] The controller 16 is used to obtain the first actual pressure in the high-pressure bottle group 7 and the required pressure of the intercooler 9, and selectively controls the connection of the first channel or the second channel through the electromagnetic three-way valve 3 based on the first actual pressure and the required pressure to provide gas for the intercooler 9.

[0083] The controller 16 is an electronic control unit (ECU) of the vehicle, see Figure 1 The controller 16 can be connected to the first temperature and pressure sensor, the electromagnetic three-way valve 3, the second temperature and pressure sensor, the electromagnetic pressure reducing valve 8, the bypass valve 10, the back pressure valve 11, the stop valve 13, and the air flow meter T through communication cables. It is used to receive data sent by each temperature and pressure sensor and the air flow sensor, and perform PID adjustment on the opening of each valve according to the air supply demand.

[0084] The specific execution logic of the controller 16 will be described in detail in the subsequent embodiments of the controller side, so it will not be repeated here.

[0085] Based on the same inventive concept as the above-mentioned embodiment, this embodiment also provides a fuel cell air control method, which is applied in a controller, such as Figure 3 and Figure 4 As shown, the method mainly includes the following steps:

[0086] S310, obtaining a first actual pressure of the high pressure bottle assembly and a required pressure of the intercooler.

[0087] As mentioned above, a third temperature and pressure sensor T / P3 is installed on the high-pressure bottle group, so the first actual pressure in the high-pressure bottle group can be collected through T / P3. T / P3 sends the collected first actual pressure to the controller, and the controller obtains the first actual pressure p′ in the high-pressure bottle group.

[0088] In one embodiment, obtaining the required pressure of the intercooler includes:

[0089] Determining a target stack pressure and a target stack flow rate required by the fuel cell based on the received power request;

[0090] Determine the pressure loss value of the intercooler based on the target stack flow rate;

[0091] The required pressure of the intercooler is determined based on the pressure loss value and the target stack pressure; the required pressure is the sum of the target stack pressure and the pressure loss value.

[0092] Specifically, the power request carries a target stack pressure and a target stack flow rate. After obtaining the target stack flow rate, the corresponding pressure loss value can be queried in a preset first mapping table based on the target stack flow rate. The first mapping table pre-stores the correspondence between the stack flow rate and the pressure loss value.

[0093] After the pressure loss value is determined, the required pressure pic of the intercooler can be determined according to formula (1):

[0094] pic=pin+Δp (1)

[0095] In formula (1), pin is the target stack pressure, and Δp is the pressure loss value.

[0096] S311, based on the first actual pressure and the required pressure, selectively control the connection of the first channel or the second channel to provide gas for the intercooler; the first channel is sequentially provided with an air compressor, a control valve, a low-pressure bottle group, a high-pressure bottle group and an intercooler; the second channel is sequentially provided with an air compressor, a control valve and an intercooler.

[0097] After the first actual pressure and the required pressure of the intercooler are determined, the first channel or the second channel can be selectively controlled to be connected based on the size of the first actual pressure and the required pressure to provide gas for the intercooler; the first channel is sequentially provided with an air compressor, a control valve, a low-pressure bottle group, a high-pressure bottle group and an intercooler; the second channel is sequentially provided with an air compressor, a control valve and an intercooler.

[0098] In one embodiment, selectively controlling the connection of the first channel or the second channel based on the first actual pressure and the required pressure includes:

[0099] If it is determined that the first actual pressure is greater than the required pressure (p′>pic), the electromagnetic three-way valve is used to control the connection of the first channel and the closure of the second channel, and the high-pressure bottle group is used to provide gas for the intercooler.

[0100] At this time, since the high-pressure cylinder group can provide sufficient air pressure, the air compressor does not need to work in the high power consumption range, but only needs to run at the target speed. The target speed can be determined based on the energy consumption characteristics of the air compressor. For example, the speed corresponding to the lower energy consumption can be used as the target speed.

[0101] In one embodiment, using a high pressure bottle group to provide gas to the intercooler includes:

[0102] Adjusting the opening of the pressure reducing valve and the opening of the back pressure valve based on the required pressure of the intercooler and the target flow of the fuel cell stack;

[0103] And control the bypass valve opening to zero, and control the stop valve opening to maximum; among them,

[0104] The pressure reducing valve is located between the intercooler and the high-pressure bottle group, the back pressure valve is located at the outlet of the fuel cell stack, the bypass valve is located at the outlet of the intercooler, and the shut-off valve is located at the inlet of the fuel cell stack.

[0105] At the same time, in order to improve the pressure and flow control accuracy at the intercooler outlet, the present embodiment also performs PID adjustment on the second actual pressure and actual flow at the intercooler outlet, specifically including:

[0106] When using a high-pressure bottle group to provide gas to the intercooler, the second actual pressure and actual flow rate at the outlet of the intercooler are collected in real time;

[0107] The opening of the pressure reducing valve and the opening of the back pressure valve are adjusted in real time based on the second actual pressure, the actual flow, the target stack feeding pressure and the target stack feeding flow.

[0108] In this way, air is stored by the low-pressure bottle group and the high-pressure bottle group. When the first actual pressure in the high-pressure bottle group is greater than the required pressure at the intercooler inlet, air can be supplied through the gas in the high-pressure bottle group. The air compressor will not surge, reducing the chance of air compressor surge. At the same time, there is no need to bypass excess air through the bypass valve, avoiding energy waste.

[0109] In one embodiment, selectively controlling the connection of the first channel or the second channel based on the first actual pressure and the required pressure includes:

[0110] If it is determined that the first actual pressure is less than or equal to the required pressure (p′≤pic), the electromagnetic three-way valve is used to control the second channel to be connected and the first channel to be closed, so that the air compressor is used to directly provide gas to the intercooler.

[0111] When the air compressor provides gas to the intercooler through the second channel, the surge of the air compressor needs to be considered. Air compressor surge is an inherent characteristic of centrifugal air bearing air compressors. When the flow rate is small enough and the pressure is large enough, the air compressor will surge. However, when the air compressor surges, it is not good for the life of the air compressor. Therefore, this embodiment will set a surge protection line A in the map characteristic diagram of the air compressor. The surge protection line A can refer to Figure 5 The function corresponding to the surge protection line A is a function between the pressure ratio and the flow rate. When the air compressor works on the right side of the surge protection line A, surge can be avoided; when the air compressor works on the left side of the surge protection line A, surge will occur. Figure 5 In the figure, the top curve is the maximum speed of the air compressor, and the bottom curve is the minimum speed of the air compressor.

[0112] To avoid surge, this embodiment needs to first determine the minimum flow rate that the air compressor can provide based on the pressure ratio and the surge protection line; if the target stack flow rate is greater than the minimum flow rate, the air compressor will not surge; if the target stack flow rate is less than or equal to the minimum flow rate, the air compressor will surge, and this embodiment will execute a strategy to avoid surge.

[0113] The pressure ratio pr can be determined based on formula (2):

[0114] pr=pic / pac (2)

[0115] In formula (2), pic is the required pressure of the intercooler and pac is the air compressor inlet pressure.

[0116] Based on this, in one embodiment, using an air compressor to provide gas for the intercooler includes:

[0117] Determine the pressure ratio based on the required pressure of the intercooler and the inlet pressure of the air compressor;

[0118] The minimum flow rate that the air compressor can provide under the pressure ratio is searched in the second mapping table. The second mapping table is an air compressor surge protection mapping table. The second mapping table pre-stores the corresponding relationship between the pressure ratio and the flow rate that the air compressor can provide; the surge protection mapping table is based on Figure 5 The surge protection line, pressure ratio and flow rate are determined;

[0119] If it is determined that the target stack flow rate required by the fuel cell is greater than or equal to the minimum flow rate, the speed of the air compressor and the opening of the back pressure valve are adjusted based on the target stack flow rate and the target stack pressure;

[0120] Control the bypass valve opening to zero, the stop valve opening to maximum and the electromagnetic pressure reducing valve to close;

[0121] The solenoid pressure reducing valve is located between the intercooler and the high-pressure bottle group, the back pressure valve is located at the outlet of the fuel cell stack, the bypass valve is located at the outlet of the intercooler, and the shut-off valve is located at the inlet of the fuel cell stack.

[0122] If it is determined that the target stack flow rate required by the fuel cell is greater than or equal to the minimum flow rate, the target stack flow rate required by the fuel cell is used as the flow rate that the air machine should provide.

[0123] In this air supply mode, in order to improve the pressure and flow control accuracy of the intercooler outlet, this embodiment also performs PID adjustment on the second actual pressure and actual flow at the intercooler outlet, specifically including:

[0124] Real-time collection of the second actual pressure and actual flow at the intercooler outlet;

[0125] The air compressor speed and the back pressure valve opening are adjusted in real time based on the second actual pressure, the actual flow, the target stack feeding pressure and the target stack feeding flow.

[0126] In one embodiment, if it is determined that the target stack flow rate required by the fuel cell is less than the minimum flow rate, the minimum flow rate is used as the flow rate that the air compressor should provide, and then the speed of the air compressor and the back pressure valve opening are adjusted based on the minimum flow rate and the target stack pressure;

[0127] Obtaining a flow difference between a minimum flow and a target stack inlet flow, and adjusting the bypass valve opening based on the flow difference;

[0128] Control the stop valve to the maximum opening and control the solenoid pressure reducing valve to close.

[0129] Specifically, when the target inlet flow rate is less than the minimum flow rate, the air compressor will surge. In order to avoid surge, a bypass valve is needed to discharge the excess flow rate to the supercharger. Therefore, it is necessary to first determine the flow difference ΔF between the minimum flow rate and the target inlet flow rate according to formula (3), and then adjust the bypass valve opening based on the flow difference;

[0130] ΔF=F min -F (3)

[0131] In formula (3), F is the target flow rate into the stack, F min is the minimum flow rate.

[0132] At the same time, in this air supply mode, in order to improve the pressure and flow control accuracy of the intercooler outlet, this embodiment also performs PID adjustment on the second actual pressure and actual flow of the intercooler outlet, specifically including:

[0133] Real-time collection of the second actual pressure and actual flow at the intercooler outlet;

[0134] The air compressor speed, back pressure valve opening and bypass valve opening are adjusted in real time based on the second actual pressure, the actual flow, the target stack feeding pressure and the target stack feeding flow.

[0135] In addition, when the fuel cell stack is working, exhaust gas will be generated. In order to avoid energy waste, the method also includes:

[0136] The air (humid air) at the outlet of the fuel cell stack is separated by a gas-liquid separator to obtain dry air;

[0137] The dry air is used to boost the pressure of the supercharger; the supercharger is installed between the low-pressure bottle group and the high-pressure bottle group;

[0138] The separated water is transported to the tail discharge equipment.

[0139] In this way, by utilizing the exhaust gas generated by the fuel cell stack, the supercharger disposed between the low-pressure bottle group and the high-pressure bottle group is powered, thereby achieving energy recovery. At the same time, in this embodiment, since the supercharger is independent and there are bottle groups in front and behind to provide buffering, compared with the traditional method of directly supercharging the air compressor with exhaust gas, the supercharging method of this embodiment does not have too high requirements on the water seal and dynamic balance characteristics of the air compressor, thereby indirectly improving the stability of the air compressor and the entire system.

[0140] Based on the same inventive concept as the above-mentioned embodiment, this embodiment also provides a fuel cell air controller, such as Figure 6 As shown, the controller includes:

[0141] An acquisition unit 61 is used to acquire a first actual pressure of the high pressure bottle group and a required pressure of the intercooler;

[0142] The control unit 62 is used to selectively control the first channel or the second channel to be connected based on the first actual pressure and the required pressure to provide gas for the intercooler; wherein,

[0143] The first channel is provided with an air compressor, a control valve, a low-pressure bottle group, a high-pressure bottle group and an intercooler in sequence; the second channel is provided with the air compressor, the control valve and the intercooler in sequence.

[0144] Since the controller introduced in the embodiment of the present invention is a controller used to implement the fuel cell air control method of the embodiment of the present invention, based on the method introduced in the embodiment of the present invention, the person skilled in the art can understand the specific structure and deformation of the device, so it is not repeated here. All controllers used in the method of the embodiment of the present invention belong to the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0145] Based on the same inventive concept as the aforementioned embodiment, this embodiment also provides a vehicle, which includes the fuel cell air controller and fuel cell air system mentioned above. The specific structure and execution logic of the fuel cell air controller and the fuel cell air system can be referred to the above description, so they will not be repeated here.

[0146] Through one or more embodiments of the present invention, the present invention has the following beneficial effects or advantages:

[0147] The present invention provides a fuel cell air control method, controller, system and vehicle, the method comprising: obtaining a first actual pressure of a high-pressure bottle group and a required pressure of an intercooler; selectively controlling the connection of a first channel or a second channel based on the first actual pressure and the required pressure to provide gas to the intercooler; wherein an air compressor, a control valve, a low-pressure bottle group, a high-pressure bottle group and an intercooler are sequentially arranged on the first channel; and the air compressor, the control valve and the intercooler are sequentially arranged on the second channel; in this way, when the gas pressure in the high-pressure bottle group is sufficient, the gas in the high-pressure bottle group can be directly used to provide the required gas for the fuel cell stack, so that the air compressor only needs to operate in a low power consumption area, reducing the working time of the air compressor in a high power consumption area, thereby saving electricity and improving system efficiency; and when the high-pressure bottle group is used to supply air to the intercooler, the probability of surge in the air compressor can also be reduced, thereby increasing the life of the air compressor.

[0148] The algorithm and display provided herein are not inherently related to any particular computer, virtual system or other device. Various general purpose systems can also be used together with the teachings based on this. According to the above description, it is obvious that the structure required for constructing such systems. In addition, the present invention is not directed to any specific programming language either. It should be understood that various programming languages ​​can be utilized to realize the content of the present invention described herein, and the description of the above specific languages ​​is for disclosing the best mode of the present invention.

[0149] In the description provided herein, a large number of specific details are described. However, it is understood that embodiments of the present invention can be practiced without these specific details. In some instances, well-known methods, structures and techniques are not shown in detail so as not to obscure the understanding of this description.

[0150] Similarly, it should be understood that in order to streamline the present disclosure and aid in understanding one or more of the various inventive aspects, in the above description of exemplary embodiments of the present invention, various features of the present invention are sometimes grouped together into a single embodiment, figure, or description thereof. However, this disclosed method should not be interpreted as reflecting the intention that the claimed invention requires more features than those explicitly recited in each claim. More specifically, as reflected in the claims below, inventive aspects lie in less than all the features of the individual embodiments disclosed above. Therefore, the claims that follow the specific embodiment are hereby expressly incorporated into the specific embodiment, with each claim itself serving as a separate embodiment of the present invention.

[0151] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the modules in the devices in the embodiments may be adaptively changed and arranged in one or more devices different from the embodiments. The modules or units or components in the embodiments may be combined into one module or unit or component, and in addition they may be divided into a plurality of submodules or subunits or subcomponents. Except that at least some of such features and / or processes or units are mutually exclusive, all features disclosed in this specification (including the accompanying claims, abstracts and drawings) and all processes or units of any method or device disclosed in this manner may be combined in any combination. Unless otherwise expressly stated, each feature disclosed in this specification (including the accompanying claims, abstracts and drawings) may be replaced by an alternative feature providing the same, equivalent or similar purpose.

[0152] In addition, those skilled in the art will appreciate that, although some embodiments herein include certain features included in other embodiments but not other features, the combination of features of different embodiments is meant to be within the scope of the present invention and form different embodiments. For example, in the claims below, any one of the claimed embodiments may be used in any combination.

[0153] The various component embodiments of the present invention can be implemented in hardware, or in software modules running on one or more processors, or in a combination thereof. It should be understood by those skilled in the art that a microprocessor or digital signal processor (DSP) can be used in practice to implement some or all functions of some or all components in a gateway, proxy server, or system according to an embodiment of the present invention. The present invention can also be implemented as a device or apparatus program (e.g., a computer program and a computer program product) for executing part or all of the methods described herein. Such a program implementing the present invention can be stored on a computer-readable medium, or can have the form of one or more signals. Such a signal can be downloaded from an Internet website, or provided on a carrier signal, or provided in any other form.

[0154] It should be noted that the above embodiments illustrate the present invention rather than limit it, and that those skilled in the art may devise alternative embodiments without departing from the scope of the appended claims. In the claims, any reference symbol between brackets shall not be construed as a limitation on the claims. The word "comprising" does not exclude the presence of elements or steps not listed in the claims. The word "one" or "an" preceding an element does not exclude the presence of a plurality of such elements. The present invention may be implemented by means of hardware comprising a number of different elements and by means of a suitably programmed computer. In a unit claim enumerating a number of devices, several of these devices may be embodied by the same hardware item. The use of the words first, second, and third, etc., does not indicate any order. These words may be interpreted as names.

[0155] Although the preferred embodiments of the present application have been described, those skilled in the art may make other changes and modifications to these embodiments once they have learned the basic creative concept. Therefore, the appended claims are intended to be interpreted as including the preferred embodiments and all changes and modifications falling within the scope of the present application.

[0156] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the protection scope of the present invention. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions and improvements made within the spirit and principles of the present invention should be included in the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A fuel cell air control method, characterized in that: The method comprises: Obtain the first actual pressure of the high-pressure bottle group and the required pressure of the intercooler; Based on the first actual pressure and the required pressure, the first channel or the second channel is selectively controlled to be connected to provide gas for the intercooler; wherein, The first channel is provided with an air compressor, a control valve, a low-pressure bottle group, a high-pressure bottle group and an intercooler in sequence; the second channel is provided with the air compressor, the control valve and the intercooler in sequence; The selectively controlling the connection of the first channel or the second channel based on the first actual pressure and the required pressure includes: If it is determined that the first actual pressure is greater than the required pressure, the electromagnetic three-way valve is used to control the first channel to be connected and the second channel to be closed, and the high-pressure bottle group is used to provide gas to the intercooler; The selectively controlling the connection of the first channel or the second channel based on the first actual pressure and the required pressure includes: If it is determined that the first actual pressure is less than or equal to the required pressure, the electromagnetic three-way valve is used to control the second channel to be connected and the first channel to be closed, so that the air compressor is used to provide gas for the intercooler.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The step of obtaining the required pressure of the intercooler includes: Determining a target stack pressure and a target stack flow rate required by the fuel cell based on the received power request; determining a pressure loss value of the intercooler based on the target stack inlet flow rate; The required pressure of the intercooler is determined based on the pressure loss value and the target stack entry pressure; the required pressure is the sum of the target stack entry pressure and the pressure loss value.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that The determining the pressure loss value of the intercooler based on the target stack inflow flow rate includes: Based on the target stack feeding flow rate, a corresponding pressure loss value is searched in a preset first mapping table, wherein the first mapping table pre-stores a corresponding relationship between the stack feeding flow rate and the pressure loss value.

4. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The method of using the high-pressure bottle group to provide gas to the intercooler includes: Adjusting the opening of the pressure reducing valve and the opening of the back pressure valve based on the required pressure of the intercooler and the target flow of the fuel cell stack; Control the bypass valve opening to zero and the stop valve opening to maximum; The pressure reducing valve is located between the intercooler and the high-pressure bottle group, the back pressure valve is located at the outlet of the fuel cell stack, the bypass valve is located at the outlet of the intercooler, and the shut-off valve is located at the inlet of the fuel cell stack.

5. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The method further comprises: When the high-pressure bottle group is used to provide gas to the intercooler, a second actual pressure and an actual flow rate at the outlet of the intercooler are collected in real time; The opening of the pressure reducing valve and the opening of the back pressure valve are adjusted based on the second actual pressure, the actual flow rate, the target stack feeding pressure and the target stack feeding flow rate.

6. The method according to claim 4, characterized in that The method of using the air compressor to provide gas to the intercooler comprises: Determining the pressure ratio according to the required pressure of the intercooler and the inlet pressure of the air compressor; searching in a second mapping table the minimum flow rate that the air compressor can provide under the pressure ratio, wherein the second mapping table is an air compressor surge protection mapping table, and the second mapping table pre-stores a correspondence between the pressure ratio and the flow rate that the air compressor can provide; If it is determined that the target stack flow rate required by the fuel cell is greater than or equal to the minimum flow rate, adjusting the speed of the air compressor and the opening of the back pressure valve based on the target stack flow rate and the target stack pressure; Control the bypass valve opening to zero, the stop valve opening to maximum and the electromagnetic pressure reducing valve to close; The electromagnetic pressure reducing valve is located between the intercooler and the high-pressure bottle group, the back pressure valve is located at the outlet of the fuel cell stack, the bypass valve is located at the outlet of the intercooler, and the shut-off valve is located at the inlet of the fuel cell stack.

7. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that The method further comprises: If it is determined that the target stack flow rate required by the fuel cell is less than the minimum flow rate, adjusting the speed of the air compressor and the opening of the back pressure valve based on the minimum flow rate and the target stack pressure; Acquire a flow difference between the minimum flow and the target stack inlet flow, and adjust the bypass valve opening based on the flow difference; The stop valve is controlled to open to the maximum and the electromagnetic pressure reducing valve is controlled to close.

8. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The method further comprises: The air at the outlet of the fuel cell stack is separated by a gas-liquid separator to obtain dry air; The dry air is used to increase the pressure of a supercharger; the supercharger is installed between the low-pressure bottle group and the high-pressure bottle group.

9. A fuel cell air controller, characterized in that: The controller comprises: An acquisition unit, used for acquiring a first actual pressure of the high-pressure bottle group and a required pressure of the intercooler; A control unit is used to selectively control the connection of the first channel or the second channel based on the first actual pressure and the required pressure to provide gas for the intercooler; wherein, The first channel is provided with an air compressor, a control valve, a low-pressure bottle group, a high-pressure bottle group and an intercooler in sequence; the second channel is provided with the air compressor, the control valve and the intercooler in sequence; The selectively controlling the connection of the first channel or the second channel based on the first actual pressure and the required pressure includes: If it is determined that the first actual pressure is greater than the required pressure, the electromagnetic three-way valve is used to control the first channel to be connected and the second channel to be closed, and the high-pressure bottle group is used to provide gas to the intercooler; The selectively controlling the connection of the first channel or the second channel based on the first actual pressure and the required pressure includes: If it is determined that the first actual pressure is less than or equal to the required pressure, the electromagnetic three-way valve is used to control the second channel to be connected and the first channel to be closed, so that the air compressor is used to provide gas for the intercooler.

10. A fuel cell air control system, characterized in that: include: The air compressor is connected to the low-pressure bottle group, the high-pressure bottle group and the intercooler in sequence through the first channel; the air compressor is also directly connected to the intercooler through the second channel; a controller, configured to obtain a first actual pressure in the high-pressure bottle assembly and a required pressure of the intercooler, and selectively control the first channel or the second channel to be connected based on the first actual pressure and the required pressure, so as to provide gas to the intercooler; The selectively controlling the connection of the first channel or the second channel based on the first actual pressure and the required pressure includes: If it is determined that the first actual pressure is greater than the required pressure, the electromagnetic three-way valve is used to control the first channel to be connected and the second channel to be closed, and the high-pressure bottle group is used to provide gas to the intercooler; The selectively controlling the connection of the first channel or the second channel based on the first actual pressure and the required pressure includes: If it is determined that the first actual pressure is less than or equal to the required pressure, the electromagnetic three-way valve is used to control the second channel to be connected and the first channel to be closed, so that the air compressor is used to provide gas for the intercooler.

11. The system according to claim 10, characterized in that The system further comprises: A supercharger, located on the first channel, and installed between the low-pressure bottle group and the high-pressure bottle group; A gas-liquid separator, wherein the inlet of the gas-liquid separator is connected to the outlet of the fuel cell stack, and the first outlet of the gas-liquid separator is connected to the supercharger; The gas-liquid separator is used to separate the air at the outlet of the fuel cell stack and transport the separated dry air to the supercharger through the first outlet.

12. The system according to claim 10, characterized in that The system further comprises: a bypass valve; When the target stack flow rate required by the fuel cell is less than the minimum flow rate that the air compressor can provide, the bypass valve is used to release the remaining flow rate, and the remaining flow rate is the flow rate difference between the minimum flow rate and the target stack flow rate.

13. A vehicle, characterized in that: The vehicle includes the fuel cell air controller described in claim 9 or the fuel cell air control system described in any one of claims 10 to 12.

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