Fuel cell system, control method, and fuel cell

Abstract

The application provides a fuel cell system, a control method and a fuel cell. The fuel cell system comprises an inlet hydrogen flow controller, an electric pile, a gas-water separator, a liquid level sensor, an exhaust valve, a drain valve and a fuel cell controller; the inlet hydrogen flow controller is connected with a hydrogen inlet of the electric pile, an outlet of the electric pile is connected with the gas-water separator, the liquid level sensor, the drain valve and the exhaust valve are arranged on the gas-water separator respectively, the drain valve is arranged at the lowest point of the gas-water separator, and the inlet hydrogen flow controller, the liquid level sensor and the drain valve are in communication connection with the fuel cell controller. The problem that the fuel cell stops after one of the exhaust valve or the drain valve fails is avoided.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention belongs to the field of fuel cell technology, and in particular relates to a fuel cell system, control method and fuel cell. Background Technology

[0002] Proton exchange membrane fuel cell (hereinafter referred to as "fuel cell") engines are widely used in large vehicles such as passenger cars and trucks due to their characteristics such as near-room temperature operation, fast start-up speed, high specific energy, and zero carbon emissions.

[0003] In fuel cell systems, hydrogen is the energy storage medium. Failure to drain water from the fuel cell during operation will severely impact its performance and lifespan. Current fuel cell systems lack proper drainage and venting arrangements, leading to direct system shutdown, complete loss of fuel cell function, and reduced robustness, hindering fuel cell use. Summary of the Invention

[0004] In view of the problems existing in the prior art, the present invention provides a fuel cell system, a control method and a fuel cell, which at least partially solves the problem of fuel cell system shutdown due to exhaust or drainage failure in the prior art.

[0005] In a first aspect, embodiments of this disclosure provide a fuel cell system, including: a hydrogen flow controller for the fuel cell stack, a fuel cell stack, a gas-liquid separator, a liquid level sensor, an exhaust valve, a drain valve, and a fuel cell controller;

[0006] The hydrogen flow controller is connected to the hydrogen inlet of the fuel cell stack, and the fuel cell stack outlet is connected to the gas-liquid separator. The liquid level sensor, drain valve, and vent valve are respectively installed on the gas-liquid separator. The drain valve is located at the lowest point of the gas-liquid separator. The hydrogen flow controller, liquid level sensor, and drain valve are communicatively connected to the fuel cell controller.

[0007] Optionally, the fuel cell stack outlet is connected to the highest point of the gas-water separator.

[0008] Optionally, the liquid level sensor is positioned higher than the drain valve in the gas-liquid separator, and the vent valve is positioned higher than the liquid level sensor in the gas-liquid separator.

[0009] Secondly, embodiments of this disclosure also provide a control method for a fuel cell system, applied to any of the fuel cell systems described in the first aspect, the method comprising:

[0010] Drainage function operation and fault diagnosis;

[0011] Exhaust function operation and fault diagnosis.

[0012] Optionally, the operation and fault diagnosis of the drainage function includes:

[0013] When the fuel cell system is in operation, the fuel cell system constantly checks whether the liquid level sensor is functioning properly.

[0014] If the liquid level sensor malfunctions, the drain valve will open according to the preset method.

[0015] If the liquid level sensor is working properly, the drain valve will open after the liquid level sensor is triggered.

[0016] Optionally, after the step of opening the drain valve after the liquid level sensor is triggered if the liquid level sensor is normal, the method further includes:

[0017] Delay time to determine whether the liquid level sensor should continue to trigger.

[0018] Optionally, the delay in determining whether the liquid level sensor should continue to trigger includes:

[0019] If triggered, continue to check whether the liquid in the gas-liquid separator has been completely discharged:

[0020] If the liquid is not completely drained, the vent valve will be opened according to the preset method, and a drain valve fault signal will be sent at the same time.

[0021] Once the liquid has been drained, the drain valve will open according to the preset procedure, and a liquid level sensor fault signal will be sent at the same time.

[0022] Optionally, the exhaust function operation and fault diagnosis include:

[0023] When the fuel cell system is in operation, the exhaust valve is opened according to the preset method. If the exhaust valve opens normally, the exhaust valve continues to operate.

[0024] If the exhaust valve does not open normally, the drain valve will open according to the preset method, and an exhaust valve fault signal will be sent at the same time.

[0025] Thirdly, embodiments of this disclosure also provide a fuel cell, including any of the fuel cell systems described in the first aspect.

[0026] Fourthly, embodiments of this disclosure also provide a fuel cell using the fuel cell system control method described in any of the second aspects.

[0027] The present invention provides a fuel cell system, a control method, and a fuel cell. The fuel cell system includes a gas-liquid separator, a liquid level sensor, an exhaust valve, and a drain valve. The positions of the exhaust valve and the drain valve on the gas-liquid separator are configured so that the drain valve and the exhaust valve support each other, thus avoiding the problem of fuel cell shutdown due to failure of either the exhaust valve or the drain valve. Attached Figure Description

[0028] The above and other objects, features and advantages of this disclosure will become more apparent from the accompanying drawings, in which like reference numerals generally denote like parts.

[0029] Figure 1 A schematic block diagram of a fuel cell system provided in this disclosure embodiment;

[0030] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of a control method for a fuel cell system provided in an embodiment of this disclosure;

[0031] Among them, 1-hydrogen flow controller for stack inlet; 2-gas-liquid separator; 3-exhaust valve; 4-liquid level sensor; 5-drain valve; 6-fuel cell controller. Detailed Implementation

[0032] The embodiments of this disclosure will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0033] It should be understood that the following specific examples illustrate the implementation of this disclosure, and those skilled in the art can easily understand other advantages and effects of this disclosure from the content disclosed in this specification. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of this disclosure, and not all of them. This disclosure can also be implemented or applied through other different specific implementation methods, and the details in this specification can also be modified or changed based on different viewpoints and applications without departing from the spirit of this disclosure. It should be noted that, in the absence of conflict, the following embodiments and features in the embodiments can be combined with each other. Based on the embodiments in this disclosure, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of this disclosure.

[0034] It should be noted that various aspects of embodiments within the scope of the appended claims are described below. It will be apparent that the aspects described herein can be embodied in a wide variety of forms, and any particular structure and / or function described herein is merely illustrative. Based on this disclosure, those skilled in the art will understand that one aspect described herein can be implemented independently of any other aspect, and two or more of these aspects can be combined in various ways. For example, any number of aspects set forth herein can be used to implement the device and / or practice the method. Additionally, this device and / or method can be implemented using structures and / or functionalities other than one or more of the aspects set forth herein.

[0035] It should also be noted that the illustrations provided in the following embodiments are only schematic representations of the basic concept of this disclosure. The illustrations only show the components related to this disclosure and are not drawn according to the number, shape and size of the components in actual implementation. In actual implementation, the form, quantity and proportion of each component can be arbitrarily changed, and the layout of the components may also be more complex.

[0036] Furthermore, specific details are provided in the following description to facilitate a thorough understanding of the examples. However, those skilled in the art will understand that the described aspects can be practiced without these specific details.

[0037] like Figure 1 As shown, this embodiment discloses a fuel cell system, including: a hydrogen flow controller, a fuel cell stack, a gas-liquid separator, a liquid level sensor, an exhaust valve, a drain valve, and a fuel cell controller;

[0038] The hydrogen flow controller is connected to the hydrogen inlet of the fuel cell stack, and the fuel cell stack outlet is connected to the gas-liquid separator. The liquid level sensor, drain valve, and vent valve are respectively installed on the gas-liquid separator. The drain valve is located at the lowest point of the gas-liquid separator. The hydrogen flow controller, liquid level sensor, and drain valve are communicatively connected to the fuel cell controller.

[0039] Optionally, the fuel cell stack outlet is connected to the highest point of the gas-water separator.

[0040] Optionally, the liquid level sensor is positioned higher than the drain valve in the gas-liquid separator, and the vent valve is positioned higher than the liquid level sensor in the gas-liquid separator.

[0041] In a specific application scenario, a fuel cell system includes a hydrogen flow controller, a fuel cell stack, a gas-liquid separator, a liquid level sensor, a drain valve, an exhaust valve, a fuel cell controller, and a data platform.

[0042] The hydrogen flow controller is connected to the hydrogen inlet of the fuel cell stack, and the stack outlet is connected to the gas-liquid separator, with the stack outlet located at the highest point of the gas-liquid separator. The level sensor, drain valve, and vent valve are mounted on the gas-liquid separator, with the installation height from highest to lowest as follows: vent valve, level sensor, drain valve, with the drain valve located at the lowest point of the gas-liquid separator. The hydrogen flow controller, level sensor, and drain valve are connected to the fuel cell controller via wired communication. System status, system judgment, and system response are performed within the fuel cell controller; the data platform is connected to the fuel cell controller via wireless communication.

[0043] This embodiment also discloses a control method for a fuel cell system, applied to the fuel cell system disclosed in this embodiment, the method comprising:

[0044] Drainage function operation and fault diagnosis;

[0045] Exhaust function operation and fault diagnosis.

[0046] Optionally, the operation and fault diagnosis of the drainage function includes:

[0047] When the fuel cell system is running, the fuel cell system constantly checks whether the liquid level sensor is functioning properly.

[0048] If the liquid level sensor malfunctions, the drain valve will open according to the preset method.

[0049] If the liquid level sensor is working properly, the drain valve will open after the liquid level sensor is triggered.

[0050] Optionally, after the step of opening the drain valve after the liquid level sensor is triggered if the liquid level sensor is normal, the method further includes:

[0051] Delay a timer to determine whether the liquid level sensor should continue to trigger.

[0052] Optionally, the delay in determining whether the liquid level sensor should continue to trigger includes:

[0053] If triggered, continue to check whether the liquid in the gas-liquid separator has been completely discharged:

[0054] If the liquid is not completely drained, the vent valve will be opened according to the preset method, and a drain valve fault signal will be sent at the same time.

[0055] Once the liquid has been drained, the drain valve will open according to the preset procedure, and a liquid level sensor fault signal will be sent at the same time.

[0056] Optionally, the exhaust function operation and fault diagnosis include:

[0057] When the fuel cell system is in operation, the exhaust valve is opened according to the preset method. If the exhaust valve opens normally, the exhaust valve continues to operate.

[0058] If the exhaust valve does not open normally, the drain valve will open according to the preset method, and an exhaust valve fault signal will be sent at the same time.

[0059] In a specific application scenario, such as Figure 2 As shown, the control methods include:

[0060] Drainage function operation and fault diagnosis:

[0061] When the system is running, it constantly checks the level sensor's functionality. If an anomaly is detected, the drain valve opens according to a preset method; if normal, the drain valve opens after the level sensor is triggered. A delay is then set to check if the level sensor will trigger again. If it does, operation continues. If it does trigger again, the system checks if the liquid has been completely drained.

[0062] If the liquid is not completely drained, the vent valve will be opened according to the preset method, and a drain valve malfunction will be reported to the data platform at the same time.

[0063] Once the liquid has been drained, the drain valve will open according to the preset procedure, and a liquid level sensor fault will be reported to the data platform.

[0064] The preset method in this embodiment is a valve opening method obtained by setting parameters such as valve opening degree, frequency or cycle according to the actual scenario.

[0065] Exhaust function operation and fault diagnosis:

[0066] If the valve is open normally when the system is in the running state, operation will continue. If it is not open normally, the drain valve will open according to the preset method, and a fault in the vent valve will be reported to the data platform.

[0067] This embodiment also discloses a fuel cell, including the fuel cell system disclosed in this embodiment.

[0068] This embodiment also discloses a fuel cell and a fuel cell system control method disclosed in this embodiment.

[0069] This embodiment determines the relative positional relationship between the drain valve, the vent valve, the liquid level sensor, and the hydrogen interface of the fuel cell stack;

[0070] This embodiment establishes the working strategy for the drain valve, air vent valve, and liquid level sensor;

[0071] This embodiment establishes fault diagnosis and response strategies for the drain valve, vent valve, and liquid level sensor to maintain fuel cell function and improve system robustness.

[0072] The basic principles of this disclosure have been described above with reference to specific embodiments. However, it should be noted that the advantages, benefits, and effects mentioned in this disclosure are merely examples and not limitations, and should not be considered as essential features of each embodiment of this disclosure. Furthermore, the specific details disclosed above are for illustrative and facilitative purposes only, and are not limitations. These details do not limit the scope of this disclosure to the necessity of employing the aforementioned specific details for implementation.

[0073] In this disclosure, relational terms such as "first" and "second" are used merely to distinguish one entity or operation from another, and do not necessarily require or imply any such actual relationship or order between these entities or operations. The block diagrams of devices, apparatuses, devices, and systems involved in this disclosure are merely illustrative examples and are not intended to require or imply that they must be connected, arranged, or configured in the manner shown in the block diagrams. As those skilled in the art will recognize, these devices, apparatuses, devices, and systems can be connected, arranged, and configured in any manner. Words such as "comprising," "including," "having," etc., are open-ended terms meaning "including but not limited to," and are used interchangeably with them. The terms "or" and "and" as used herein refer to the terms "and / or," and are used interchangeably with them unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. The term "such as" as used herein refers to the phrase "such as but not limited to," and is used interchangeably with it.

[0074] Additionally, as used herein, the “or” used in a list of items beginning with “at least one” indicates a separate list, such that a list of, for example, “at least one of A, B, or C” means A or B or C, or AB or AC or BC, or ABC (i.e., A and B and C). Furthermore, the word “exemplary” does not imply that the described example is preferred or better than other examples.

[0075] It should also be noted that in the systems and methods of this disclosure, the components or steps can be decomposed and / or recombined. These decompositions and / or recombinations should be considered as equivalent solutions to this disclosure.

[0076] Various changes, substitutions, and modifications can be made to the technology described herein without departing from the teachings defined by the appended claims. Furthermore, the scope of the claims of this disclosure is not limited to the specific aspects of the processes, machines, manufactures, events, means, methods, and actions described above. Currently existing or later-developed processes, machines, manufactures, events, means, methods, or actions that perform substantially the same function or achieve substantially the same result as the corresponding aspects described herein can be utilized. Therefore, the appended claims include such processes, machines, manufactures, events, means, methods, or actions within their scope.

[0077] The above description of the disclosed aspects is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to make or use this disclosure. Various modifications to these aspects will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be applied to other aspects without departing from the scope of this disclosure. Therefore, this disclosure is not intended to be limited to the aspects shown herein, but rather to be carried out within the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

[0078] The above description has been given for purposes of illustration and description. Furthermore, this description is not intended to limit the embodiments of this disclosure to the forms disclosed herein. Although numerous exemplary aspects and embodiments have been discussed above, those skilled in the art will recognize certain variations, modifications, alterations, additions, and sub-combinations therein.

Claims

1. A control method for a fuel cell system, the fuel cell system comprising: Hydrogen flow controller for fuel cell stack, fuel cell stack, gas-liquid separator, liquid level sensor, exhaust valve, drain valve and fuel cell controller; The hydrogen flow controller is connected to the hydrogen inlet of the fuel cell stack, and the fuel cell stack outlet is connected to the gas-liquid separator. The liquid level sensor, drain valve and vent valve are respectively installed on the gas-liquid separator. The drain valve is located at the lowest point of the gas-liquid separator. The hydrogen flow controller, liquid level sensor and drain valve are communicatively connected to the fuel cell controller. The method is characterized by comprising: Drainage function operation and fault diagnosis; Exhaust function operation and fault diagnosis; The operation and fault diagnosis of the exhaust function include: When the fuel cell system is in operation, the exhaust valve is opened according to the preset method. If the exhaust valve opens normally, the exhaust valve continues to operate. If the exhaust valve does not open normally, the drain valve will open according to the preset method, and an exhaust valve fault signal will be sent at the same time.

2. The control method for a fuel cell system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The fuel cell stack outlet is connected to the highest point of the gas-water separator.

3. The control method for a fuel cell system according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The liquid level sensor is positioned higher than the drain valve in the gas-liquid separator, and the vent valve is positioned higher than the liquid level sensor in the gas-liquid separator.

4. The control method for a fuel cell system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The operation and fault diagnosis of the drainage function include: When the fuel cell system is in operation, the fuel cell system constantly checks whether the liquid level sensor is functioning properly. If the liquid level sensor malfunctions, the drain valve will open according to the preset method. If the liquid level sensor is working properly, the drain valve will open after the liquid level sensor is triggered.

5. The control method for a fuel cell system according to claim 4, characterized in that, The step of opening the drain valve after the liquid level sensor is triggered if it is normal also includes: Delay time to determine whether the liquid level sensor should continue to trigger.

6. The control method for a fuel cell system according to claim 5, characterized in that, The delay-based determination of whether the liquid level sensor should continue to trigger includes: If triggered, continue to check whether the liquid in the gas-liquid separator has been completely discharged: If the liquid is not completely drained, the vent valve will be opened according to the preset method, and a drain valve fault signal will be sent at the same time. Once the liquid has been drained, the drain valve will open according to the preset procedure, and a liquid level sensor fault signal will be sent at the same time.

7. A fuel cell, characterized in that, The control method of the fuel cell system according to any one of claims 1 to 6 is used.

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