A fuel cell engine for preventing hydrogen path electrostatic risk

Abstract

The application provides a fuel cell engine for preventing hydrogen path electrostatic risk, and belongs to the technical field of fuel cells, and solves the problems of lack of real-time identification of electrostatic accumulation and electrostatic elimination consideration on the hydrogen side in the prior art. The hydrogen system of the engine is provided with an ejector, a stack inlet manifold, an electrostatic sensor and a controller. The ejector and the stack inlet manifold are both prepared from insulating materials, the outer surfaces of the two are coated with electrostatic conductive coating, and all the electrostatic conductive coating is grounded. The electrostatic sensor is arranged above the stack inlet manifold, is used for acquiring the size of static electricity generated by the hydrogen path in the hydrogen system in real time, and is sent to the controller. The controller acquires the electrostatic sensor data at regular time intervals, identifies whether static electricity is generated in the hydrogen path in the hydrogen system according to the electrostatic sensor data, and adjusts the loading power of the engine in real time according to the specific electrostatic sensor data. The scheme can eliminate the static electricity of high-speed hydrogen flow, and improve the safety of the fuel cell system.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of fuel cell technology, and in particular to a fuel cell engine for preventing the risk of static electricity in the hydrogen gas path. Background Technology

[0002] Fuel cell vehicles represent a significant future trend in automotive development. Using fuel cells as a power source allows for highly efficient energy utilization and significantly reduces harmful gas emissions. However, for hydrogen fuel cells, if hydrogen leakage exceeds specified limits, and if ungrounded components in the leakage area generate static electricity, safety hazards may arise, potentially leading to serious consequences.

[0003] Existing technical solutions only consider the installation method and sealing of hydrogen pipelines in fuel cell engines, without taking into account manifold static electricity. In actual vehicle operation, hydrogen leakage may occur due to aging of seals or damage to pipeline components. If static electricity at the vehicle end cannot be eliminated in time, there may be safety hazards. Furthermore, there is currently no static electricity detection device at the engine end.

[0004] With technological advancements, domestic manufacturers have upgraded their hydrogen routing systems from using hydrogen circulation pumps to solutions combining ejectors and hydrogen circulation pumps, or even just ejectors. The hydrogen flow rate through the ejector is typically greater than 500 L / min, and actual measurements show that this generates static electricity exceeding 5 kV. While current designs consider insulation, they often overlook the accumulation of static electricity, posing a significant risk of electrostatic discharge (ESD) accidents. Summary of the Invention

[0005] Based on the above analysis, the present invention aims to provide a fuel cell engine for preventing electrostatic risks in the hydrogen gas path, thereby solving the problems of lack of real-time identification of electrostatic accumulation and electrostatic elimination considerations on the hydrogen side in the prior art.

[0006] On one hand, embodiments of the present invention provide a fuel cell engine for preventing electrostatic discharge risks in the hydrogen path, including a fuel cell stack, an air system, a hydrogen system, and a cooling system. The hydrogen system includes an ejector, a stack inlet manifold, an electrostatic sensor, and an anti-static controller.

[0007] Both the ejector and the entry manifold are made of insulating material, and the outer surfaces of both the ejector and the entry manifold are coated with an electrostatic conductive coating. Furthermore, all electrostatic conductive coatings are grounded so that the static electricity generated by the flow of hydrogen in the ejector is conducted away by the electrostatic conductive coating.

[0008] The electrostatic sensor is installed above the infeed manifold to acquire the magnitude of static electricity generated in the hydrogen path of the hydrogen system in real time and send it to the anti-static controller.

[0009] An anti-static controller is used to periodically acquire static electricity sensor data during engine operation and identify whether static electricity is generated in the hydrogen path of the hydrogen system based on the static electricity sensor data; and to adjust the engine's load power in real time based on the specific static electricity sensor data.

[0010] The beneficial effects of the above technical solution are as follows: It incorporates a method to eliminate static electricity, effectively eliminating static electricity generated by the high-speed flow of hydrogen and improving the safety of the fuel cell system. Furthermore, the design scheme of limiting system power through static electricity identification avoids safety hazards caused by static electricity in the event of hydrogen leakage during a malfunction.

[0011] Based on further improvements to the above-mentioned device, both the ejector and the entry manifold adopt a volume resistivity ≥10. 10 Ω·m or surface resistivity ≥10 11 Ω-shaped insulating material.

[0012] Furthermore, the thickness of the electrostatic conductive coating is 2–6 μm.

[0013] Furthermore, after the ejector and the infeed manifold are coated with an electrostatic conductive coating, they are left to stand in an environment with a temperature of 20–30°C and a humidity of 30%–75% for 0.5–1 hour to allow the surface of the electrostatic conductive coating to cure.

[0014] Furthermore, the anti-static controller executes the following procedures to perform the function of preventing static electricity risks in the hydrogen gas path during engine operation:

[0015] Data from the electrostatic sensor is acquired periodically during engine operation;

[0016] Based on the data from the electrostatic sensor, identify whether static electricity has been generated in the hydrogen path of the hydrogen system at the current moment. If yes, proceed to the next step; otherwise, end the program.

[0017] If the electrostatic sensor data exceeds 5kV, shut down the fuel cell engine; otherwise, proceed to the next step.

[0018] Identify whether the electrostatic sensor data is between 4 and 5 kV. If so, limit the load power of the fuel cell engine to P1; otherwise, proceed to the next step.

[0019] Identify whether the electrostatic sensor data is between 3 and 4 kV. If so, limit the load power of the fuel cell engine to P2; otherwise, proceed to the next step.

[0020] Identify whether the electrostatic sensor data is between 2 and 3 kV. If so, limit the load power of the fuel cell engine to P3; otherwise, proceed to the next step.

[0021] Identify whether the electrostatic sensor data is between 1 and 2 kV. If so, limit the load power of the fuel cell engine to P4; otherwise, proceed to the next step.

[0022] Identify whether the electrostatic sensor data is between 0.1 and 1 kV. If so, limit the load power of the fuel cell engine to P5; otherwise, proceed to the next step.

[0023] If the electrostatic sensor data is less than 0.1kV, the power load of the fuel cell engine is not limited.

[0024] Furthermore, the applied power of the fuel cell engine satisfies the following relationship:

[0025] P1 < P2 < P3 < P4 < P5.

[0026] Furthermore, the ejector is integrated with the injection manifold; and,

[0027] An electrostatic conductive coating is applied to the outer surface of the ejector manifold to conduct away the static electricity generated by the flow of hydrogen within the ejector.

[0028] Furthermore, the electrostatic conductive coating is made of metal.

[0029] Furthermore, an antistatic agent is added to the material of the stack manifold.

[0030] Furthermore, the fuel cell engine also includes hydrogen injection; and,

[0031] The connecting pipe between the ejector and the hydrogen jet is made of an electrostatically conductive material.

[0032] The summary section is provided to present the chosen concepts in a simplified form, which will be further described in the detailed description below. The summary section is not intended to identify essential or essential features of the invention, nor is it intended to limit the scope of the invention. Attached Figure Description

[0033] The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the more detailed description of exemplary embodiments of the invention in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein the same reference numerals generally represent the same parts.

[0034] Figure 1 A schematic diagram showing the positional relationship between the ejector and the electrostatic sensor in the fuel cell engine of Example 1 is shown. Detailed Implementation

[0035] Embodiments of the invention will now be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. While embodiments of the invention are shown in the drawings, it should be understood that the invention can be implemented in various forms and should not be limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that the invention will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art.

[0036] The term “comprising” and its variations as used herein signify open inclusion, i.e., “including but not limited to”. Unless otherwise stated, the term “or” means “and / or”. The term “based on” means “at least partially based on”. The terms “one example embodiment” and “one embodiment” mean “at least one example embodiment”. The term “another embodiment” means “at least one additional embodiment”. The terms “first,” “second,” etc., may refer to different or the same objects. Other explicit and implicit definitions may also be included below.

[0037] Example 1

[0038] One embodiment of the present invention discloses a fuel cell engine for preventing electrostatic discharge (ESD) risks in the hydrogen gas path. The aim is to reduce the risk of ESD accidents by optimizing the hydrogen gas path of the fuel cell engine, thereby improving the stability and durability of the fuel cell engine. Figure 1 As shown, the fuel cell engine is equipped with an ejector, a stack manifold, an electrostatic sensor, and an anti-static controller in the hydrogen system.

[0039] Insulation must be considered when designing the hydrogen path of a fuel cell. During material selection, both the ejector and the infeed manifold are made of insulating materials, and their outer surfaces are coated with a conductive coating. Furthermore, all conductive coatings are grounded to dissipate static electricity generated by the hydrogen flowing within the ejector, without affecting the insulation value of the fuel cell system.

[0040] An electrostatic sensor is installed above the infeed manifold to acquire the magnitude of static electricity generated in the hydrogen path of the hydrogen system in real time and send it to the controller.

[0041] The controller is used to periodically acquire electrostatic sensor data during engine operation, and to identify whether static electricity is generated in the hydrogen path of the hydrogen system based on the electrostatic sensor data; and to adjust the engine's load power in real time based on the specific electrostatic sensor data.

[0042] Specifically, if the electrostatic sensor data is not 0, it indicates that static electricity has been generated in the hydrogen gas path, requiring electrostatic discharge treatment. If the electrostatic sensor data is 0, it indicates that no static electricity has been generated in the hydrogen gas path, and electrostatic discharge treatment is also required. Furthermore, based on the specific range of the electrostatic sensor data (not limited to the range described in Example 2, but also potentially ranges 3 and 4, as those skilled in the art will understand), the engine's load power is adjusted in real time to ensure that the static electricity generated by the hydrogen gas flow is fully conducted away by the electrostatic conductive coating.

[0043] Compared to existing technologies, the fuel cell engine provided in this embodiment incorporates a static electricity elimination scheme, effectively eliminating static electricity generated by the high-speed flow of hydrogen and improving the safety of the fuel cell system. Furthermore, the design scheme of limiting system power through static electricity identification avoids safety hazards caused by static electricity in the event of hydrogen leakage during a malfunction.

[0044] Example 2

[0045] An improvement upon Example 1 was made, with both the ejector and the entry manifold employing materials with a volume resistivity ≥10⁻⁶. 10 Ω·m or surface resistivity ≥10 11 Ω-sized insulating material. Insulation must be considered when designing hydrogen circuits; therefore, materials with good insulation properties are selected during the material selection phase of manifold and other component design.

[0046] Because the ejector and the manifold material have good insulation properties and do not have the ability to discharge static electricity, the surface of the manifold will accumulate more than 5kV of static electricity after the fuel cell has been running for a long time. To solve this problem, a static electricity design for the outer surface of the manifold has been added to the original manifold design. The design scheme is as follows.

[0047] The thickness of the conductive coating is 2–6 μm. After the conductive coating is applied, the ejector and the feed manifold are left to stand in an environment with a temperature of 20–30°C and a humidity of 30%–75% for 0.5–1 hour to allow the surface of the conductive coating to cure. After curing, it can be used. Increasing the humidity can prevent the generation of static electricity.

[0048] Preferably, the ejector is integrated with the fuel cell manifold. Furthermore, a conductive coating is applied to the outer surface of the ejector manifold to conduct away static electricity generated by the flow of hydrogen within the ejector, without affecting the insulation value of the fuel cell system.

[0049] An electrostatic sensor is added above the hydrogen line of the engine to detect and identify static electricity in real time, and the detected static electricity value is Q.

[0050] Preferably, the controller executes the following program to perform the function of preventing static electricity risks in the hydrogen gas path during engine operation:

[0051] S1. Acquire electrostatic sensor data Q periodically during engine operation;

[0052] S2. Based on the electrostatic sensor data Q, identify whether static electricity is generated in the hydrogen path of the hydrogen system at the current moment. If yes (Q is not 0), proceed to the next step; otherwise (Q is 0), end the program.

[0053] S3. Identify whether the electrostatic sensor data Q satisfies Q > 5kV. If yes, shut down the fuel cell engine for safety reasons; otherwise, proceed to the next step.

[0054] S4. Identify whether the electrostatic sensor data Q satisfies 4kV<Q≤5kV. If yes, limit the load power of the fuel cell engine to P1; otherwise, proceed to the next step.

[0055] S5. Identify whether the electrostatic sensor data Q satisfies 3kV<Q≤4kV. If yes, limit the load power of the fuel cell engine to P2; otherwise, proceed to the next step.

[0056] S6. Identify whether the electrostatic sensor data Q satisfies 2kV<Q≤3kV. If yes, limit the load power of the fuel cell engine to P3; otherwise, proceed to the next step.

[0057] S7. Identify whether the electrostatic sensor data Q satisfies 1kV<Q≤2kV. If yes, limit the load power of the fuel cell engine to P4; otherwise, proceed to the next step.

[0058] S8. Identify whether the electrostatic sensor data Q satisfies 0.1kV < Q ≤ 1kV. If yes, limit the load power of the fuel cell engine to P5; otherwise, proceed to the next step.

[0059] S9. Identify whether the electrostatic sensor data Q satisfies Q≤0.1kV. If so, do not limit the load power of the fuel cell engine and do not perform any processing.

[0060] Preferably, the loaded power of the fuel cell engine satisfies the following relationship:

[0061] P1 < P2 < P3 < P4 < P5.

[0062] Specifically, the selection of power points P1, P2, P3, P4, and P5 is related to the vehicle's operating parameters. For example, if the hydrogen flow rate values ​​at each operating point are s1, s2, and s3, then there are three power points: P1, P2, and P3.

[0063] Preferably, the conductive coating is made of metal, such as a thin metal sheet. Applying a thin metal sheet to the outer surface of the manifold can eliminate static electricity.

[0064] Preferably, a conductive agent is added to the material of the manifold to enhance the antistatic effect.

[0065] Preferably, the fuel cell engine also includes a hydrogen injector. Furthermore, the connecting pipe between the ejector and the hydrogen injector is made of an electrostatically conductive material. The ejector and the hydrogen injector are connected via an electrostatically conductive pipe.

[0066] Compared with the prior art, the fuel cell engine for preventing electrostatic discharge risks in the hydrogen gas path provided in this embodiment has the following beneficial effects:

[0067] 1. By addressing the static electricity generated by the high-speed flow of hydrogen in the venturi tube of the hydrogen ejector in the fuel cell system, the safety performance of the system is improved, and the safety of the fuel cell system can be significantly enhanced even in the event of hydrogen leakage.

[0068] 2. An electrostatic sensor was added for electrostatic detection, and the stability and safety of the fuel cell engine were further improved through control programs.

[0069] The various embodiments of the present invention have been described above. These descriptions are exemplary and not exhaustive, nor are they limited to the disclosed embodiments. Many modifications and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the described embodiments. The terminology used herein is chosen to best explain the principles, practical applications, or improvements to the prior art of the embodiments, or to enable others skilled in the art to understand the embodiments disclosed herein.

Claims

1. A fuel cell engine for preventing electrostatic discharge risks in the hydrogen path, comprising a fuel cell stack, an air system, a hydrogen system, and a cooling system, characterized in that, The hydrogen system includes an ejector, a reactor manifold, an electrostatic sensor, and an anti-static controller; among which, Both the ejector and the entry manifold are made of insulating material, and the outer surfaces of both the ejector and the entry manifold are coated with an electrostatic conductive coating. Furthermore, all electrostatic conductive coatings are grounded so that the static electricity generated by the flow of hydrogen in the ejector is conducted away by the electrostatic conductive coating. The electrostatic sensor is installed above the infeed manifold to acquire the magnitude of static electricity generated in the hydrogen path of the hydrogen system in real time and send it to the anti-static controller. An anti-static controller is used to periodically acquire static electricity sensor data during engine operation and identify whether static electricity is generated in the hydrogen path of the hydrogen system based on the static electricity sensor data; and to adjust the engine's load power in real time based on the specific static electricity sensor data.

2. The fuel cell engine for preventing electrostatic discharge risks in the hydrogen gas path according to claim 1, characterized in that, Both the ejector and the entry manifold use materials with a volume resistivity ≥10. 10 Ω·m or surface resistivity ≥10 11 Ω-shaped insulating material.

3. The fuel cell engine for preventing electrostatic discharge risks in the hydrogen gas path according to claim 2, characterized in that, The thickness of the electrostatic conductive coating is 2–6 μm.

4. The fuel cell engine for preventing electrostatic discharge risks in the hydrogen gas path according to claim 3, characterized in that, After the ejector and the infeed manifold are coated with a conductive coating, they are left to stand in an environment with a temperature of 20-30°C and a humidity of 30%-75% for 0.5-1 hours to allow the surface of the conductive coating to cure.

5. The fuel cell engine for preventing electrostatic discharge risks in the hydrogen gas path according to claim 4, characterized in that, The anti-static controller executes the following procedures to perform the function of preventing static electricity risks in the hydrogen path during engine operation: Data from the electrostatic sensor is acquired periodically during engine operation; Based on the data from the electrostatic sensor, identify whether static electricity has been generated in the hydrogen path of the hydrogen system at the current moment. If yes, proceed to the next step; otherwise, end the program. If the electrostatic sensor data exceeds 5kV, shut down the fuel cell engine; otherwise, proceed to the next step. Identify whether the electrostatic sensor data is between 4 and 5 kV. If so, limit the load power of the fuel cell engine to P1; otherwise, proceed to the next step. Identify whether the electrostatic sensor data is between 3 and 4 kV. If so, limit the load power of the fuel cell engine to P2; otherwise, proceed to the next step. Identify whether the electrostatic sensor data is between 2 and 3 kV. If so, limit the load power of the fuel cell engine to P3; otherwise, proceed to the next step. Identify whether the electrostatic sensor data is between 1 and 2 kV. If so, limit the load power of the fuel cell engine to P4; otherwise, proceed to the next step. Identify whether the electrostatic sensor data is between 0.1 and 1 kV. If so, limit the load power of the fuel cell engine to P5; otherwise, proceed to the next step. If the electrostatic sensor data is less than 0.1kV, the power load of the fuel cell engine is not limited.

6. The fuel cell engine for preventing electrostatic discharge risks in the hydrogen gas path according to claim 5, characterized in that, The applied power of the fuel cell engine satisfies the following relationship: P1 < P2 < P3 < P4 < P5.

7. The fuel cell engine for preventing electrostatic discharge risks in the hydrogen gas path according to any one of claims 1-6, characterized in that, The ejector is integrated with the injection manifold; and, An electrostatic conductive coating is applied to the outer surface of the ejector manifold to conduct away the static electricity generated by the flow of hydrogen within the ejector.

8. The fuel cell engine for preventing electrostatic discharge risks in the hydrogen gas path according to any one of claims 1-6, characterized in that, The electrostatic conductive coating is made of metal.

9. The fuel cell engine for preventing electrostatic discharge risks in the hydrogen gas path according to any one of claims 1-6, characterized in that, The material of the feed manifold has been treated with an antistatic agent.

10. The fuel cell engine for preventing electrostatic discharge risks in the hydrogen gas path according to any one of claims 1-6, characterized in that, It also includes hydrogen injection; and, The connecting pipe between the ejector and the hydrogen jet is made of an electrostatically conductive material.

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