Regeneration control method for fuel cell system, control unit, and storage medium

Abstract

The invention relates to a regeneration control method for a fuel cell system, a control unit and a storage medium, and the regeneration control method comprises the steps: responding to the starting of the fuel cell system, obtaining the numerical value of a parameter related to the performance degradation condition of a galvanic pile in real time, and judging whether a regeneration starting condition is satisfied or not; detecting an operation state of the fuel cell system and determining whether a predetermined shutdown event has occurred when it is confirmed that the regeneration enabling condition is satisfied; in the event of confirming that a predetermined shutdown event has occurred, a regeneration process of the stack is timely started in response to the occurrence of the shutdown event, in which the supply of hydrogen to the anode of the stack is maintained while the supply of air to the cathode of the stack is interrupted, and the hydrogen is forced to diffuse to the cathode of the electric pile, so that metal oxide generated by oxidation of a platinum group metal catalyst at the cathode of the electric pile can be reduced, and the regeneration of the electric pile is realized. According to the invention, the performance of the stack can be reliably and conveniently recovered, and the service life of the fuel cell system is prolonged.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application belongs to the field of fuel cells, and relates to a fuel cell system control strategy, and in particular to a regeneration control method for a fuel cell system, and a corresponding control unit and a computer-readable storage medium. Background Art

[0002] A fuel cell is a chemical device that can directly convert the chemical energy of a fuel into electrical energy. Hydrogen fuel cells are one of the important applications of hydrogen energy. They generate electricity and water through the redox reaction of hydrogen and oxygen at electrodes, making them a zero-emission chemical energy generation device.

[0003] In particular, fuel cell systems, represented by hydrogen fuel cell systems, have been increasingly widely used in various fields such as industrial manufacturing, transportation, and energy storage due to their high power generation efficiency, low noise, and basically no pollution.

[0004] As is known to all, after long-term operation or storage, the performance of a fuel cell system will gradually decline due to fuel consumption, reduced activity of the stack, etc. If the performance of the fuel cell system can be restored within an appropriate time period to regenerate it, the efficiency of the fuel cell system can be improved and its service life can be extended.

[0005] However, the known regeneration solutions in existing fuel cell systems (especially hydrogen fuel cell systems) usually require the use of additional regeneration devices or consume a large amount of battery energy, which has the disadvantages of being relatively complex to implement and high cost. In addition, the existing known fuel cell systems lack simple, reliable and timely detection and online automatic regeneration (or activation) measures, which often leads to problems such as unexpected power drop during the operation of the fuel cell system.

[0006] Therefore, it is necessary to improve the known prior art to provide an alternative solution that can effectively eliminate the above problems or defects. Summary of the invention

[0007] In view of the above background, the purpose of the present application is to propose a regeneration control method for a fuel cell system, which can alleviate or even completely eliminate the above-mentioned problems or defects existing in the prior art.

[0008] The purpose of the present application is also to propose a control unit and a computer-readable storage medium corresponding to the above-mentioned regeneration control method.

[0009] To this end, according to one aspect of the present application, a regeneration control method for a fuel cell system is provided, wherein the fuel cell system is a hydrogen fuel cell system, which includes a stack having a stack anode and a stack cathode, an anode subsystem connected to the stack anode and capable of supplying hydrogen thereto, and a cathode subsystem connected to the stack cathode and capable of supplying air thereto, wherein a platinum group metal catalyst capable of promoting an oxygen reduction reaction is provided at the stack cathode, and the regeneration control method is suitable for realizing online regeneration of the stack by timely activating the stack based on its performance attenuation condition to restore its performance, and includes the following steps:

[0010] In response to the start-up of the fuel cell system, obtaining in real time a value of a parameter related to the performance degradation condition of the fuel cell stack, and judging whether a regeneration enabling condition is met based on the obtained value of the parameter;

[0011] In the case of confirming that the regeneration enabling condition is met, detecting the operating state of the fuel cell system and determining whether a predetermined shutdown event has occurred; and

[0012] Upon confirming that a predetermined shutdown event has occurred, the regeneration process of the fuel cell stack is initiated in a timely manner in response to the occurrence of the shutdown event, wherein during the regeneration process, while requesting and ensuring the interruption of the air supply to the cathode of the fuel cell stack, the hydrogen supply to the anode of the fuel cell stack is requested and maintained, so that the hydrogen diffuses to the cathode of the fuel cell stack and forms a reducing environment at the cathode of the fuel cell stack, thereby reducing the metal oxide generated by the oxidation of the platinum group metal catalyst, thereby restoring the catalytic performance of the platinum group metal catalyst and achieving the regeneration of the fuel cell stack.

[0013] According to another aspect of the present application, a control unit for a fuel cell system is also proposed, wherein the fuel cell system is a hydrogen fuel cell system, which includes a stack having a stack anode and a stack cathode, an anode subsystem connected to the stack anode and capable of supplying hydrogen thereto, and a cathode subsystem connected to the stack cathode and capable of supplying air thereto, wherein a platinum group metal catalyst capable of promoting an oxygen reduction reaction is provided at the stack cathode, and the control unit is suitable for implementing the regeneration control method for a fuel cell system as described above, and includes:

[0014] a regeneration enabling condition judgment module, configured to obtain in real time, in response to the start-up of the fuel cell system, a value of a parameter related to the performance degradation condition of the fuel cell stack, and judge whether a regeneration enabling condition is met based on the obtained value of the parameter;

[0015] a shutdown event determination module configured to detect the operating state of the fuel cell system and determine whether a predetermined shutdown event has occurred when confirming that the regeneration enabling condition is met; and

[0016] The control module is configured to implement the following control processes:

[0017] Upon confirming that a predetermined shutdown event has occurred, the regeneration process of the fuel cell stack is initiated in a timely manner in response to the occurrence of the shutdown event, wherein during the regeneration process, while requesting and ensuring the interruption of the air supply to the cathode of the fuel cell stack, the hydrogen supply to the anode of the fuel cell stack is requested and maintained, so that the hydrogen diffuses to the cathode of the fuel cell stack and forms a reducing environment at the cathode of the fuel cell stack, thereby reducing the metal oxide generated by the oxidation of the platinum group metal catalyst, thereby restoring the catalytic performance of the platinum group metal catalyst and achieving the regeneration of the fuel cell stack.

[0018] According to another aspect of the present application, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, on which executable instructions are stored. When the executable instructions are executed by a processor, the processor executes the regeneration control method for a fuel cell system as described above.

[0019] As can be seen from the above description, the present application proposes a regeneration control method for a fuel cell system, a corresponding control unit and a computer-readable storage medium, which can realize online regeneration of the fuel cell system (more specifically, its stack) by automatically activating the fuel cell stack (in particular, restoring the activity of the catalyst used at the cathode of the stack and the performance of the stack) based on the performance degradation condition of the stack during the service life of the fuel cell system by effectively utilizing the downtime, thereby restoring the performance of the stack in an economical, reliable and convenient manner and effectively extending the service life of the fuel cell system. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0020] The features, advantages and other aspects of the present application will be more clearly understood through the following more detailed description of the present application given with reference to the accompanying drawings and in combination with exemplary embodiments. In the accompanying drawings:

[0021] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a typical configuration of a conventional hydrogen fuel cell system that can serve as a basis for the present application;

[0022] Figure 2 is a basic logic or flow chart of a regeneration control method for a fuel cell system according to an exemplary embodiment of the present application;

[0023] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of a control unit for a fuel cell system according to an exemplary embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0024] The following describes in detail the specific embodiments of the present application with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be understood that the embodiments and related descriptions given herein should be understood as exemplary and do not constitute limitations on the present application.

[0025] In addition, it should be noted that, for the sake of simplicity and in order to more conveniently understand the design points or substantial features of the present application, the specification of the present application and its drawings focus on describing or illustrating the contents related to the main design points or principles of the present application, and omit the explanation of some technical terms known in the art, and omit or simplify some specific details and the like. Regarding the basic principles, control processes and the like of these omitted parts, those skilled in the art can make specific applications and optimizations based on existing knowledge and application environments, etc., and will not be repeated here, nor will detailed illustrations be provided. In other words, methods (such as control processes), techniques and structures well-known in the art are not described in detail to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the core or essence of the present application.

[0026] First of all, it should be pointed out that in the following description, in order to facilitate a clearer understanding of the principles and technical solutions of the present application, Figure 1 The hydrogen fuel cell system shown is used as an example to exemplarily describe the application, control method or process of the present application, but the present application is obviously not limited to this. Moreover, without departing from its basic principles and spirit, the present application can also be applied to other similar fuel cell systems. In addition, the fuel cell system involved in the present application can be widely used in industrial manufacturing, transportation (such as the automotive industry), energy storage and other fields.

[0027] like Figure 1 As shown, according to a typical configuration of a conventional hydrogen fuel cell system that can serve as the basis of the present application, the hydrogen fuel cell system 1 includes a stack 10 having a stack anode 11 and a stack cathode 12, an anode subsystem 20 connected to the stack anode 11 and capable of supplying hydrogen (H2) thereto in a controllable manner, and a cathode subsystem 30 connected to the stack cathode 12 and capable of supplying air thereto in a controllable manner. The anode subsystem 20 may also be referred to as a hydrogen subsystem, and the cathode subsystem 30 may also be referred to as an air subsystem. In addition, the hydrogen fuel cell system 1 may also include a cooling subsystem, a control subsystem, etc., which are not shown in the figure.

[0028] In addition, it is known in the art that a catalyst capable of promoting the oxygen reduction reaction is usually provided at the cathode 12 of the stack, especially a platinum group metal catalyst commonly used in the art (which has excellent catalytic activity, corrosion resistance, stability and other properties). Taking the most common platinum-based catalyst as an example, it can be presented in the form of a platinum-carbon (Pt / C) catalyst, that is, platinum nanoparticles are usually supported by a carbon matrix with a high specific surface area to evenly disperse the catalyst based on the precious metal platinum on the surface of the cathode of the stack. For convenience, in the following description, the regeneration control method of the present application will be illustrated by using a platinum-based catalyst at the cathode of the stack, but the present application is obviously not limited to this.

[0029] As mentioned above, only a typical configuration of a conventional hydrogen fuel cell system is illustrated and described above. Obviously, it is easy to understand that the specific structure and configuration of the hydrogen fuel cell system are not limited thereto, but can be changed or adjusted in any feasible manner according to actual conditions and specific needs. In addition, the specific structure, working principle, control process, etc. of the fuel cell system and its related components described above are all known in the art, so for the sake of simplicity, they will not be described here.

[0030] From the foregoing description, it can be seen that the hydrogen fuel cell system, which is an example of the fuel cell system of the present application, generally includes a fuel cell stack and an anode subsystem and a cathode subsystem associated therewith. The present application mainly revolves around the performance degradation of the fuel cell stack in the hydrogen fuel cell system during use and the activation and regeneration control strategy specially designed for this phenomenon. It is mainly implemented by relying on the anode subsystem and cathode subsystem in the fuel cell system, which will be described in detail below.

[0031] As mentioned above, the inventors of the present application have noticed and realized that, for example, during the use of a hydrogen fuel cell system, due to the oxidation of the platinum group metal catalyst used therein, its performance (especially the performance of the stack) will gradually decay. For example, when a platinum (Pt)-based catalyst is used as the platinum group metal catalyst, the generation and continued presence of platinum oxides (such as PtO, etc.) will lead to adverse consequences such as a reduction in the electrochemical surface area of ​​the catalyst and a reduction in the rate of the oxygen reduction reaction, thereby causing the overall performance of the fuel cell system to decrease. If the oxide generated at the cathode of the stack of the fuel cell system can be effectively removed within an appropriate time period to regenerate the stack, the activity of the catalyst and the performance of the stack can be restored, and the service life of the fuel cell system can be extended. In particular, in the case of using a platinum group metal catalyst, by effectively reducing the metal oxide generated by its oxidation to the maximum extent to restore the catalytic performance of the platinum group metal catalyst, the use of precious metal materials can be significantly reduced and the cost can be greatly reduced. However, unfortunately, the existing known fuel cell system lacks simple, reliable and timely detection and online automatic regeneration (or activation) measures, which often leads to problems such as undesirable power reduction and high cost of use of the fuel cell system during operation.

[0032] It is based on the above background that the inventor of the present application proposed a regeneration control method for a fuel cell system through a large amount of analysis and research, and its main technical solution or working principle is roughly summarized as follows.

[0033] The present application proposes a regeneration control method for a fuel cell system, wherein the fuel cell system is a hydrogen fuel cell system, which includes a stack having a stack anode and a stack cathode, an anode subsystem connected to the stack anode and capable of supplying hydrogen (H2) thereto, and a cathode subsystem connected to the stack cathode and capable of supplying air thereto, wherein a platinum group metal catalyst capable of promoting an oxygen reduction reaction is provided at the stack cathode, and the regeneration control method is suitable for realizing online regeneration of the stack by timely activating the stack based on its performance attenuation condition to restore its performance, and includes the following steps:

[0034] In response to the start-up of the fuel cell system, obtaining in real time the value of a parameter (or variable) related to the performance degradation condition of the fuel cell stack, and judging whether a regeneration enabling condition is met based on the obtained value of the parameter;

[0035] In the case where it is confirmed that the regeneration enabling condition is met, detecting the operating state of the fuel cell system (for example, detecting the output power or output voltage of the fuel cell system, or detecting a signal generated by shutdown) and determining whether a predetermined shutdown event has occurred (for example, a regular shutdown event that occurs to ensure safety or perform maintenance, but not limited thereto); and

[0036] Upon confirming that a predetermined shutdown event has occurred, the regeneration process of the fuel cell stack is initiated in a timely manner in response to the occurrence of the shutdown event, wherein during the regeneration process, while requesting and ensuring the interruption of the air supply to the cathode of the fuel cell stack, the hydrogen supply to the anode of the fuel cell stack is requested and maintained (i.e., maintaining the normal working state of the anode subsystem), so as to force the hydrogen to diffuse to the cathode of the fuel cell stack and form a reducing environment at the cathode of the fuel cell stack, thereby reducing the metal oxides generated by the oxidation of the platinum group metal catalyst, thereby gradually restoring the catalytic performance of the platinum group metal catalyst and achieving the regeneration of the fuel cell stack (and thereby the fuel cell system).

[0037] According to a feasible implementation manner of the present application, the platinum group metal catalyst is a platinum-based catalyst, which is in the form of a platinum-carbon catalyst in which platinum nanoparticles are supported by a carbon matrix.

[0038] According to a feasible implementation of the present application, the numerical value of the parameter related to the performance degradation condition of the fuel cell stack can be obtained by means of continuous or periodic measurement of the parameter or calculation based on measured data related to the parameter.

[0039] According to a feasible implementation mode of the present application, the parameters related to the performance degradation of the fuel cell stack may include the average cell voltage of the fuel cell stack, the open circuit voltage of the fuel cell stack, and the operation time of the fuel cell system. When it is determined that any one of the following conditions is met, it is confirmed that the regeneration enabling condition is met:

[0040] The value of the average cell voltage of the battery stack is lower than a predetermined cell voltage threshold;

[0041] The value of the stack open circuit voltage is lower than a predetermined open circuit voltage threshold; and

[0042] The value of the fuel cell system operating time is higher than a predetermined operating time threshold.

[0043] According to a feasible implementation mode of the present application, when the fuel cell system is applied to an electric vehicle, the parameters related to the performance degradation condition of the fuel cell stack may also include the vehicle mileage, and when it is detected and determined that the value of the vehicle mileage is higher than a predetermined mileage threshold, it is also confirmed that the regeneration enabling condition is met.

[0044] According to a feasible implementation of the present application, interrupting the air supply to the cathode of the stack can be achieved by isolating the cathode of the stack from the air supply source by means of an isolation valve provided in the cathode subsystem and allowing air to flow through a bypass loop.

[0045] According to a feasible implementation mode of the present application, the regeneration control method may further include the following steps:

[0046] In the process of determining whether a predetermined shutdown event has occurred, first determining whether a shutdown event has occurred based on the operating state of the fuel cell system, then determining whether the shutdown event is a normal shutdown event or a fault shutdown event based on the type or value of a detected signal related to the shutdown event, and starting the regeneration process of the fuel cell stack when it is confirmed that the shutdown event is a normal shutdown event; and / or

[0047] During the regeneration process, the regeneration time is recorded and accumulated, and when the regeneration time reaches a predetermined time threshold, the regeneration process is terminated.

[0048] According to a feasible implementation manner of the present application, the predetermined time threshold may be calibrated through experiments or determined based on experience.

[0049] The present application also proposes a control unit for a fuel cell system, wherein the fuel cell system is a hydrogen fuel cell system, which includes a stack having a stack anode and a stack cathode, an anode subsystem connected to the stack anode and capable of supplying hydrogen thereto, and a cathode subsystem connected to the stack cathode and capable of supplying air thereto, wherein a platinum group metal catalyst capable of promoting an oxygen reduction reaction is provided at the stack cathode, and the control unit is suitable for implementing the regeneration control method for a fuel cell system as described above, and includes:

[0050] a regeneration enabling condition judgment module, configured to obtain in real time, in response to the start-up of the fuel cell system, a value of a parameter related to the performance degradation condition of the fuel cell stack, and judge whether a regeneration enabling condition is met based on the obtained value of the parameter;

[0051] a shutdown event determination module configured to detect the operating state of the fuel cell system and determine whether a predetermined shutdown event has occurred when confirming that the regeneration enabling condition is met; and

[0052] The control module is configured to implement the following control processes:

[0053] Upon confirming that a predetermined shutdown event has occurred, the regeneration process of the fuel cell stack is initiated in a timely manner in response to the occurrence of the shutdown event, wherein during the regeneration process, while requesting and ensuring the interruption of the air supply to the cathode of the fuel cell stack, the hydrogen supply to the anode of the fuel cell stack is requested and maintained to force the hydrogen to diffuse to the cathode of the fuel cell stack and form a reducing environment at the cathode of the fuel cell stack, thereby reducing the metal oxides generated by the oxidation of the platinum group metal catalyst, thereby gradually restoring the catalytic performance of the platinum group metal catalyst and achieving the regeneration of the fuel cell stack.

[0054] The present application also proposes a computer-readable storage medium on which executable instructions (or program instructions) are stored. When the executable instructions are executed by a processor, the processor executes the regeneration control method for a fuel cell system as described above.

[0055] As can be seen from the above description, the main design concept or starting point of the regeneration control method (or strategy) of the present application is to obtain the performance decay status of the stack in real time during the operation of the fuel cell system. If the performance decay status reaches a predetermined threshold, the regeneration process is then started in a timely manner in response to the occurrence of a predetermined shutdown event (for example, the regeneration process is automatically triggered when the fuel cell system is shut down, but not limited to this). During the shutdown period, for example, the activation of the metal catalyst at the cathode of the stack and the regeneration of the stack can be achieved by isolating the cathode of the stack and keeping the anode subsystem of the fuel cell system working normally to force hydrogen (H2) to diffuse to the cathode of the stack of the fuel cell system and form a reducing environment at the cathode of the stack, wherein during the regeneration process, the cathode oxide (for example, platinum oxide) which is the main factor causing the performance decay of the stack will be reduced (for example, reduced to platinum), thereby restoring the activity of the catalyst at the cathode of the stack. The regeneration control method of the present application does not require an additional regeneration device and does not consume the energy of the fuel cell. In addition, the regeneration control method can be automatically performed under the control of a control logic or program stored in a control unit (for example, integrated into an existing fuel cell system control unit), and since it is performed during the shutdown period, it does not require additional time.

[0056] Combine the following Figure 2 A specific example of the logic or steps of a regeneration control method for a fuel cell system according to an exemplary embodiment of the present application is described, wherein as a non-limiting example, the fuel cell system is a hydrogen fuel cell system having a platinum-based catalyst at the cathode of the stack and applied to an electric vehicle.

[0057] like Figure 2 As shown, the regeneration control method for a fuel cell system according to an exemplary embodiment of the present application mainly includes the following steps or processes:

[0058] First, in step S1 , the fuel cell system is started (for example, in the case of being applied to a pure electric vehicle, the fuel cell system is automatically started by starting the vehicle, but it is obviously not limited thereto).

[0059] Next, in response to the start-up of the fuel cell system, step S2 is entered, that is, the numerical value of the parameter related to the performance degradation condition of the fuel cell stack of the fuel cell system is obtained in real time (which can be obtained by continuous or periodic measurement with the help of known sensors in the fuel cell system, or can also be obtained based on calculations of measured data related to the parameter), and in this non-limiting example, the parameters may include the average cell voltage of the stack, the open circuit voltage (OCV) of the stack, the operating time of the fuel cell system and the vehicle mileage, but are not limited to this.

[0060] Subsequently, in step S3, it is determined whether the regeneration enabling condition is met based on the value of the parameter obtained in step S2. More specifically, in step S3, it can be determined, for example, whether the average cell voltage of the stack, the open circuit voltage of the stack, the operating time of the fuel cell system, or the mileage of the vehicle reaches or exceeds a predetermined threshold. It should be noted that the specific selection and quantity of the above parameters can be appropriately increased, decreased, or changed according to actual needs and specific applications, and the judgment order of each parameter can also be freely selected or adjusted.

[0061] Next, based on the judgment result in step S3, it is determined how the regeneration control method is to proceed next.

[0062] More specifically, when it is determined that any one of the following conditions is met (i.e., the value of the average cell voltage of the stack is lower than the predetermined cell voltage threshold, the value of the open circuit voltage of the stack is lower than the predetermined open circuit voltage threshold, the value of the fuel cell system operating time is higher than the predetermined operating time threshold, and the value of the vehicle mileage is higher than the predetermined mileage threshold) (wherein the predetermined cell voltage threshold, the predetermined open circuit voltage threshold, the predetermined operating time threshold, and the predetermined mileage threshold can all be calibrated by experiments or determined based on experience), it is confirmed that the regeneration enabling condition is met, that is, when the judgment result is "yes" ( Figure 2 When the above conditions are not met, that is, when the judgment result is "No" ( Figure 2 When it is represented by N), return to step S2.

[0063] exist Figure 2 In the step S4 shown, the operating status of the fuel cell system is detected (for example, the output power or output voltage of the fuel cell system is detected, or the relevant signal generated by the shutdown is detected, but it is obviously not limited to this), and then in the subsequent step S5, it is determined whether a predetermined shutdown event has occurred.

[0064] For example, in step S5, when it is detected that the output power or output voltage of the fuel cell system is lower than a predetermined value or when a predetermined signal generated by shutdown is detected, it can be confirmed that a predetermined shutdown event has occurred. In this case, that is, when the judgment result is "yes" ( Figure 2 When the judgment result is "No" ( Figure 2 When it is represented by N), return to step S4.

[0065] Advantageously, in step S5, in the process of determining whether a predetermined shutdown event has occurred, it is first determined whether a shutdown event has occurred based on the operating status of the fuel cell system, and then it can be determined whether the shutdown event is a normal shutdown event (or planned shutdown) event or a fault shutdown event (or unplanned shutdown or emergency shutdown) event based on the category or value of the detected signal related to the shutdown event, and if it is confirmed that the shutdown event is a normal shutdown event, the regeneration process of the fuel cell stack is started to ensure or improve the safety of the regeneration process; otherwise (in other words, if it is confirmed that the shutdown event is a fault shutdown event), the regeneration control method can be terminated.

[0066] exist Figure 2 In step S6 shown, the regeneration process of the fuel cell stack can be started in a timely manner (for example, immediately started when the judgment result is "yes") based on the judgment result in step S5, wherein during the regeneration process, while requesting and ensuring the interruption of the air supply to the fuel cell stack cathode, the hydrogen supply to the fuel cell stack anode is requested and maintained to force the hydrogen to diffuse to the fuel cell stack cathode and form a reducing environment at the fuel cell stack cathode, thereby being able to reduce the metal oxides generated by the oxidation of the platinum group metal catalyst (a platinum-based catalyst in this example) used at the fuel cell stack cathode, thereby gradually restoring the catalytic performance of the platinum group metal catalyst and achieving the regeneration of the fuel cell stack.

[0067] More specifically, for example, when the fuel cell system enters a predetermined shutdown (especially normal shutdown) phase, a regeneration process can be automatically performed in response to the occurrence of a shutdown event, wherein, for example, the cathode of the stack can be isolated by means of an isolation valve provided in the cathode subsystem of the fuel cell system and air can flow through the bypass loop, while the anode subsystem of the fuel cell system is kept operating normally, so as to force hydrogen to diffuse to the cathode of the stack and form a reducing environment there. Such a reducing environment can, for example, reduce oxides (such as platinum oxide) generated by oxidation of the platinum-based catalyst at the cathode of the stack to platinum, thereby gradually restoring the catalytic performance or activity of the catalyst.

[0068] In addition, in step S6, the regeneration time may be recorded and accumulated as the regeneration process proceeds. Then, in step S7 that is performed subsequently, it may be determined whether to terminate the regeneration process, for example, based on the recorded regeneration time.

[0069] More specifically, for example, in step S7, it can be determined whether to terminate the regeneration process according to whether the regeneration time reaches (e.g., is equal to or greater than) a predetermined time threshold, wherein when the regeneration time reaches the predetermined time threshold, that is, when the determination result is "yes" ( Figure 2 When Y is indicated in the figure, the regeneration process can be terminated at step S8, otherwise it will return to step S6.

[0070] It should be noted that the predetermined time threshold can be calibrated through experiments or determined based on experience.

[0071] In addition, it should be noted that Figure 2 The various steps and their specific implementation methods and sequences in the regeneration control method as an embodiment of the present application shown in are exemplary, and they can be appropriately increased, decreased or changed according to specific circumstances and actual needs. For example, in some cases, the judgment of the regeneration enabling condition involved in step S3 and the judgment of whether a predetermined shutdown event occurs involved in step S5 can be reversed in order, that is, it can be first judged whether a predetermined shutdown event occurs based on the operating state of the fuel cell system, and then judged whether the regeneration enabling condition is met (in particular, the judgment of the regeneration enabling condition can be triggered or started in response to the occurrence of a predetermined shutdown event) in the case of confirming that the predetermined shutdown event has occurred, and then determine whether to start the regeneration process based on the judgment result of the regeneration enabling condition (for example, once the regeneration enabling condition is met, the regeneration process is started, otherwise the regeneration control method can be terminated). In addition, optionally, before starting the regeneration process, a step for detecting the safety of the fuel cell system can be additionally provided to further ensure that the regeneration process of the present application is carried out under the condition of system safety.

[0072] It can be seen from the above description that the regeneration control method of the present application can realize online regeneration of the fuel cell system (especially the stack) in a simple, reliable and low-cost manner, and effectively extend the service life of the fuel cell system. In addition, the regeneration control method of the present application can be easily applied in fuel cell power modules, etc., without the need to use additional regeneration devices or consume a large amount of battery energy. In addition, the regeneration control method of the present application can make full use of the downtime of the fuel cell system to implement the regeneration process, so no additional time is required.

[0073] In addition, combined Figure 3It can be seen that according to an exemplary embodiment of the present application, a control unit 40 for a fuel cell system 1 is also proposed, which is suitable for implementing the regeneration control method for a fuel cell system as described above, and includes:

[0074] a regeneration enabling condition judgment module 41, which is configured to obtain, in response to the start-up of the fuel cell system, a value of a parameter related to the performance degradation condition of the fuel cell stack in real time, and judge whether a regeneration enabling condition is met based on the obtained value of the parameter;

[0075] a shutdown event determination module 42 configured to detect the operating state of the fuel cell system and determine whether a predetermined shutdown event has occurred when confirming that the regeneration enabling condition is met; and

[0076] The control module 43 is configured to implement the following control process:

[0077] Upon confirming that a predetermined shutdown event has occurred, the regeneration process of the fuel cell stack is initiated in a timely manner in response to the occurrence of the shutdown event, wherein during the regeneration process, while requesting and ensuring the interruption of the air supply to the cathode of the fuel cell stack, the hydrogen supply to the anode of the fuel cell stack is requested and maintained to force the hydrogen to diffuse to the cathode of the fuel cell stack and form a reducing environment at the cathode of the fuel cell stack, thereby reducing the metal oxides generated by the oxidation of the platinum group metal catalyst provided at the cathode of the fuel cell stack, thereby gradually restoring the catalytic performance of the platinum group metal catalyst and achieving the regeneration of the fuel cell stack.

[0078] In addition, according to another aspect of the present application, a computer-readable storage medium is also proposed, on which executable instructions (or program instructions) are stored. When the executable instructions are executed by a processor, the processor executes the regeneration control method as described above.

[0079] Obviously, the regeneration control method of the present application can be performed with the aid of the control unit of the present application, and the various technical features or contents described for the regeneration control method are also applicable to the control unit. Moreover, the various steps and technical details of the regeneration control method described above can be stored in the control unit (or computer-readable storage medium) in the form of software, or can be implemented in the form of a combination of software and hardware. In other words, the regeneration control method of the present application can be implemented without substantially adding new hardware, and the required software or control logic can be integrated into the existing control system of the fuel cell system, but is not limited thereto.

[0080] The present application has been described in detail above in conjunction with specific embodiments. Obviously, as mentioned above, the embodiments described above and shown in the accompanying drawings should be understood as exemplary and do not constitute a limitation to the present application. Moreover, for those skilled in the art, various variations or modifications can be made to the contents described or shown in the present application without departing from the spirit of the present application. Obviously, these variations or modifications do not depart from the scope of the present application.

Claims

1. A regeneration control method for a fuel cell system, the fuel cell system is a hydrogen fuel cell system, which includes a stack having a stack anode and a stack cathode, an anode subsystem connected to the stack anode and capable of supplying hydrogen thereto, and a cathode subsystem connected to the stack cathode and capable of supplying air thereto, a platinum group metal catalyst capable of promoting oxygen reduction reaction is provided at the stack cathode, the regeneration control method is suitable for realizing online regeneration of the stack by timely activating the stack based on its performance attenuation status to restore its performance, and includes the following steps: In response to the start-up of the fuel cell system, obtaining in real time a value of a parameter related to the performance degradation condition of the fuel cell stack, and judging whether a regeneration enabling condition is met based on the obtained value of the parameter; When confirming that the regeneration enabling condition is met, detecting the operating state of the fuel cell system and determining whether a predetermined shutdown event has occurred; as well as Upon confirming that a predetermined shutdown event has occurred, the regeneration process of the fuel cell stack is initiated in a timely manner in response to the occurrence of the shutdown event, wherein during the regeneration process, while requesting and ensuring the interruption of the air supply to the cathode of the fuel cell stack, the hydrogen supply to the anode of the fuel cell stack is requested and maintained, so that the hydrogen diffuses to the cathode of the fuel cell stack and forms a reducing environment at the cathode of the fuel cell stack, thereby reducing the metal oxide generated by the oxidation of the platinum group metal catalyst, thereby restoring the catalytic performance of the platinum group metal catalyst and achieving the regeneration of the fuel cell stack.

2. The regeneration control method for a fuel cell system according to claim 1, wherein: The platinum group metal catalyst is a platinum-based catalyst, which is in the form of a platinum-carbon catalyst in which platinum nanoparticles are supported by a carbon matrix.

3. The regeneration control method for a fuel cell system according to claim 1, wherein: The acquisition of the value of the parameter related to the performance degradation condition of the fuel cell stack is achieved by means of continuous or periodic measurement of the parameter or calculation based on the measured data.

4. The regeneration control method for a fuel cell system according to claim 3, wherein: The parameters related to the performance degradation of the fuel cell stack include the average cell voltage of the fuel cell stack, the open circuit voltage of the fuel cell stack, and the operating time of the fuel cell system. When it is determined that any one of the following conditions is met, it is confirmed that the regeneration enabling condition is met: The value of the average cell voltage of the battery stack is lower than a predetermined cell voltage threshold; The value of the stack open circuit voltage is lower than a predetermined open circuit voltage threshold; and The value of the fuel cell system operating time is higher than a predetermined operating time threshold.

5. The regeneration control method for a fuel cell system according to claim 4, wherein: When the fuel cell system is applied to an electric vehicle, the parameters related to the performance degradation condition of the fuel cell stack also include the vehicle mileage, and when it is detected and determined that the value of the vehicle mileage is higher than a predetermined mileage threshold, it is also confirmed that the regeneration enabling condition is met.

6. The regeneration control method for a fuel cell system according to claim 1, wherein: The air supply to the cathode of the stack is interrupted by isolating the cathode of the stack from an air supply source by means of an isolation valve provided in the cathode subsystem and allowing air to flow through a bypass circuit.

7. The regeneration control method for a fuel cell system according to claim 1, wherein: The regeneration control method further comprises the following steps: In the process of determining whether a predetermined shutdown event has occurred, first determining whether a shutdown event has occurred based on the operating state of the fuel cell system, then determining whether the shutdown event is a normal shutdown event or a fault shutdown event based on the type or value of a detected signal related to the shutdown event, and starting the regeneration process of the fuel cell stack when it is confirmed that the shutdown event is a normal shutdown event; and / or During the regeneration process, the regeneration time is recorded and accumulated, and when the regeneration time reaches a predetermined time threshold, the regeneration process is terminated.

8. The regeneration control method for a fuel cell system according to claim 7, wherein: The predetermined time threshold is calibrated through experiments or determined based on experience.

9. A control unit for a fuel cell system, the fuel cell system being a hydrogen fuel cell system, comprising a stack having a stack anode and a stack cathode, an anode subsystem connected to the stack anode and capable of supplying hydrogen thereto, and a cathode subsystem connected to the stack cathode and capable of supplying air thereto, a platinum group metal catalyst capable of promoting oxygen reduction reaction being provided at the stack cathode, the control unit being suitable for implementing the regeneration control method for a fuel cell system as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 8, and comprising: a regeneration enabling condition judgment module, configured to obtain in real time, in response to the start-up of the fuel cell system, a value of a parameter related to the performance degradation condition of the fuel cell stack, and judge whether a regeneration enabling condition is met based on the obtained value of the parameter; a shutdown event determination module, configured to detect the operating state of the fuel cell system and determine whether a predetermined shutdown event has occurred when confirming that the regeneration enabling condition is met; as well as The control module is configured to implement the following control processes: Upon confirming that a predetermined shutdown event has occurred, the regeneration process of the fuel cell stack is initiated in a timely manner in response to the occurrence of the shutdown event, wherein during the regeneration process, while requesting and ensuring the interruption of the air supply to the cathode of the fuel cell stack, the hydrogen supply to the anode of the fuel cell stack is requested and maintained, so that the hydrogen diffuses to the cathode of the fuel cell stack and forms a reducing environment at the cathode of the fuel cell stack, thereby reducing the metal oxide generated by the oxidation of the platinum group metal catalyst, thereby restoring the catalytic performance of the platinum group metal catalyst and achieving the regeneration of the fuel cell stack.

10. A computer-readable storage medium having executable instructions stored thereon, which, when executed by a processor, causes the processor to execute the regeneration control method for a fuel cell system according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

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