Vehicle-mounted hydrogen supply device and hydrogen internal combustion engine system

Abstract

The invention discloses a vehicle-mounted hydrogen supply device and a hydrogen internal combustion engine system.The vehicle-mounted hydrogen supply device comprises a flow divider, a first branch, a second branch and a controller, the flow divider is provided with a first inlet, a first outlet and a second outlet, and the first inlet is connected with a hydrogen tank; the first branch comprises a pressure reducing valve; two ends of the pressure reducing valve are respectively connected with the first outlet and the internal combustion engine; the second branch comprises a buffer tank, hydrogen is contained in the buffer tank, and the two ends of the buffer tank are connected with the second outlet and the internal combustion engine respectively; the controller is electrically connected with the diverter to control the first outlet and / or the second outlet of the diverter to be opened. The technical problems that waste and potential safety hazards are caused by excessive hydrogen under low power of an existing commercial vehicle vehicle-mounted hydrogen supply system, and large potential safety hazards exist due to the fact that power is lost immediately under the condition that the hydrogen amount of the whole vehicle is insufficient or a gas source is cut off due to faults are solved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of automobile hydrogen supply and storage equipment, and in particular to a vehicle-mounted hydrogen supply device and a hydrogen internal combustion engine system. Background Art

[0002] With the continuous increase in demand for traditional energy and the prominence of global warming, the development of clean energy vehicles is becoming increasingly important. Low-carbon, carbon-neutral and zero-carbonization of internal combustion engine fuels will be the future of internal combustion engines. Among them, hydrogen energy has attracted much attention due to its good combustion performance, near-zero pollutant emissions and the nature of being produced by renewable energy. Hydrogen internal combustion engines have significant advantages of zero carbon emissions, high efficiency and low cost, and have become one of the important directions of hydrogen energy application.

[0003] The on-board hydrogen supply systems currently used in hydrogen internal combustion engine vehicles are mostly modified based on the more mature on-board hydrogen systems for fuel cells. However, since hydrogen internal combustion engines have greater requirements for flow and pressure than fuel cells, there are certain difficulties in modification and control: on the one hand, most existing automotive pressure reducing valves use industrial-grade pressure reducing valves. Since the on-board hydrogen system supplies gas continuously and stably, the flow and pressure of the pressure reducing valve are fixed values ​​set at the factory and cannot be adjusted in real time. If the pressure reducing valve parameters are set according to the maximum flow, when the power demand of the internal combustion engine is relatively small, there will inevitably be an excess of hydrogen. However, the internal combustion engine is currently not equipped with a hydrogen circulation device. Excess hydrogen will be discharged with the exhaust gas, causing great waste, and if the amount of hydrogen discharged is too large, it will also cause safety hazards. On the other hand, for safety reasons, after various faults occur in the on-board hydrogen system (except for minor faults), the system's handling measures are basically to close the bottle valve to cut off the gas source. If the gas source is not cut off in time, it may cause damage to the hydrogen system components or accidents. Unlike fuel cell vehicles, hydrogen internal combustion engine vehicles are generally not equipped with power batteries. Therefore, when the hydrogen is exhausted or when the system fails and the gas source is cut off, the hydrogen internal combustion engine vehicle has no power source and can only wait for rescue on the spot, which poses a great safety hazard during driving. Summary of the invention

[0004] In order to overcome the above-mentioned deficiencies in the prior art, the present invention proposes a vehicle-mounted hydrogen supply device and a hydrogen internal combustion engine system, which are used to solve the technical problems that the existing commercial vehicle on-board hydrogen supply system has excessive hydrogen at low power, causing waste and safety hazards, and the whole vehicle immediately loses power when the hydrogen supply is insufficient or the gas source is cut off due to a fault, posing a major safety hazard.

[0005] In order to achieve the above technical objectives, the present invention adopts the following technical solutions: In a first aspect, the present invention provides a vehicle-mounted hydrogen supply device, comprising: A flow divider having a first inlet, a first outlet and a second outlet, wherein the first inlet is connected to a hydrogen tank; A first branch includes a pressure reducing valve, wherein two ends of the pressure reducing valve are respectively connected to the first outlet and the internal combustion engine; A second branch includes a buffer tank, wherein the buffer tank is filled with hydrogen, and two ends of the buffer tank are respectively connected to the second outlet and the internal combustion engine; A controller is electrically connected to the diverter to control the opening of the first outlet and / or the second outlet of the diverter, so that the first branch and the second branch supply hydrogen to the internal combustion engine separately, or the first branch and the second branch supply hydrogen to the internal combustion engine together.

[0006] In some embodiments, the first branch also includes a first switch valve and a first check valve, which are sequentially arranged at the hydrogen outflow end of the pressure reducing valve, the first check valve is connected to the internal combustion engine, and the first switch valve and the first check valve are electrically connected to the controller.

[0007] In some embodiments, the second branch further includes a second one-way valve and a second switch valve, the second one-way valve is connected to the hydrogen inlet end of the buffer tank, the second switch valve is connected to the hydrogen outlet end of the buffer tank, the second switch valve is connected to the internal combustion engine, and the second switch valve and the second one-way valve are electrically connected to the controller.

[0008] In some embodiments, the second branch further includes a proportional valve, which is disposed on the pipeline before the second switch valve, and the proportional valve is electrically connected to the controller.

[0009] In some embodiments, the second branch further includes a pressure sensor, a measuring end of the pressure sensor is disposed in the buffer tank, and the pressure sensor is electrically connected to the controller.

[0010] In some embodiments, the second branch further includes a pressure relief valve, which is in communication with the buffer tank and is used to adjust the pressure in the buffer tank, and the pressure relief valve is electrically connected to the controller.

[0011] In some embodiments, the second branch also includes a combiner, which is disposed on the pipeline between the buffer tank and the proportional valve, and has a second inlet, a third inlet and a third outlet, the second inlet is connected to the buffer tank, the third inlet is connected to the second outlet, the third outlet is connected to the proportional valve, and the combiner is electrically connected to the controller.

[0012] In some embodiments, the combiner and the splitter are both three-way valves.

[0013] In some embodiments, the controller is a HMS service center.

[0014] In a second aspect, the present invention provides a hydrogen internal combustion engine system, which includes a hydrogen tank, an internal combustion engine and the vehicle-mounted hydrogen supply device provided in the first aspect of the present invention, wherein the hydrogen tank is connected to the diverter, and the diverter is connected to the internal combustion engine through the first branch and the second branch.

[0015] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of the present invention mainly include: The present invention provides a vehicle-mounted hydrogen supply device and a hydrogen internal combustion engine system. On the basis of an existing vehicle-mounted hydrogen system for fuel cell vehicles, a vehicle-mounted hydrogen supply device is added between a hydrogen tank and an internal combustion engine. The vehicle-mounted hydrogen supply device connects two branches, namely a first branch and a second branch, through a diverter, and under the control of a controller, can realize a mode in which the first branch and the second branch supply hydrogen to the internal combustion engine separately and jointly. When the internal combustion engine is running at low power, only the first branch supplies hydrogen to it with a relatively small flow rate, thereby solving the problems of excessive waste of hydrogen and potential safety hazards. When the hydrogen tank is short of gas or the gas source is cut off due to a fault, only the second branch supplies hydrogen to it. At this time, the hydrogen in the buffer tank can maintain the normal operation of the entire vehicle until it is parked in a safe place, thereby solving the technical problem of immediate power loss when the gas source is cut off. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016] Figure 1 It is a simplified structural diagram of the vehicle-mounted hydrogen supply device of the present invention.

[0017] The following are the descriptions of the reference numerals: 100, flow divider, 101, first inlet, 102, first outlet, 103, second outlet; 200, first branch, 210, pressure reducing valve, 220, first switch valve, 230, first check valve; 300, second branch, 310, buffer tank, 320, second one-way valve, 330, second switch valve, 340, proportional valve, 350, pressure sensor, 360, pressure relief valve, 370, combiner, 371, second inlet, 372, third inlet, 373, third outlet; 400. Hydrogen tank; 500. Internal combustion engine. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0018] In order to make the purpose, technical solution and advantages of the present invention more clearly understood, the present invention is further described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are only used to explain the present invention and are not intended to limit the present invention.

[0019] In the description of the present invention, it is to be understood that the terms “center”, “longitudinal”, “lateral”, “length”, “width”, “thickness”, “up”, “down”, “front”, “back”, “left”, “right”, “vertical”, “horizontal”, “top”, “bottom”, “inside”, “outside”, “clockwise”, “counterclockwise”, “axial”, “radial”, “circumferential”, etc., indicating orientations or positional relationships are based on the orientations or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing the present invention and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be understood as limiting the present invention.

[0020] In addition, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of the indicated technical features. Therefore, the features defined as "first" and "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of the features. In the description of the present invention, the meaning of "plurality" is two or more, unless otherwise clearly and specifically defined.

[0021] In the present invention, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, the terms "installed", "connected", "connected", "fixed" and the like should be understood in a broad sense, for example, it can be directly connected, detachably connected, or integrally connected; it can be mechanically connected or electrically connected; it can be directly connected, or indirectly connected through an intermediate medium, or it can be internal communication between two components. For ordinary technicians in this field, the specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention can be understood according to specific circumstances.

[0022] It should be noted that when an element is referred to as being "fixed to" or "disposed on" another element, it may be directly on the other element or there may be a central element. When an element is considered to be "connected to" another element, it may be directly connected to the other element or there may be a central element at the same time. The terms "vertical", "horizontal", "upper", "lower", "left", "right" and similar expressions used herein are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to be the only implementation method.

[0023] The on-board hydrogen systems currently used in hydrogen internal combustion engine vehicles are mostly improved from on-board hydrogen systems used in fuel cells, which are difficult to meet the flow and pressure requirements of hydrogen internal combustion engines. Therefore, the present invention designs an on-board hydrogen supply device and a hydrogen internal combustion engine system to solve the technical problems of excessive hydrogen production and waste of resources under low power and immediate loss of power of the entire vehicle when the hydrogen supply is insufficient or the gas source is cut off due to a fault, posing a safety hazard.

[0024] First, as Figure 1As shown, the present invention provides a vehicle-mounted hydrogen supply device, including a splitter 100, a first branch 200, a second branch 300 and a controller, wherein the splitter 100 has a first inlet 101, a first outlet 102 and a second outlet 103, wherein the first inlet 101 is connected to a hydrogen tank 400; the first branch 200 includes a pressure reducing valve 210, wherein the pressure reducing valve 210 uses an existing normal vehicle-grade large-flow pressure reducing valve, and the two ends of the pressure reducing valve 210 are respectively connected to the first outlet 102 and an internal combustion engine 500; the second branch 300 includes a buffer tank 310, wherein the buffer tank 310 has a The buffer tank 310 is filled with hydrogen, and both ends of the buffer tank 310 are respectively connected to the second outlet 103 and the internal combustion engine 500, that is, the present invention sets a first branch 200 and a second branch 300 between the hydrogen tank 400 and the internal combustion engine 500; the diverter 100 is electrically connected to the controller to control the first outlet 102 and / or the second outlet 103 of the diverter 100 to open, so that the first branch 200 and the second branch 300 respectively supply hydrogen to the internal combustion engine 500, or the first branch 200 and the second branch 300 jointly supply hydrogen to the internal combustion engine 500.

[0025] The above technical solution is to add an on-board hydrogen supply device between the hydrogen tank 400 and the internal combustion engine 500 on the basis of the existing on-board hydrogen system for fuel cell vehicles. Under the control of the controller, the first branch 200 and the second branch 300 supply hydrogen to the internal combustion engine 500 separately and jointly. When the internal combustion engine 500 is running at low power, only the first branch 200 supplies hydrogen to it with a smaller flow rate, which solves the problem of excessive waste of hydrogen and potential safety hazards; when the hydrogen tank 400 is insufficient in gas supply or the gas supply is cut off due to a fault, only the second branch 300 supplies hydrogen to it. At this time, the hydrogen in the buffer tank 310 can maintain the normal operation of the entire vehicle until it is parked in a safe place, which solves the technical problem of immediate loss of power when the gas supply is cut off.

[0026] At the same time, most hydrogen refueling stations currently have a pressure of 35MPa. Due to temperature changes during hydrogen refueling and other issues, it is difficult to fill up the tank after actual hydrogen refueling. The internal combustion engine 500 may require an intake pressure of up to 5Mpa or more. This results in the residual pressure in the hydrogen tank 400 always being higher than 5MPa (even higher considering flow requirements and stability) without affecting engine performance. The available pressure is reduced to below 30MPa, which greatly reduces the cruising range. The present invention can store a portion of hydrogen by providing a buffer tank 310, which appropriately increases the cruising range.

[0027] In one embodiment, the first branch 200 is composed of a pressure reducing valve 210, a first switch valve 220 and a first check valve 230, and the pressure reducing valve 210, the first switch valve 220 and the first check valve 230 are arranged in sequence, and finally the first check valve 230 is connected to the internal combustion engine 500, and the first switch valve 220 and the first check valve 230 are electrically connected to the controller.

[0028] In this embodiment, the pressure reducing valve 210 is used to reduce the pressure and flow of hydrogen. Therefore, the first branch 200 is used to supply hydrogen to the internal combustion engine 500 when the vehicle is running at a lower power to avoid excessive waste of hydrogen.

[0029] It can be understood that the lower power of the vehicle generally refers to when the vehicle is just started or needs to run at low power, which can be specifically detected and controlled by the controller.

[0030] In one embodiment, the second branch 300 is composed of a buffer tank 310, a second one-way valve 320, and a second switch valve 330, the second one-way valve 320 is connected to the hydrogen inlet end of the buffer tank 310, the second switch valve 330 is connected to the hydrogen outlet end of the buffer tank 310, the second switch valve 330 is connected to the internal combustion engine 500, and the second switch valve 320 and the second one-way valve 330 are electrically connected to the controller.

[0031] In this embodiment, the buffer tank 310 is used to store a portion of hydrogen. Therefore, the second branch 300 is mainly used to continue to supply hydrogen to the internal combustion engine 500 when the hydrogen in the hydrogen tank 400 is insufficient or the gas source is cut off, so as to make up for the lack of any power due to the lack of gas source.

[0032] At the same time, during normal driving of the vehicle, as the power increases, the first branch 200 and the second branch 300 can also be used simultaneously to supply hydrogen to the internal combustion engine 500 to meet high power requirements.

[0033] In one embodiment, the second branch 300 further includes a proportional valve 340, which is disposed on the pipeline before the second switch valve 330, and the proportional valve 340 is electrically connected to the controller. The controller controls the proportional valve 340 to adjust the flow rate and pressure of hydrogen to a desired ratio.

[0034] In one embodiment, the second branch 300 further includes a pressure sensor 350, a measuring end of the pressure sensor 350 is disposed in the buffer tank 310, and the pressure sensor 350 is electrically connected to the controller for real-time monitoring of the pressure in the buffer tank 310 to ensure safe use of the buffer tank 310.

[0035] In one embodiment, the second branch 300 further includes a pressure relief valve 360 ​​, which is in communication with the buffer tank 310 and is used to adjust the pressure in the buffer tank 310 , and the pressure relief valve 360 ​​is electrically connected to the controller.

[0036] In one embodiment, the second branch 300 also includes a combiner 370, which is disposed on the pipeline between the buffer tank 310 and the proportional valve 340. The combiner 370 has a second inlet 371, a third inlet 372 and a third outlet 373. The second inlet 371 is connected to the buffer tank 310, the third inlet 372 is connected to the second outlet 103, and the third outlet 373 is connected to the proportional valve 340. The combiner 370 is electrically connected to the controller.

[0037] That is to say, in this embodiment, the second branch 300 is divided into two branches through a combiner 370, one branch is supplied with hydrogen through the buffer tank 310, and the other branch is directly supplied with hydrogen through the hydrogen tank 400. The hydrogen supplied through the buffer tank 310 can continue to supply hydrogen to the internal combustion engine 500 when the hydrogen amount in the hydrogen tank 400 is insufficient.

[0038] In one embodiment, the combiner 370 and the splitter 100 are three-way valves commonly used in the art.

[0039] In one embodiment, the controller is an HMS service center, which is a collective name for some Huawei software and is a Huawei mobile service system.

[0040] The working principle of the vehicle-mounted hydrogen supply device provided by the present invention includes: 1. Solve the problem of excessive hydrogen at low power: 1. When the vehicle is just started or running at low power, only the first outlet 102 of the flow divider 100, the first switch valve 220 and the first check valve 230 are opened by the controller. Since the flow rate of the pressure reducing valve 210 is smaller than the flow rate required by the internal combustion engine 500, the flow rate of the internal combustion engine 500 is met without causing a large amount of hydrogen to be discharged; 2. During driving, as the power increases, when the flow rate required by the internal combustion engine 500 is greater than the maximum flow rate of the pressure reducing valve 210, the second outlet 103 of the diverter 100, the second switch valve 330 and the second one-way valve 320 are opened, and the second branch 300 and the first branch 200 are opened to supply gas to the internal combustion engine 500 at the same time. The internal combustion engine 500 feeds back the hydrogen flow rate demand to the controller according to the power, and the controller gradually increases the proportional valve 340 according to the increase in the flow rate demand, so that the internal combustion engine 500 can always meet the demand without excessive flow, and can operate normally while avoiding waste.

[0041] 2. Solve the problem of immediate power loss when the gas source is cut off: 1. After the vehicle is powered on each time and before the internal combustion engine 500 starts to supply gas, the on-board hydrogen system performs a self-check and reads the value of the pressure sensor 350, i.e., the gas pressure in the buffer tank 310. If it is lower than the current pressure of the hydrogen system hydrogen tank 400, the second outlet 103 of the splitter 100 is opened to replenish the gas pressure in the buffer tank 310 to the current pressure and then close the second outlet 103. During this period, the first outlet 102 can remain open without affecting the ignition of the internal combustion engine 500. The combiner 370 is closed to keep the pressure in the buffer tank 310 at the pressure when the vehicle is started. 2. During driving, as hydrogen is used, when the residual pressure of hydrogen drops to a level that affects the inlet pressure and flow of the internal combustion engine 500, the combiner 370 is opened, and the high-pressure gas in the buffer tank 310 is used as a supplement for the pressure and flow, so that the internal combustion engine 500 can continue to operate normally; 3. When the hydrogen is exhausted or the bottle valve is closed and the gas source is cut off due to a hydrogen system failure, if it is determined that the failure will not directly affect driving safety (such as low bottle pressure, low bottle temperature, communication failure and various secondary failures), the first outlet 102 of the separator 100 is closed, and the second inlet 372 of the combiner 370 is opened, so that the buffer tank 310 independently supplies gas to the internal combustion engine 500, so that the vehicle can drive to the next hydrogen filling station or park in a safe place; 4. The pressure relief valve 360 ​​is provided for safety and releases the pressure in time when the pressure in the buffer tank 310 becomes abnormal.

[0042] In a second aspect, the present invention provides a hydrogen internal combustion engine system, comprising a hydrogen tank 400, an internal combustion engine 500 and the vehicle-mounted hydrogen supply device provided in the first aspect of the present invention, the hydrogen tank 400 is connected to the diverter 100, and the diverter 100 is connected to the internal combustion engine 500 through the first branch 200 and the second branch 300.

[0043] In summary, the vehicle-mounted hydrogen supply device and hydrogen internal combustion engine provided by the present invention have the following beneficial effects: 1. The buffer tank 310 can be used to increase the hydrogen utilization rate and slightly increase the cruising range; 2. Increased gas supply stability of the on-board hydrogen supply device; 3. Reduce the occurrence of excessive hydrogen at low power; 4. When the hydrogen supply device fails and the hydrogen bottle valve needs to be closed, the vehicle will not lose power immediately and can support normal driving to a safe area for parking; 5. When hydrogen is about to be exhausted, it is used as backup gas to supply the vehicle to the nearest hydrogen refueling station or a safe area for parking.

[0044] The specific implementation of the present invention described above does not constitute a limitation on the protection scope of the present invention. Any other corresponding changes and modifications made based on the technical concept of the present invention should be included in the protection scope of the claims of the present invention.

Claims

1. A vehicle-mounted hydrogen supply device, characterized in that: include: A flow divider having a first inlet, a first outlet and a second outlet, wherein the first inlet is connected to a hydrogen tank; A first branch includes a pressure reducing valve, wherein two ends of the pressure reducing valve are respectively connected to the first outlet and the internal combustion engine; The second branch includes a buffer tank, the buffer tank is filled with hydrogen, and two ends of the buffer tank are respectively connected to the second outlet and the internal combustion engine; A controller is electrically connected to the diverter to control the opening of the first outlet and / or the second outlet of the diverter, so that the first branch and the second branch supply hydrogen to the internal combustion engine separately, or the first branch and the second branch supply hydrogen to the internal combustion engine together.

2. The vehicle-mounted hydrogen supply device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The first branch also includes a first switch valve and a first check valve, which are sequentially arranged at the hydrogen outflow end of the pressure reducing valve, the first check valve is connected to the internal combustion engine, and the first switch valve and the first check valve are electrically connected to the controller.

3. The vehicle-mounted hydrogen supply device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The second branch also includes a second one-way valve and a second switch valve, the second one-way valve is connected to the hydrogen inlet end of the buffer tank, the second switch valve is connected to the hydrogen outlet end of the buffer tank, the second switch valve is connected to the internal combustion engine, and the second switch valve and the second one-way valve are electrically connected to the controller.

4. The vehicle-mounted hydrogen supply device according to claim 3, characterized in that: The second branch further includes a proportional valve, which is disposed on the pipeline before the second switch valve and is electrically connected to the controller.

5. The vehicle-mounted hydrogen supply device according to claim 4, characterized in that: The second branch further includes a pressure sensor, a measuring end of the pressure sensor is arranged in the buffer tank, and the pressure sensor is electrically connected to the controller.

6. The vehicle-mounted hydrogen supply device according to claim 5, characterized in that: The second branch further includes a pressure relief valve, which is communicated with the buffer tank and is used to adjust the pressure in the buffer tank, and the pressure relief valve is electrically connected to the controller.

7. The vehicle-mounted hydrogen supply device according to claim 6, characterized in that: The second branch also includes a combiner, which is arranged on the pipeline between the buffer tank and the proportional valve. The combiner has a second inlet, a third inlet and a third outlet. The second inlet is connected to the buffer tank, the third inlet is connected to the second outlet, and the third outlet is connected to the proportional valve. The combiner is electrically connected to the controller.

8. The vehicle-mounted hydrogen supply device according to claim 7, characterized in that: The combiner and the splitter are both three-way valves.

9. The vehicle-mounted hydrogen supply device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The controller is an HMS service center.

10. A hydrogen internal combustion engine system, characterized in that: It comprises a hydrogen tank, an internal combustion engine and the vehicle-mounted hydrogen supply device according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the hydrogen tank is connected to the splitter, and the splitter is connected to the internal combustion engine through the first branch and the second branch.

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