Humidification system for fuel cell, control method and processor

Abstract

The invention provides a humidifying system for a fuel cell, a control method and a processor, and the system comprises a humidifying unit which is used for carrying out the dry-wet exchange of wet and hot waste gas and dry air, and discharging the wet air generated after the dry-wet exchange to an electric pile of the fuel cell; the electromagnetic valve is used for controlling the amount of the passing dry air; the humidity sensor is used for detecting the humidity value of the air subjected to dry-wet exchange; the fuel cell controller is used for sending out a control instruction according to the running state of the fuel cell; and the humidifier controller is used for receiving a control instruction of the fuel cell controller and comparing the control instruction with an air humidity value detected by the humidity sensor so as to adjust the opening degree of the electromagnetic valve. According to the invention, the single humidifying mode of the humidifier of the conventional fuel cell system is overcome, and the humidifying effect can be adjusted according to different running states of the fuel cell, so that the working efficiency of the fuel cell is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to the field of fuel cell technology, and in particular to a humidification system, a control method, and a processor for a fuel cell. Background Art

[0002] A humidifier is used in the fuel cell system to increase the moisture content of the air entering the stack to keep the proton exchange membrane moist, prevent the membrane from drying up, extend the battery life and improve the system efficiency. As the power of the fuel cell system increases, high-power fuel cells have a wider power output band (such as low power 80kW, high power 300kW), and the humidity requirements for the air are different when working at different powers, and the humidity bandwidth becomes larger.

[0003] For example, when the fuel cell is working at high power (such as 300kW), the stack generates more heat. Due to the high working temperature, the membrane electrode is easy to dry. The humidifier needs to improve the humidification effect and increase the humidity of the air at the outlet to meet the requirements of the fuel cell system for air humidity; when the fuel cell is working at low power (such as 80kW), the stack generates less heat, the working temperature is low, and the membrane electrode is not easy to dry. The humidifier needs to reduce the humidification effect and reduce the humidity of the air at the outlet to meet the requirements of the fuel cell system for air humidity. Therefore, the humidifier with a single humidification mode used in the existing fuel cell system cannot fully cover the humidification needs under different powers. Summary of the invention

[0004] A technical problem to be solved by the present disclosure is that the air humidity values ​​required by the fuel cell at different powers are different, while the air humidity at the air outlet of the humidifier in a single humidification mode is a unique fixed value, which cannot meet the humidification requirements of the fuel cell at different powers.

[0005] To solve the above technical problems, the first aspect of the present invention provides a humidification system for a fuel cell, which comprises: a humidification unit, which is used to perform dry-wet exchange between humid and hot exhaust gas and dry air, and discharge the humid air generated after the dry-wet exchange to the fuel cell stack; an electromagnetic valve, which is arranged at the connecting channel between dry air and humid air outside the humidification unit, and is used to control the amount of dry air passing through; a humidity sensor, which is arranged behind the humidification unit, and is used to detect the air humidity value after the dry-wet exchange; a fuel cell controller, which issues control instructions according to the operating status of the fuel cell; and a humidifier controller, which receives the control instructions of the fuel cell controller and compares the air humidity value detected by the humidity sensor to adjust the opening of the electromagnetic valve.

[0006] In some embodiments, the humidification system further includes: a waste gas inlet, through which the waste gas generated by the fuel cell stack is discharged into the humidification unit; and a waste gas outlet, which discharges the waste gas after being utilized by the humidification unit.

[0007] In some embodiments, the humidification system further includes: a dry air inlet, through which dry air discharged from the intercooler of the fuel cell is discharged into the humidification unit; and a wet air outlet, through which the wet air generated after dry-wet exchange in the humidification unit is discharged to the fuel cell stack.

[0008] In some embodiments, issuing control instructions according to the operating state of the fuel cell includes: when the fuel cell operates at high power, the fuel cell controller issues an instruction to increase humidification; and when the fuel cell operates at low power, the fuel cell controller issues an instruction to reduce humidification.

[0009] In some embodiments, a control instruction of a fuel cell controller is received and compared with the humidity value detected by a humidity sensor to adjust the opening of the solenoid valve, including: according to an instruction to increase humidification, the humidity value detected by the humidity sensor is compared, and if the humidity value is less than a preset value, the opening of the solenoid valve is reduced; and if the humidity value is greater than a preset value, the opening of the solenoid valve is increased.

[0010] In some embodiments, receiving a control instruction from a fuel cell controller and comparing the humidity value detected by a humidity sensor to adjust the opening of the solenoid valve also includes: according to an instruction to reduce humidification, comparing the humidity value detected by the humidity sensor, if the humidity value is greater than a preset value, increasing the opening of the solenoid valve; and if the humidity value is less than a preset value, reducing the opening of the solenoid valve.

[0011] A second aspect of the present invention provides a control method for a fuel cell humidification system, the control method comprising: determining the humidity value required for the fuel cell stack according to the operating state of the fuel cell; and controlling the opening of the solenoid valve located at the connecting channel between dry air and wet air outside the humidification unit according to the required humidity value and the humidity value detected by the humidity sensor located behind the humidification unit, so that the humidity value of the wet air discharged to the stack after the dry-wet exchange in the humidification unit meets the required humidity value.

[0012] In some embodiments, determining the required humidity value for the fuel cell stack based on the operating state of the fuel cell includes: when the fuel cell is operating at high power, the required humidity value is a first humidity value; and when the fuel cell is operating at low power, the required humidity value is a second humidity value, and the second humidity value is less than the first humidity value.

[0013] In some embodiments, based on the required humidity value and the humidity value detected by the humidity sensor located behind the humidification unit, controlling the opening of the solenoid valve located at the connecting channel between the dry air and the wet air outside the humidification unit includes: comparing the first humidity value with the humidity value detected by the humidity sensor, if the humidity value is less than the first humidity value, reducing the opening of the solenoid valve; if the humidity value is greater than the first humidity value, increasing the opening of the solenoid valve; and comparing the second humidity value with the humidity value detected by the humidity sensor, if the humidity value is greater than the second humidity value, increasing the opening of the solenoid valve; if the humidity value is less than the second humidity value, reducing the opening of the solenoid valve.

[0014] A third aspect of the present invention provides a processor for running a program, wherein the program, when run, is used to execute a control method for a fuel cell humidification system.

[0015] Through the above technical scheme, a humidification system, control method and processor for a fuel cell provided by the present invention creatively send control instructions to a humidifier controller according to the operating state of the fuel cell through the fuel cell controller, and adjust the opening of the solenoid valve according to the operating state of the fuel cell and the air humidity value detected by the humidity sensor. By adjusting the opening of the solenoid valve to change the amount of dry air entering the humidification unit, and then changing the humidity value of the output air, the purpose of changing the humidification effect is achieved. Therefore, the present invention can flexibly adjust the humidification effect of the humidifier according to the different operating states of the fuel cell. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present disclosure or the technical solutions in the prior art, the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the description of the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present disclosure. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying any creative work.

[0017] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the structure of a humidification system for a fuel cell disclosed in an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0018] Description of reference numerals:

[0019] 1. Dry air inlet; 2. Exhaust gas outlet; 3. Exhaust gas inlet; 4. Humidity sensor; 5. Wet air outlet; 6. Humidification unit; 7. Solenoid valve; 8. Humidifier controller; 9. Fuel cell controller. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0020] The following is a further detailed description of the embodiments of the present disclosure in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and examples. The detailed description of the following embodiments and the accompanying drawings are used to exemplarily illustrate the principles of the present disclosure, but cannot be used to limit the scope of the present disclosure. The present disclosure can be implemented in many different forms and is not limited to the specific embodiments disclosed herein, but includes all technical solutions that fall within the scope of the claims.

[0021] The present disclosure provides these embodiments to make the present disclosure thorough and complete, and to fully express the scope of the present disclosure to those skilled in the art. It should be noted that unless otherwise specifically stated, the relative arrangement of the parts and steps, the composition of the materials, the numerical expressions and the numerical values ​​set forth in these embodiments should be interpreted as being merely exemplary, and not as limiting.

[0022] It should be noted that, in the description of the present disclosure, unless otherwise specified, the meaning of "multiple" is greater than or equal to two; the terms "upper", "lower", "left", "right", "inner", "outer", etc., indicating the orientation or positional relationship, are only for the convenience of describing the present disclosure 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 cannot be understood as a limitation of the present disclosure. When the absolute position of the object being described changes, the relative positional relationship may also change accordingly.

[0023] In addition, the words "first", "second" and similar words used in the present disclosure do not indicate any order, quantity or importance, but are only used to distinguish different parts. "Vertical" does not mean vertical in the strict sense, but is within the tolerance range. "Parallel" does not mean parallel in the strict sense, but is within the tolerance range. "Include" or "comprising" and similar words mean that the elements before the word include the elements listed after the word, and do not exclude the possibility of including other elements.

[0024] It should also be noted that in the description of the present disclosure, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, the terms "installed", "connected", and "connected" should be understood in a broad sense. For example, it can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; it can be directly connected or indirectly connected through an intermediate medium. For ordinary technicians in this field, the specific meanings of the above terms in the present disclosure can be understood according to the specific circumstances. When a specific device is described as being located between a first device and a second device, there may or may not be an intermediate device between the specific device and the first device or the second device.

[0025] All terms used in the present disclosure have the same meanings as those understood by those of ordinary skill in the art to which the present disclosure belongs, unless otherwise specifically defined. It should also be understood that terms defined in general dictionaries, for example, should be interpreted as having meanings consistent with their meanings in the context of the relevant technology, and should not be interpreted in an idealized or extremely formal sense, unless explicitly defined as such herein.

[0026] Technologies, methods, and equipment known to ordinary technicians in the relevant art may not be discussed in detail, but where appropriate, the technologies, methods, and equipment should be considered part of the specification.

[0027] Example

[0028] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a humidification system for a fuel cell disclosed in an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 1 As shown, the humidification system includes: a humidification unit 6, which is used to perform dry-wet exchange between humid and hot exhaust gas and dry air, and discharge the wet air generated after the dry-wet exchange to the fuel cell stack; an electromagnetic valve 7, which is placed at the connection channel between dry air and wet air outside the humidification unit 6, and is used to control the amount of dry air passing through; a humidity sensor 4, which is placed behind the humidification unit 6, and is used to detect the air humidity value after the dry-wet exchange; a fuel cell controller 9, which issues control instructions according to the operating status of the fuel cell; and a humidifier controller 8, which receives the control instructions of the fuel cell controller 9 and compares the air humidity value detected by the humidity sensor 4 to adjust the opening of the electromagnetic valve 7.

[0029] The present invention uses the fuel cell controller 9 to send control instructions to the humidifier controller 8 according to the different operating states of the fuel cell, and the humidifier controller 8 sends an opening signal to the solenoid valve 7 according to the control instruction; at the same time, the humidity sensor 4 monitors the air humidity value of the wet air outlet in real time, feeds back to the humidifier controller 8, compares the real-time humidity value with the preset value, and the humidifier controller 8 will increase or decrease the opening of the solenoid valve 7 accordingly according to the comparison difference, thereby adjusting the amount of dry air entering the humidification unit 6, and adjusting the humidity value of the wet air by adjusting the ratio of dry air to wet air. The humidification system can interact with the fuel cell controller 9 through the humidifier controller 8 to achieve real-time control of the air humidity value of the wet air outlet 5 in the humidification system, overcome the single humidification mode of the current fuel cell system humidifier, and can adjust the humidification effect according to the different operating states of the fuel cell, improve the working efficiency of the fuel cell system, prevent the membrane electrode from being too dry or too wet, and increase the life of the fuel cell system.

[0030] In some embodiments, the humidification system further includes: a waste gas inlet 3 , through which the waste gas generated by the fuel cell stack is discharged into the humidification unit 6 ; and a waste gas outlet 2 , which discharges the waste gas after being utilized by the humidification unit 6 .

[0031] Specifically, after the humid and hot exhaust gas enters the humidification unit 6, the moisture in the exhaust gas is exchanged with the dry air to humidify the dry air. It can be understood that in the embodiment of the present disclosure, the source of moisture required by the humidification unit 6 is the moisture in the exhaust gas, and those skilled in the art can replace the moisture source according to the specific application field.

[0032] In some embodiments, the humidification system further includes: a dry air inlet 1, through which the dry air discharged from the intercooler of the fuel cell is discharged into the humidification unit 6; and a wet air outlet 5, which discharges the wet air generated after the dry-wet exchange in the humidification unit 6 to the fuel cell stack.

[0033] Specifically, in the embodiment of the present disclosure, the humid air generated after the dry-wet exchange of the humidification unit 6 is discharged to the fuel cell stack to prevent the membrane electrode from being too dry or too wet. It should be noted that the discharge of the humid air to the fuel cell stack is only exemplary, and those skilled in the art can discharge the generated humid air to any desired location according to actual needs.

[0034] In some embodiments, issuing control instructions according to the operating state of the fuel cell includes: when the fuel cell operates at high power, the fuel cell controller 9 issues an instruction to increase humidification; and when the fuel cell operates at low power, the fuel cell controller 9 issues an instruction to reduce humidification.

[0035] It is understandable that when the fuel cell is operating at high power, more heat is generated in the stack. Due to the high operating temperature, the membrane electrode is easy to dry out. The humidification system needs to improve the humidification effect and increase the humidity of the air at the outlet to meet the fuel cell system's requirements for air humidity. When the fuel cell is operating at low power, less heat is generated in the stack, the operating temperature is low, and the membrane electrode is not easy to dry out. The humidification system needs to reduce the humidification effect and reduce the humidity of the air at the outlet to meet the fuel cell system's requirements for air humidity.

[0036] In some embodiments, a control instruction of the fuel cell controller 9 is received and compared with the humidity value detected by the humidity sensor 4 to adjust the opening of the solenoid valve 7, including: according to an instruction to increase humidification, the humidity value detected by the humidity sensor 4 is compared, and if the humidity value is less than a preset value, the opening of the solenoid valve 7 is reduced; and if the humidity value is greater than a preset value, the opening of the solenoid valve 7 is increased.

[0037] It can be understood that when an instruction to increase humidification is received, a higher humidity value is required, compared with the real-time humidity value detected by the humidity sensor 4. If the humidity value is less than the preset value, the opening of the solenoid valve 7 is reduced to allow more dry air to enter the humidification unit 6, so as to increase the amount of humidified air and thus improve the humidification effect; if the humidity value is greater than the preset value, the opening of the solenoid valve 7 is increased to reduce the amount of dry air entering the humidification unit 6, so that the dry air passes through the air passage where the solenoid valve 7 is located, and is mixed with the humidified air and discharged together at the wet air outlet 5, thereby reducing the air humidity.

[0038] In some embodiments, receiving control instructions from the fuel cell controller 9 and comparing the humidity value detected by the humidity sensor 4 to adjust the opening of the solenoid valve 7 also includes: according to an instruction to reduce humidification, comparing the humidity value detected by the humidity sensor 4, if the humidity value is greater than a preset value, increasing the opening of the solenoid valve 7; and if the humidity value is less than a preset value, reducing the opening of the solenoid valve 7.

[0039] It can be understood that when an instruction to reduce humidification is received, the humidity value needs to be lowered and compared with the real-time humidity value detected by the humidity sensor 4. If the humidity value is greater than the preset value, the opening of the solenoid valve 7 is increased to allow more dry air to pass through the passage where the solenoid valve 7 is located and reduce the amount of dry air entering the humidification unit 6; if the humidity value is less than the preset value, the opening of the solenoid valve 7 is reduced to allow more dry air to enter the humidification unit 6 for dry-wet exchange.

[0040] A second aspect of an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a control method for a fuel cell humidification system, the method comprising: determining a humidity value required for the fuel cell stack according to the operating state of the fuel cell; and controlling the opening of a solenoid valve 7 located at a connection channel between dry air and wet air outside the humidification unit 6 according to the required humidity value and a humidity value detected by a humidity sensor 4 located behind the humidification unit 6, so that the humidity value of the wet air discharged to the stack after dry-wet exchange through the humidification unit 6 meets the required humidity value.

[0041] In some embodiments, determining the required humidity value for the fuel cell stack based on the operating state of the fuel cell includes: when the fuel cell is operating at high power, the required humidity value is a first humidity value; and when the fuel cell is operating at low power, the required humidity value is a second humidity value, and the second humidity value is less than the first humidity value.

[0042] In some embodiments, according to the required humidity value and the humidity value detected by the humidity sensor 4 located behind the humidification unit 6, controlling the opening of the solenoid valve 7 located at the connecting channel between the dry air and the wet air outside the humidification unit 6 includes: comparing the first humidity value with the humidity value detected by the humidity sensor 4, if the humidity value is less than the first humidity value, reducing the opening of the solenoid valve 7; if the humidity value is greater than the first humidity value, increasing the opening of the solenoid valve 7; and comparing the second humidity value with the humidity value detected by the humidity sensor 4, if the humidity value is greater than the second humidity value, increasing the opening of the solenoid valve 7; if the humidity value is less than the second humidity value, reducing the opening of the solenoid valve 7.

[0043] A third aspect of an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a processor for running a program, wherein the program, when being run, is used to execute a control method for a fuel cell humidification system.

[0044] So far, various embodiments of the present disclosure have been described in detail. In order to avoid obscuring the concept of the present disclosure, some details known in the art are not described. Based on the above description, those skilled in the art can fully understand how to implement the technical solution disclosed here.

[0045] Although some specific embodiments of the present disclosure have been described in detail by way of examples, it should be understood by those skilled in the art that the above examples are for illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure. It should be understood by those skilled in the art that the above embodiments may be modified or some technical features may be replaced by equivalents without departing from the scope and spirit of the present disclosure. In particular, the various technical features mentioned in the various embodiments may be combined in any manner as long as there is no structural conflict.

[0046] It should also be noted that the terms "include", "comprises" or any other variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, so that a product or device including a series of elements includes not only those elements, but also other elements not explicitly listed, or also includes elements inherent to such product or device. In the absence of more restrictions, the elements defined by the sentence "comprises a ..." do not exclude the existence of other identical elements in the product or device including the elements.

[0047] The acquisition, transmission, storage, use, and processing of data in the technical solution of this application comply with the relevant provisions of national laws and regulations.

[0048] The above are only embodiments of the present application and are not intended to limit the present application. For those skilled in the art, the present application may have various changes and variations. Any modification, equivalent replacement, improvement, etc. made within the spirit and principle of the present application should be included within the scope of the claims of the present application.

Claims

1. A humidification system for a fuel cell, characterized in that: include: A humidifying unit (6) is used to perform a dry-wet exchange between the hot and humid exhaust gas and the dry air, and discharge the humid air generated after the dry-wet exchange to the fuel cell stack; A solenoid valve (7) is disposed at the connection passage between dry air and humid air outside the humidification unit (6) and is used to control the amount of dry air passing therethrough; A humidity sensor (4) is placed behind the humidifying unit (6) and is used to detect the humidity value of the air after the dry-wet exchange; A fuel cell controller (9) that issues control instructions according to the operating state of the fuel cell; and A humidifier controller (8) receives a control instruction from the fuel cell controller (9) and compares the air humidity value detected by the humidity sensor (4) to adjust the opening of the solenoid valve (7).

2. The humidification system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The humidification system also includes: An exhaust gas inlet (3), through which the exhaust gas generated by the fuel cell stack is discharged into the humidification unit (6); The waste gas outlet (2) discharges the waste gas after being utilized by the humidification unit (6).

3. The humidification system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The humidification system also includes: A dry air inlet (1), through which dry air discharged from an intercooler of the fuel cell is discharged into the humidification unit (6); The wet air outlet (5) discharges the wet air generated after the dry-wet exchange in the humidifying unit (6) to the fuel cell stack.

4. The humidification system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The issuing of a control instruction according to the operating state of the fuel cell comprises: When the fuel cell is running at high power, the fuel cell controller (9) issues an instruction to increase humidification; and When the fuel cell operates at low power, the fuel cell controller (9) issues an instruction to reduce humidification.

5. The humidification system according to claim 4, characterized in that: The receiving of the control instruction of the fuel cell controller (9) and comparing the humidity value detected by the humidity sensor (4) to adjust the opening of the solenoid valve (7) comprises: According to the instruction to increase humidification, the humidity value detected by the humidity sensor (4) is compared, and if the humidity value is less than a preset value, the opening of the solenoid valve (7) is reduced; and If the humidity value is greater than a preset value, the opening of the solenoid valve (7) is increased.

6. The humidification system according to claim 4, characterized in that: The receiving of the control instruction of the fuel cell controller (9) and comparing the humidity value detected by the humidity sensor (4) to adjust the opening of the solenoid valve (7) also includes: According to the instruction to reduce humidification, the humidity value detected by the humidity sensor (4) is compared, and if the humidity value is greater than a preset value, the opening of the solenoid valve (7) is increased; and If the humidity value is less than a preset value, the opening of the solenoid valve (7) is reduced.

7. A control method for a fuel cell humidification system, characterized in that: The control method comprises: Determining the humidity value required for the fuel cell stack according to the operating state of the fuel cell; and The opening of the solenoid valve (7) located at the connection channel between dry air and wet air outside the humidifying unit (6) is controlled according to the required humidity value and the humidity value detected by the humidity sensor (4) located behind the humidifying unit, so that the humidity value of the wet air discharged to the fuel cell stack after the dry-wet exchange in the humidifying unit (6) meets the required humidity value.

8. The control method according to claim 7, characterized in that: Determining the humidity value required for the fuel cell stack according to the operating state of the fuel cell includes: When the fuel cell is running at high power, the required humidity value is a first humidity value; and When the fuel cell is operating at low power, the required humidity value is a second humidity value, which is lower than the first humidity value.

9. The control method according to claim 8, characterized in that: According to the required humidity value and the humidity value detected by the humidity sensor (4) located behind the humidifying unit (6), controlling the opening of the solenoid valve (7) located at the connection channel between dry air and humid air outside the humidifying unit (6) comprises: comparing the first humidity value with the humidity value detected by the humidity sensor (4), and if the humidity value is less than the first humidity value, reducing the opening of the solenoid valve (7); if the humidity value is greater than the first humidity value, increasing the opening of the solenoid valve (7); and The second humidity value is compared with the humidity value detected by the humidity sensor (4); if the humidity value is greater than the second humidity value, the opening of the solenoid valve (7) is increased; if the humidity value is less than the second humidity value, the opening of the solenoid valve (7) is decreased.

10. A processor, characterized in that: Used to run a program, wherein the program, when run, is used to execute: a control method for a fuel cell humidification system as described in any one of claims 7 to 9.

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