Fuel cell tail gas treatment system and method and vehicle

Abstract

The invention relates to a fuel cell tail gas treatment system and method and a vehicle. The fuel cell tail gas treatment system comprises a heat utilization system, an engine system, a heat exchanger and a control valve. An engine system includes an engine having a tailpipe. The heat exchanger is connected between the tail discharge pipe and the heat utilization system in a heat conduction mode. The control valve is provided with an inlet and an outlet, the inlet communicates with the tail discharge pipe through a first pipeline, the outlet communicates with the heat exchanger through a second pipeline, and the control valve is configured to be capable of adjusting the valve opening degree according to the heating requirement of the heat using system. According to the technical scheme, the tail gas of the fuel cell can be reasonably treated, environmental pollution and rime fog phenomena caused by the tail gas of the fuel cell are reduced or even avoided, and the driving safety is further improved. Meanwhile, the tail gas of the fuel cell is reasonably utilized, and heat waste is avoided.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to the field of fuel cell technology, and in particular, to a fuel cell exhaust gas treatment system, method and vehicle. Background Art

[0002] With the development and advancement of the fuel cell industry, fuel cell engines have indeed been used more and more widely in recent years. As a representative of clean energy technology, they have the advantages of zero emissions and high efficiency. However, when a fuel cell engine is working, it will produce exhaust gas containing a certain temperature, pressure and incompletely reacted fuel. These exhaust gases often have a high temperature. If they are discharged directly into the air, it will not only cause energy waste, but also may cause thermal pollution to the environment. In addition, the water produced by the reaction of the fuel cell engine will be discharged along with the exhaust gas, which is prone to produce white fog and other phenomena. This is particularly serious under low temperature conditions such as winter, which will affect the risk of driving vehicles behind. Therefore, problems such as heat recovery and white fog at the tail of the fuel cell engine need to be solved urgently. Summary of the invention

[0003] The purpose of the present disclosure is to provide a fuel cell exhaust gas treatment system, method and vehicle to achieve reasonable treatment of fuel cell exhaust gas, reduce or even avoid environmental pollution and the generation of white fog caused by fuel cell exhaust gas, so as to at least partially solve related technical problems.

[0004] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, according to the first aspect of the present disclosure, a fuel cell tail gas treatment system is provided. The fuel cell tail gas treatment system comprises: Heat system; An engine system including an engine having a tail pipe; a heat exchanger, thermally connected between the tail pipe and the heat using system; and The control valve has an inlet and an outlet, wherein the inlet is connected to the tail pipe through a first pipeline, and the outlet is connected to the heat exchanger through a second pipeline. The control valve is configured to be able to adjust its valve opening according to the heating demand of the heat system.

[0005] Optionally, the second pipeline includes a first branch pipe and a second branch pipe, the heat exchanger has an air inlet and an air outlet, the outlet includes a first outlet and a second outlet, the first outlet is connected to the air inlet through the first branch pipe, and the second outlet is connected to the atmosphere or the air outlet through the second branch pipe.

[0006] Optionally, the control valve is configured as a three-way valve.

[0007] Optionally, the heat using system includes a hot water tank and a pump, the heat exchanger also has a water outlet, the water outlet is connected to the hot water tank through a third pipeline, the hot water tank is used to be connected to the heat using equipment through a fourth pipeline, and the pump is arranged on the fourth pipeline to supply the second heat exchange medium stored in the hot water tank after heat exchange by the heat exchanger to the heat using equipment.

[0008] Optionally, the heat system includes a cold water tank, and the heat exchanger also has a water inlet, wherein the water inlet is connected to the cold water tank through a fifth pipeline, so that at least part of the first heat exchange medium generated by the engine can flow through the tail pipe and the heat exchanger in sequence and exchange heat with the second heat exchange medium in the cold water tank.

[0009] Optionally, the fuel cell exhaust gas treatment system further comprises a controller and a temperature sensor, and the controller is communicatively connected with the temperature sensor and the control valve respectively; The temperature sensor is used to detect the temperature of the second heat exchange medium in the cold water tank, and the controller is used to control the opening of the control valve according to the temperature value fed back by the temperature sensor.

[0010] According to a second aspect of the present disclosure, a fuel cell tail gas treatment method is provided. The fuel cell tail gas treatment method is based on the above-mentioned fuel cell tail gas treatment system, and the method comprises: Obtaining a heating demand of the heat-using system; The opening of the control valve is controlled according to the heating demand, so that the heat exchanger can heat the heat-using system by utilizing the gas entering from the tail pipe through the control valve.

[0011] Optionally, obtaining the heating demand of the heat system includes: Setting the target temperature t1 that the heat system needs to reach; Detecting the current temperature t2 actually reached by the heat system; Calculating a difference Δt between the target temperature t1 and the current temperature t2; The difference Δt is converted into the heating demand.

[0012] According to a third aspect of the present disclosure, a vehicle is provided, which includes the above-mentioned fuel cell exhaust gas treatment system and at least one heat utilization system.

[0013] Optionally, the at least one heat system includes at least one of a vehicle cabin heater and a battery box heater.

[0014] Through the above technical scheme, a fuel cell exhaust gas treatment system, method and vehicle are provided. Among them, in the fuel cell exhaust gas treatment system, by installing a heat exchanger and a control valve between the tail pipe and the heat system, when in use, the exhaust gas generated by the engine can be passed through the tail pipe, the first pipeline and the second pipeline into the heat exchanger for heat exchange, and the control valve connected between the first pipeline and the second pipeline can control its own opening according to the heating demand of the heat system, so as to perform quantitative heat exchange with the heat exchanger, that is, further provide the heat system with the corresponding required heat. The technical scheme disclosed in the present invention can achieve the reasonable treatment of fuel cell exhaust gas, reduce or even avoid environmental pollution and the generation of white fog caused by fuel cell exhaust gas, and further improve driving safety. At the same time, it also realizes the reasonable utilization of fuel cell exhaust gas and avoids heat waste.

[0015] Other features and advantages of the present disclosure will be described in detail in the following detailed description. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016] The accompanying drawings are used to provide a further understanding of the present disclosure and constitute a part of the specification. Together with the following specific embodiments, they are used to explain the present disclosure but do not constitute a limitation of the present disclosure. In the accompanying drawings: Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a fuel cell exhaust gas treatment system provided according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; Figure 2 It is a flow chart of a fuel cell exhaust gas treatment method provided according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0017] Description of Reference Numerals 1. Heat system; 11. Cold water tank; 12. Hot water tank; 13. Pump; 2. Engine system; 21. Engine; 3. Heat exchanger; 31. Air inlet; 32. Air outlet; 33. Water inlet; 34. Water outlet; 4. Control valve; 41. Inlet; 42. Outlet; 421. First outlet; 422. Second outlet; 5. First pipeline; 6. Second pipeline; 61. First branch pipe; 62. Second branch pipe; 7. Third pipeline; 8. Fourth pipeline; 9. Fifth pipeline. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0018] The specific implementation of the present disclosure is described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. It should be understood that the specific implementation described herein is only used to illustrate and explain the present disclosure, and is not used to limit the present disclosure.

[0019] In the present disclosure, unless otherwise specified, “inside and outside” refer to the inside and outside of the corresponding component outline; in addition, it should be noted that the terms used, such as “first, second”, etc., are used to distinguish one element from another.

[0020] According to the first aspect of the present disclosure, Figure 1 As shown, a fuel cell exhaust gas treatment system is provided. The fuel cell exhaust gas treatment system may include a heat system 1, an engine system 2, a heat exchanger 3 and a control valve 4. The engine system 2 may include an engine 21 having a tail pipe. The heat exchanger 3 is thermally connected between the tail pipe and the heat system 1. The control valve 4 has an inlet 41 and an outlet 42. The inlet 41 is connected to the tail pipe through a first pipeline 5. The outlet 42 is connected to the heat exchanger 3 through a second pipeline 6. The control valve 4 is configured to be able to adjust its valve opening according to the heating demand of the heat system 1.

[0021] The above technical solution, by installing a heat exchanger 3 and a control valve 4 between the tail pipe and the heat system 1, when in use, the exhaust gas generated by the engine 21 can be passed through the tail pipe, the first pipeline 5 and the second pipeline 6 into the heat exchanger 3 for heat exchange, and the control valve 4 connected between the first pipeline 5 and the second pipeline 6 can control its own opening according to the heating demand of the heat system 1, so as to perform quantitative heat exchange with the heat exchanger 3, that is, further provide the heat system 1 with the corresponding required heat. The technical solution disclosed in the present invention can achieve the reasonable treatment of fuel cell exhaust gas, reduce or even avoid environmental pollution and the generation of white fog caused by fuel cell exhaust gas, and further improve driving safety. At the same time, it also achieves the reasonable use of fuel cell exhaust gas and avoids heat waste.

[0022] In some embodiments, Figure 1As shown, the second pipeline 6 may include a first branch pipe 61 and a second branch pipe 62, and the heat exchanger 3 has an air inlet 31 and an air outlet 32. The outlet 42 includes a first outlet 421 and a second outlet 422. The first outlet 421 is connected to the air inlet 31 through the first branch pipe 61. The second outlet 422 is connected to the atmosphere or the air outlet 32 ​​through the second branch pipe 62. In some usage scenarios, the exhaust gas can be passed to the inlet 41 of the control valve 4 through the first pipeline 5, and the control valve 4 can adjust its own opening to pass a part of the exhaust gas through the first outlet 421 through the first branch pipe 61 to the air inlet 31 of the heat exchanger 3. The part of the exhaust gas can exchange heat with the second heat exchange medium flowing through the heat exchanger 3, that is, heat the second heat exchange medium to reasonably utilize the heat in the exhaust gas. In other usage scenarios, when the exhaust gas is partially utilized as described above, another part of the exhaust gas is passed into the atmosphere through the second outlet 422 through the second branch pipe 62, which can effectively reduce the amount of exhaust gas discharged into the atmosphere and reduce environmental pollution. In some other usage scenarios, another part of the exhaust gas is passed into the outlet 32 ​​of the heat exchanger 3 through the second outlet 422 through the second branch pipe 62. This design method can make the exhaust gas discharged after heat exchange through the heat exchanger 3, that is, the exhaust gas after cooling, be able to cool the exhaust gas directly discharged from the tail pipe, thereby avoiding the high-temperature exhaust gas from being directly passed into the atmosphere, causing white fog and affecting driving safety.

[0023] In some embodiments, the control valve 4 is configured as a three-way valve. The control valve 4 is configured as a three-way valve mainly to utilize its advantages such as compact structure, flexible operation and high control accuracy.

[0024] In some embodiments, Figure 1 As shown, the heat-using system 1 may include a hot water tank 12 and a pump 13. The heat exchanger 3 also has a water outlet 34. The water outlet 34 is connected to the hot water tank 12 through a third pipeline 7. The hot water tank 12 is used to be connected to a heat-using device through a fourth pipeline 8. The pump 13 is arranged on the fourth pipeline 8 to supply the second heat exchange medium stored in the hot water tank 12 after heat exchange by the heat exchanger 3 to the heat-using device. The arrangement of the hot water tank 12 can stably store the second heat exchange medium after heat exchange by the heat exchanger 3. Here, the second heat exchange medium after heat exchange can be understood as hot water, and the hot water stored in the hot water tank 12 is further supplied to the heat-using device through the pump 13. Of course, it can be understood that the heat-using system 1 can also be directly understood as a heat-using device, and the second heat exchange medium after heat exchange by the heat exchanger 3 can also be directly supplied to the heat-using device. There is no limitation here, and those skilled in the art can make a choice according to actual conditions.

[0025] In some embodiments, Figure 1As shown, the heat system 1 may include a cold water tank 11. The heat exchanger 3 also has a water inlet 33. The water inlet 33 is connected to the cold water tank 11 through the fifth pipeline 9, so that at least part of the first heat exchange medium generated by the engine 21 can flow through the tail pipe and the heat exchanger 3 in sequence and exchange heat with the second heat exchange medium in the cold water tank 11. The cold water tank 11 serves as a storage device for the second heat exchange medium, where the second heat exchange medium can be understood as cold water. The cold water can serve as a reliable and stable heat exchange source in the heat system 1, can exchange heat with the exhaust gas, utilize the heat in the exhaust gas, and avoid heat loss and waste in the exhaust gas.

[0026] In some embodiments, the fuel cell exhaust gas treatment system may further include a controller and a temperature sensor. The controller is respectively connected to the temperature sensor and the control valve. The temperature sensor is used to detect the temperature of the second heat exchange medium in the cold water tank 11, and the controller is used to control the opening of the control valve 4 according to the temperature value fed back by the temperature sensor. When in use, the current temperature value of the second heat exchange medium temperature in the cold water tank 11 can be recorded as t2, and the target temperature value to be reached by the heat system 1 can be recorded as t1. The t2 temperature value can be detected by the temperature sensor. After the temperature sensor detects the t2 temperature value, the t2 temperature value signal can be transmitted to the controller, and the controller controls the control valve 4 to open the corresponding opening according to the difference △t between the target temperature value t1 and the current temperature value t2, so as to heat the current temperature value t2 to the target temperature value t1.

[0027] According to a second aspect of the present disclosure, Figure 2 As shown, a fuel cell tail gas treatment method is provided. The fuel cell tail gas treatment method is based on the above-mentioned fuel cell tail gas treatment system, and the method may include: Obtaining the heating demand of the heat system 1; The opening degree of the control valve 4 is controlled according to the heating demand, so that the heat exchanger 3 can heat the heat-using system 1 by utilizing the gas entering from the tail pipe through the control valve 4 .

[0028] The heat system 1 can be understood as, for example, a vehicle cab heater or a battery box heater. When the vehicle cab needs to be heated in winter, the temperature of the cab heater needs to be heated to a set temperature. At this time, the heating demand of the heat system 1 can be understood as the set temperature of the aforementioned cab heater. According to the set temperature, the control valve 4 is controlled to open a corresponding opening. Correspondingly, in winter, in order to ensure the normal use of the battery, the battery box containing the battery needs to be heated. A corresponding heater is provided inside the battery box. After the heater is heated to a set temperature, the normal use of the battery can be ensured. At this time, the heating demand of the heat system 1 can be understood as the set temperature of the aforementioned battery box heater. According to the set temperature, the control valve 4 is controlled to open a corresponding opening. Of course, it can be understood that the heat system 1 is not limited to the above-mentioned examples, but can also be other structures in the vehicle. This is not limited here, and those skilled in the art can make choices according to actual conditions.

[0029] The fuel cell exhaust gas treatment method provided by the present disclosure can achieve the rational use and treatment of exhaust gas, reduce or even avoid environmental pollution and the generation of white fog caused by fuel cell exhaust gas, further improve driving safety, and also achieve the rational use of fuel cell exhaust gas, avoiding heat waste.

[0030] In some embodiments, obtaining the heating demand of the heat system 1 may include: Set the target temperature t1 that the heat system 1 needs to reach; Detecting the current temperature t2 actually reached by the heat system 1; Calculate the difference △t between the target temperature t1 and the current temperature t2; The difference △t is converted into a heating demand. The current temperature t2 of the second heat exchange medium in the cold water tank 11 in the heat system 1 can be detected by the temperature sensor, and the difference △t is obtained according to the target temperature t1, and the difference △t can be converted into a heat signal of the heating demand. The controller can further control the control valve 4 to open the corresponding opening according to the heat signal converted from the difference △t, so as to heat the current temperature value t2 to the target temperature value t1.

[0031] According to a third aspect of the present disclosure, a vehicle is provided. The vehicle includes the above-mentioned fuel cell exhaust gas treatment system and at least one heat system 1. For example, the at least one heat system 1 includes at least one of a vehicle cab heater and a battery box heater. A vehicle including the above-mentioned fuel cell exhaust gas treatment system can have relatively good driving safety.

[0032] The preferred embodiments of the present disclosure are described in detail above in conjunction with the accompanying drawings; however, the present disclosure is not limited to the specific details in the above embodiments. Within the technical concept of the present disclosure, a variety of simple modifications can be made to the technical solution of the present disclosure, and these simple modifications all fall within the protection scope of the present disclosure.

[0033] It should also be noted that the various specific technical features described in the above specific embodiments can be combined in any suitable manner without contradiction. In order to avoid unnecessary repetition, the present disclosure will not further describe various possible combinations.

[0034] In addition, various embodiments of the present disclosure may be arbitrarily combined, and as long as they do not violate the concept of the present disclosure, they should also be regarded as the contents disclosed by the present disclosure.

Claims

1. A fuel cell exhaust gas treatment system, characterized in that: include: Heat system; An engine system including an engine having a tail pipe; A heat exchanger, thermally connected between the tail pipe and the heat using system; as well as The control valve has an inlet and an outlet, wherein the inlet is connected to the tail pipe through a first pipeline, and the outlet is connected to the heat exchanger through a second pipeline. The control valve is configured to be able to adjust its valve opening according to the heating demand of the heat system.

2. The fuel cell tail gas treatment system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The second pipeline includes a first branch pipe and a second branch pipe, the heat exchanger has an air inlet and an air outlet, the outlet includes a first outlet and a second outlet, the first outlet is connected to the air inlet through the first branch pipe, and the second outlet is connected to the atmosphere or the air outlet through the second branch pipe.

3. The fuel cell tail gas treatment system according to claim 2, characterized in that: The control valve is configured as a three-way valve.

4. The fuel cell tail gas treatment system according to claim 2, characterized in that: The heat using system includes a hot water tank and a pump. The heat exchanger also has a water outlet, which is connected to the hot water tank through a third pipeline. The hot water tank is used to be connected to the heat using equipment through a fourth pipeline. The pump is arranged on the fourth pipeline to supply the second heat exchange medium stored in the hot water tank after heat exchange by the heat exchanger to the heat using equipment.

5. The fuel cell tail gas treatment system according to claim 2, characterized in that: The heat utilization system includes a cold water tank, and the heat exchanger also has a water inlet, wherein the water inlet is connected to the cold water tank through a fifth pipeline, so that at least part of the first heat exchange medium generated by the engine can flow through the tail pipe and the heat exchanger in sequence and exchange heat with the second heat exchange medium in the cold water tank.

6. The fuel cell tail gas treatment system according to claim 5, characterized in that: The fuel cell tail gas treatment system further comprises a controller and a temperature sensor, wherein the controller is communicatively connected with the temperature sensor and the control valve respectively; The temperature sensor is used to detect the temperature of the second heat exchange medium in the cold water tank, and the controller is used to control the opening of the control valve according to the temperature value fed back by the temperature sensor.

7. A method for treating fuel cell tail gas, characterized in that: Based on the fuel cell tail gas treatment system according to any one of claims 1 to 6, the method comprises: Obtaining a heating demand of the heat-using system; The opening of the control valve is controlled according to the heating demand, so that the heat exchanger can heat the heat-using system by utilizing the gas entering from the tail pipe through the control valve.

8. The fuel cell tail gas treatment method according to claim 7, characterized in that: The obtaining of the heating demand of the heat system comprises: Setting the target temperature t1 that the heat system needs to reach; Detecting the current temperature t2 actually reached by the heat system; Calculating a difference Δt between the target temperature t1 and the current temperature t2; The difference Δt is converted into the heating demand.

9. A vehicle, characterized in that: It comprises the fuel cell tail gas treatment system as described in any one of claims 1 to 6 and at least one heat utilization system.

10. The vehicle according to claim 9, characterized in that The heat system includes at least one of a vehicle cab heater and a battery box heater.

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