Thermal management system for fuel cell

Abstract

The present invention provides a thermal management system for a fuel cell, comprising: a fuel cell stack including a plurality of fuel cells stacked on each other; and an external cooling passage provided around an outer periphery of the fuel cell stack and configured to enable cooling water to flow therethrough.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a fuel cell, and more particularly to a thermal management system for a fuel cell. Background Art

[0002] A fuel cell can generate electrical energy through an electrochemical reaction between a fuel and an oxidant. A fuel cell is an energy source that does not emit harmful substances. Therefore, due to the environmental friendliness of fuel cells, research on fuel cells has been active recently. For example, there is a polymer electrolyte fuel cell that uses hydrogen as a fuel and a polymer membrane that is permeable to hydrogen ions as an electrolyte. Polymer electrolyte fuel cells have advantages such as relatively low operating temperature and high energy conversion efficiency, and can be applied to various fields, such as electric devices for vehicles.

[0003] The fuel cell system includes a fuel cell stack, a hydrogen supply device, an air supply device, a thermal management system and a controller. The fuel cell stack includes a plurality of fuel cell units configured to generate electrical energy through an electrochemical reaction between hydrogen as a fuel and oxygen as an oxidant. The hydrogen supply device is configured to supply hydrogen to the fuel cell stack, the air supply device is configured to supply oxygen-containing air to the fuel cell stack, the thermal management system is configured to control the operating temperature of the fuel cell, and the controller is configured to handle overall control of the fuel cell.

[0004] Thermal management of a fuel cell system can be performed using cooling water that circulates in the fuel cell system. Specifically, cooling water can flow through the fuel cell stack with the temperature adjusted to meet the required temperature conditions. Heat is generated due to the electrochemical reaction in the fuel cell stack, and the generated heat needs to be cooled to prevent the fuel cell stack temperature from rising. During a cold start, the fuel cell stack temperature must be raised quickly. If the fuel cell stack is not controlled to the appropriate temperature, differences may occur in water discharge, fuel cell durability, and performance. Therefore, thermal management of the fuel cell stack plays a very important role in the operation of the fuel cell.

[0005] The above information disclosed in this Background section is only for enhancement of understanding of the background of the invention and therefore it may contain information that does not form the prior art that is already known to a person of ordinary skill in the art. Summary of the invention

[0006] The present invention is made in an effort to solve the above-mentioned problems associated with the prior art, and an object of the present invention is to provide a thermal management system for a fuel cell that can effectively perform thermal management on the fuel cell.

[0007] The objects of the present invention are not limited to the above contents, and based on the following description, a person skilled in the art to which the present invention belongs should clearly understand other objects not mentioned herein.

[0008] Features of the present invention for achieving the object of the present invention as described above and performing characteristic functions of the present invention which will be described later are as follows.

[0009] On the one hand, the present invention provides a thermal management system for a fuel cell, the system comprising a fuel cell stack and an external cooling channel, the fuel cell stack comprising a plurality of stacked fuel cell units, the external cooling channel being arranged around the periphery of the fuel cell stack and configured to allow cooling water to flow therethrough.

[0010] On the other hand, the present invention provides a thermal management system for a fuel cell. The thermal management system includes: a radiator, which is arranged to be in a heat exchange relationship with cooling water; a first circuit, which includes a pump configured to enable cooling water to flow and is configured to circulate the cooling water; a first valve, which is configured to guide the cooling water passing through the radiator to the first circuit; and a second circuit, which is configured to circulate the cooling water therein and includes a fuel cell stack in a heat exchange relationship with the cooling water. The thermal management system also includes: a second valve, which is configured to fluidly connect the first circuit and the second circuit to each other; and a controller, which is configured to control the operation of the pump, the first valve and the second valve. In particular, the fuel cell stack includes an external cooling channel and an internal cooling channel, the external cooling channel is arranged around the periphery of the fuel cell stack and is configured to enable cooling water to flow therethrough, and the internal cooling channel is configured to enable cooling water to flow inside the fuel cell stack.

[0011] Other aspects and embodiments of the invention are discussed below.

[0012] It should be understood that the term "vehicle" or "vehicle-like" or other similar terms used herein generally include motor vehicles, such as passenger cars including sport utility vehicles (SUVs), buses, trucks, various commercial vehicles, marine vessels including various boats and ships, aircraft, etc., and include hybrid vehicles, electric vehicles, plug-in hybrid electric vehicles, hydrogen-powered vehicles, and other alternative fuel vehicles (e.g., fuels derived from resources other than petroleum). As described herein, a hybrid vehicle is a vehicle having two or more power sources, for example, a vehicle powered by both gasoline and electricity.

[0013] The above features and other features of the present invention are discussed below. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0014] The above and other features of the present invention shall now be described in detail with reference to some embodiments of the invention shown in the accompanying drawings, which are given hereinafter only by way of illustration and therefore do not limit the present invention, in which:

[0015] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a fuel cell;

[0016] Figure 2 is a perspective view showing a fuel cell stack according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0017] Figure 3 to Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view of a fuel cell stack according to various embodiments of the present invention;

[0018] Figures 5 to 9 is a perspective view showing a fuel cell stack according to various embodiments of the present invention; and

[0019] Figures 10 to 15 are block diagrams respectively illustrating thermal management systems for a fuel cell according to various embodiments of the present invention.

[0020] It should be understood that the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale, presenting somewhat simplified representations of various features illustrative of the basic principles of the invention. The specific design features of the present invention, including, for example, specific dimensions, orientations, locations, and shapes, should be determined in part by the specific desired application and use environment.

[0021] In the drawings, reference numbers refer to the same or equivalent parts of the present invention throughout the several figures of the drawing. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0022] In order to explain the embodiment according to the concept of the present invention, the description of the specific structure or function presented in the embodiment of the present invention is only exemplary, and the embodiment according to the concept of the present invention can be realized in various forms. In addition, the specific description should not be interpreted as being limited to the embodiment described herein, and should be understood to include all modifications, equivalents and alternatives falling within the thought and scope of the present invention.

[0023] In addition, in the present invention, terms such as "first" and / or "second" may be used to describe various components, but the components are not limited by the terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one component from another component. For example, without departing from the scope of the exemplary embodiments of the present invention, a first component may be referred to as a second component, and similarly, a second component may be referred to as a first component.

[0024] It should be understood that when a component is referred to as being "connected" or "contacting" another component, the component may be directly connected to or in contact with the other component, or there may be intervening components. Conversely, when a component is referred to as being "directly connected" or "directly in contact with" another component, there are no intervening components. Other terms used to describe relationships between components should be interpreted in a similar manner (e.g., "between" versus "directly between," "adjacent" versus "directly adjacent," etc.). When a component, device, element, etc. in the present invention is described as having a purpose or performing an operation, function, etc., the component, device, or element should be considered herein to be "configured / constructed to" satisfy that purpose or perform that operation or function.

[0025] Throughout the specification, similar reference numerals indicate similar components. The terms used herein are for the purpose of illustrating the embodiments and are not intended to limit the present invention. In the present invention, unless otherwise specified, the singular form includes the plural meaning. The terms "comprise" and / or "comprising" used in the present invention mean that the components, steps, operations and / or elements mentioned do not exclude the existence or addition of one or more other components, steps and / or elements.

[0026] Hereinafter, the present invention is described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0027] like Figure 1 As shown, the fuel cell unit "C" includes a membrane electrode assembly 10, a gas diffusion layer 20, and a separator 30. The membrane electrode assembly 10 has opposite surfaces, and a cathode 12 and an anode 14 are respectively provided on the opposite surfaces. The cathode 12 and the anode 14 (in which an electrochemical reaction occurs between hydrogen and oxygen as reaction gases) are respectively attached to corresponding ones of the opposite sides of an electrolyte membrane (e.g., a polymer electrolyte membrane) of the membrane electrode assembly 10.

[0028] The gas diffusion layers 20 are respectively disposed on the cathode 12 and the anode 14. The gas diffusion layers 20 serve to uniformly distribute the reaction gas and transmit the generated electric energy.

[0029] Each separator plate 30 is disposed at the outermost portion of the fuel cell unit C. Specifically, one of the separator plates 30 is disposed adjacent to the gas diffusion layer 20 on the cathode 12 side, and another of the separator plates 30 is disposed adjacent to the gas diffusion layer 20 on the anode 14 side. The separator plates 30 are used to move reaction gas and cooling water.

[0030] like Figure 2 As shown, the fuel cell stack "S" is composed of multiple Figure 1 The fuel cell stack S includes a plurality of fuel cell units C stacked in a stacking direction (z-axis direction). The number of stacked fuel cell units C constituting the fuel cell stack S may be determined based on a desired output voltage.

[0031] When electric energy is generated by the electrochemical reaction between hydrogen and oxygen occurring in each fuel cell unit C, heat and water are generated as byproducts. To this end, the fuel cell system includes a thermal management system configured to perform cooling using a cooling medium. For example, the cooling medium may be cooling water that circulates through the fuel cell stack S.

[0032] The thermal management system for a fuel cell according to the present invention may circulate cooling water through the outside as well as the inside of the fuel cell stack S.

[0033] To this end, according to an embodiment of the present invention, the fuel cell stack S includes an external cooling channel 100. The external cooling channel 100 is configured to circulate cooling water, thereby exchanging heat with the fuel cell stack S through the cooling water. The external cooling channel 100 of the fuel cell stack S may be provided on at least a portion or all of the outer peripheral surface of the fuel cell stack. With this structure, the external cooling channel 100 can cool the fuel cell stack S from the outside, and in particular, the temperature of the supply manifold and the exhaust manifold adjacent to the outside air can be freely controlled.

[0034] In one implementation, the external cooling channel 100 may be formed as one body with the fuel cell stack S. For example, the external cooling channel 100 may be formed on one partition plate 30 by molding and injection. Since the length of the external cooling channel 100 may be adjusted, the length of the external cooling channel 100 may be determined in consideration of the number of partition plates 30 included in the fuel cell stack S. In another implementation, the external cooling channel 100 may be provided separately from the fuel cell stack S and may be detachably assembled to the outer peripheral surface of the fuel cell stack S.

[0035] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the fuel cell stack S includes an internal cooling channel 110. The internal cooling channel 110 enables cooling water to circulate inside the fuel cell stack S. The internal cooling channel 110 can be arranged between every two adjacent fuel cell units in the fuel cell stack S. Specifically, assuming that the first fuel cell unit and the second fuel cell unit are arranged adjacent to each other in the fuel cell stack S, the cooling water can flow through the internal cooling channel 110 formed by the anode side separator of the first fuel cell unit and the cathode side separator of the second fuel cell unit. In the present invention, the external cooling channel is a cooling water flow channel arranged on the outer peripheral surface of the fuel cell stack S, and the internal cooling channel 110 is a cooling water flow channel arranged inside the fuel cell stack S.

[0036] Thus, in order to guide the cooling water into the fuel cell stack S and to discharge the cooling water from the fuel cell stack S, the separator plate 30 includes a supply manifold and a discharge manifold, such as Figure 3As shown. Here, the corresponding positions of the supply manifold and the exhaust manifold may be changed differently from the accompanying drawings. The supply manifold may supply cooling water to the internal cooling channel 110 through a cooling water supply portion 33. The cooling water flowing through the internal cooling channel 110 through a cooling water discharge portion 36 may be discharged to the outside of the fuel cell stack S. In addition, the supply manifold includes a hydrogen supply portion 31 and an air supply portion 32, which are configured to supply hydrogen and air to the fuel cell stack S, respectively. The exhaust manifold includes a hydrogen exhaust portion 34 and an air exhaust portion 35, which are configured to exhaust hydrogen and air to the outside of the fuel cell stack S, respectively. In addition, as shown in the figure, a gasket may be provided on the partition plate 30 to seal the fluid flowing through the supply manifold, the exhaust manifold or the external cooling channel 100.

[0037] When the fuel cell stack S is cooled only by the internal cooling channel, a temperature difference may occur between the fuel cell units and a temperature difference may also occur within one fuel cell unit due to the shape of the internal cooling channel 110. According to the present invention, by including the external cooling channel 100 in addition to the internal cooling channel, the temperature difference between the fuel cell units and the temperature difference within one fuel cell unit can be reduced. In addition, according to the present invention, the temperature of the fuel cell stack S can be quickly increased even during a cold start.

[0038] Continue to refer Figure 3 According to an embodiment of the present invention, the external cooling channel 100 may include a plurality of channels separated from each other so that cooling water can flow independently of each other. A plurality of external cooling channels 100 may be arranged on the outer peripheral surface of the fuel cell stack. As described below, cooling water may be selectively supplied to each channel of the external cooling channel 100. Due to the design limitations of the internal cooling channel 110 and the principles based on the supply of reactant gases and water management, the temperature may differ depending on its position within the fuel cell stack. According to the present invention, by utilizing the selective flow control of cooling water through the external cooling channel 100, high-temperature cooling water can be circulated to a relatively low-temperature portion of the fuel cell stack, and low-temperature cooling water can be circulated to a relatively high-temperature portion of the fuel cell stack. Therefore, such a layout design of the external cooling channel 100 can achieve effective temperature management of various parts of the fuel cell stack.

[0039] The position of the external cooling channel 100 in the fuel cell stack S may be determined based on the temperature of the fuel cell stack S. For example, a portion of the external cooling channel 100 may be arranged to be spaced apart from other channels. In some implementations, a portion of the external cooling channel 100 may be arranged to be in contact with each other. A temperature analysis device may be used to determine a portion of the fuel cell stack S where the temperature is generally higher or lower, whereby the external cooling channel 100 may be arranged at the determined position.

[0040] refer to Figure 4 According to some embodiments of the present invention, the shape of the external cooling channel 100 is not limited. For example, the cross-sectional area of ​​the external cooling channel 100 can be adjusted. As in the example shown, the cross-sectional area of ​​the external cooling channel 100 can be increased to a length having at least half of the length in the long axis direction (i.e., the y-axis direction) of the partition plate 30. On the contrary, the cross-sectional area can also be reduced.

[0041] like Figure 5 As shown, according to some embodiments of the present invention, the cross-sectional area of ​​the external cooling channel 100 changes along the stacking direction (i.e., the z-axis direction) of the fuel cell unit C. For each fuel cell unit C, the cooling water flow rate may be different. In particular, when the number of fuel cell units C in the fuel cell stack S increases, the difference may become larger. When the cross-sectional area of ​​the external cooling channel 100 changes along the stacking direction (z-axis direction), the uneven flow rate of the cooling water can be adjusted. For example, for a fuel cell unit C with less cooling water flowing in from the partition plate 30, the amount of cooling water can be increased by increasing the cross-sectional area of ​​the external cooling channel 100.

[0042] refer to Figure 6 In some embodiments of the present invention, the cooling water guided to the external cooling channel 100 may be guided to a direction different from the stacking direction (z-axis direction), for example, the supply direction F. In this case, the cross-sectional area of ​​the external cooling channel 100 is greatly increased, thereby quickly reducing the pressure difference of the cooling water and facilitating temperature control. In particular, when the cooling water is supplied to the external cooling channel 100 in the supply direction F, this is advantageous under cold start conditions. Due to the nature of the coupling structure of the fuel cell stack, under cold start conditions where the temperature is relatively low, the temperature is increased by operating the heaters at the end battery cells respectively located at the two opposite ends of the fuel cell stack S. In this case, the temperature of the end battery cells increases rapidly, but the temperature of the fuel cell cell C located in the middle of the fuel cell stack S increases slowly. However, if the cooling water is supplied to the external cooling channel 100 along the supply direction F substantially perpendicular to the stacking direction (z-axis direction), this can accelerate the temperature rise of the battery cell located in the middle of the fuel cell stack S. However, the shape and position of the external cooling channel 100 are not limited to the example shown, and the length and position of the external cooling channel 100 may be adjusted according to the temperature control strategy.

[0043] refer to Figure 7, according to some embodiments of the present invention, the external cooling channel 100 may be provided on a surface adjacent to the supply manifold or the exhaust manifold. The supply manifold or the exhaust manifold is in contact with the air outside the fuel cell stack S, so that the fuel cell stack can easily dissipate heat not only under cold start conditions but also under normal operating conditions. However, since thermal management is not performed in the manifold, it is difficult to assume that cooling water of an appropriate temperature is supplied to the fuel cell stack S. Under temperature rising conditions, cooling water with a relatively high temperature is supplied on the cooling water supply part 33 side, while cooling water with a relatively low temperature is supplied to a portion away from the cooling water supply part 33. Therefore, a temperature difference is inevitably generated in each battery cell. Therefore, as in the above-mentioned embodiment, the external cooling channel 100 may be provided on a surface adjacent to the surface in the long side direction (y-axis direction). Additionally or alternatively, the external cooling channel 100 may be provided on the surface of the partition plate 30 in the short axis direction (x-axis direction). In this case, not only the temperature of the reaction area A1 but also the temperature of the manifold can be managed. As Figure 7 As shown, the external cooling passage 100 may extend from a portion of the fuel cell stack S, or as shown in FIG. Figure 8 As shown, it may extend along the entire fuel cell stack S. In addition, cooling water may be supplied to the external cooling channel 100 in two supply directions F as shown. In other words, the external cooling channel 100 may be provided on at least one side of the partition plate 30, or may be provided on all sides of the partition plate 30.

[0044] According to some embodiments of the present invention, the supply direction F of the cooling water through the external cooling channel 100 may be set differently for each external cooling channel 100. For example, a counter flow may be formed between the external cooling channels 100. Fig. 9 As shown, cooling water may be guided in a supply direction (z-axis direction) in a portion of the external cooling channel 100, and cooling water may be guided in a supply direction (-z-axis direction) in other portions of the external cooling channel 100. In other words, the plurality of external cooling channels may include: a first external cooling channel configured to receive cooling water in a first direction (e.g., z-axis direction); and a second external cooling channel configured to receive cooling water in a second direction (e.g., -z-axis direction) opposite to the first direction. If cooling water flows in only one direction in the fuel cell stack S, when a large amount of heat is generated in the battery cell, the farther the distance from the cooling water supply portion 33, the higher the temperature of the battery cell. In other words, the temperature of the battery cell increases as it moves away from the cooling water supply portion 33. As in the example shown, if the flow of cooling water through the external cooling channel 100 forms a countercurrent, it may be beneficial to manage the temperature of the entire fuel cell stack S.

[0045] According to the present invention, by using the external cooling channel 100 to compensate for the cooling water space reduced due to the reduction in the distance between the battery cells in the fuel cell stack, the temperature difference in the battery cells can be reduced and the pressure difference of the cooling water can be reduced.

[0046] like Fig.10 As shown, according to some implementations of the present invention, a thermal management system for a fuel cell system including an external cooling channel 100 and an internal cooling channel can be used to perform thermal management. The controller 200 can control various components of the thermal management system for the fuel cell system. For example, the controller 200 can control the operation of the pumps 310 and 400, valves 320a, 320b, 320c and 320d, and the heater 340 of the thermal management system.

[0047] According to the present invention, a thermal management system for a fuel cell system includes a first loop L1 and a second loop L2. Cooling water can circulate through the first loop L1 and the second loop L2, and the first loop L1 and the second loop L2 are in a heat exchange relationship with the fuel cell stack S. In one implementation, the cooling water in the first loop L1 and the cooling water in the second loop L2 can circulate through the fuel cell stack S separately. In one implementation, the cooling water in the first loop L1 and the cooling water in the second loop L2 can be mixed with each other and circulated through the fuel cell stack S. As needed, the cooling water can circulate to the fuel cell stack S through the first loop L1 and the second loop L2 at the same time, or can circulate to the fuel cell stack S through at least one of the first loop L1 and / or the second loop L2. In the following, reference is made to Figures 10 to 15 Various embodiments of temperature control of a fuel cell system are described.

[0048] A first pump 310 is provided in the first loop L1. The first pump 310 can circulate cooling water. The first loop L1 may further include a first valve 320a and a second valve 320b. The first valve 320a may guide the cooling water whose temperature is reduced by the radiator 330 into the first loop L1. The first valve 320a may also guide the circulating cooling water to a filter 360, which is configured to filter the cooling water. In some implementations, the first valve 320a may be a four-way valve.

[0049] The temperature of the cooling water can be increased through the first loop L1. To this end, a heater 340 is provided in the first loop L1. The temperature of the cooling water passing through the heater 340 can be increased. The second valve 320b can be controlled to guide the cooling water to the heater 340 and the heater core 350 in the first loop L1, thereby increasing the temperature of the cooling water. In some implementations, the second valve 320b can be a four-way valve. The cooling water can be guided to the fuel cell stack S by controlling the second valve 320b.

[0050] The cooling water may be supplied from the first loop L1 to the second loop L2 by controlling the third valve 320c. In some implementations, the cooling water circulating through the second loop L2 may flow through the fuel cell stack S separately from the cooling water flowing through the first loop L1. In some embodiments, the third valve 320c may be a directional control valve, such as a four-way valve.

[0051] like Fig.10 As shown, when the temperature of the fuel cell stack S needs to be increased, the cooling water in the first loop L1 can be heated by the heater 340 and guided to the fuel cell stack S through the third valve 320c. Therefore, the temperature of the fuel cell stack S can be increased by the cooling water circulating in the pipe L22. At the same time, the cooling water heated by the first loop L1 can be guided to the pipe L21 through the third valve 320c. In this way, the cooling water passing through the pipe L21 is also configured to pass through the fuel cell stack S, thereby quickly increasing the temperature of the fuel cell stack S.

[0052] In some implementations, the cooling water may circulate through other parts of the fuel cell stack S through the first loop L1 and the second loop L2. For example, the cooling water through the pipe L21 may be guided to the external cooling channel 100 of the fuel cell stack S. The cooling water through the pipe L22 may be guided to the internal cooling channel 110 through the cooling water supply part 33 of the fuel cell stack S. Therefore, according to the present invention, the outside and the inside of the fuel cell stack S may be simultaneously heated up, thereby rapidly increasing the temperature of the fuel cell stack S.

[0053] like Fig.11 As shown, according to some embodiments of the present invention, the fuel cell stack S can be cooled by controlling the flow of cooling water through the first loop L1 and the second loop L2. The temperature T1 of the cooling water passing through the radiator 330 is lower than the temperature T2 of the cooling water passing through the fuel cell stack S under normal operating conditions. In order to cool the fuel cell stack S, the cooling water is guided to the fuel cell stack S by controlling the second valve 320b and the third valve 320c, instead of guiding the cooling water from the first loop L1 to the heater 340. Therefore, the cooling water having the temperature T1 can be guided to the fuel cell stack S through the pipe L22 to cool the fuel cell stack S.

[0054] In addition, by controlling the third valve 320c, cooling water having a temperature T1 is guided to the pipe L21, thereby further cooling the fuel cell stack S. As described above, by guiding the cooling water to a relatively high temperature portion within the fuel cell stack S, the fuel cell stack S can be quickly cooled, and portions having a temperature difference can be uniformly cooled.

[0055] pass Fig.12 The cooling water flows through the pipe L23 Fig.11According to some embodiments, the cooling water with a lower temperature T1 guided to the second loop L2 through the third valve 320c may be guided to the fuel cell stack S through the pipeline L21 and the pipeline L23, and then discharged from the fuel cell stack S and guided to the radiator 330.

[0056] refer to Fig.13 According to some embodiments, the second loop L2 may further include a fourth valve 320d. The temperature of the cooling water passing through the fuel cell stack S becomes greater than the temperature T1 of the cooling water. Here, by recirculating the cooling water having a higher temperature in the lower temperature portion of the fuel cell stack S, the temperature of the fuel cell stack S may be more uniformly controlled.

[0057] like Fig.14 As shown, according to some embodiments of the present invention, the third valve 320c may be a distributor. The distributor includes a plurality of passages, and each passage may be opened and closed using a solenoid or the like. A pipe connected to each passage of the distributor is configured to communicate with a predetermined portion of the external cooling channel 100 of the fuel cell stack S and the internal cooling channel 110 of the fuel cell stack S to circulate cooling water. By controlling the distributor so that the cooling water flows to a desired portion of the fuel cell stack S, the temperature of the fuel cell stack S may be appropriately managed.

[0058] refer to Fig.15 , the second circuit L2 may further include a second pump 400. In this embodiment, the cooling water circulating in the second circuit L2 may be operated solely by the second pump 400. In addition, while the first circuit L1 and the second circuit L2 are connectable to each other, the cooling water circulating in the second circuit L2 may flow more smoothly.

[0059] In some embodiments, under cold start conditions, the temperature of the fuel cell stack S may be increased through the external cooling passage 100. In this case, cooling water circulates to the fuel cell stack S through the external cooling passage 100 before reaching the internal cooling passage. Therefore, the temperature of the fuel cell stack S itself is increased first, and then when the fuel cell stack S reaches an appropriate temperature, the temperatures of the external cooling passage 100 and the internal cooling passage 110 are increased.

[0060] Specifically, the cooling water in the first loop L1 is only guided to the external cooling channel 100 to quickly increase the temperature of the fuel cell stack S itself. Under cold start conditions, the temperature of the fuel cell stack S is usually the highest, the temperature of the cooling water circulating in the first loop L1 is second, and the temperature of the external air in contact with the fuel cell stack S is the lowest. This is because the cooling water circulating in the first loop L1 not only heats up the various components of the fuel cell system, but also heats up the pipes interconnecting these components. Therefore, compared with the temperature increase of the fuel cell stack S itself, the temperature increase of the cooling water circulating in the first loop L1 is delayed, so that the cooling water has a relatively low temperature. Here, when the cooling water circulating in the first loop L1 is guided to the fuel cell stack S, the temperature increase is delayed compared to the situation when only the fuel cell stack S is heated. For this reason, in this embodiment, the cooling water in the first loop L1 is only guided to the external cooling channel 100 to more quickly increase the temperature of the fuel cell stack S in contact with the external air. Through this process, the total heat can be increased by increasing the heat of the fuel cell stack S itself. Because generally speaking, the higher the temperature of the fuel cell stack S, the heat of the fuel cell stack will increase.

[0061] As is apparent from the above description, the present invention provides the following effects.

[0062] The present invention provides a thermal management system for a fuel cell, which can effectively perform thermal management on the fuel cell.

[0063] The effects of the present invention are not limited to the above, and a person of ordinary skill in the art should be able to clearly recognize other effects not mentioned herein based on the above description.

[0064] It is obvious to those skilled in the art that the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiments and drawings, and various substitutions, modifications and changes can be made without departing from the technical idea of ​​the present invention.

Claims

1. A thermal management system for a fuel cell, the thermal management system comprising: A fuel cell stack comprising a plurality of fuel cell units stacked on top of each other; as well as An external cooling channel is disposed around the periphery of the fuel cell stack and is configured to allow cooling water to flow therethrough.

2. The thermal management system according to claim 1, wherein: The external cooling passage extends at least partially along a length direction of the fuel cell stack.

3. The thermal management system according to claim 1, wherein: The cross-sectional area of ​​the external cooling passage varies along the length of the fuel cell stack.

4. The thermal management system according to claim 1, wherein: The external cooling channel enables cooling water to be supplied thereto along a length direction of the fuel cell stack or in a direction perpendicular to the length direction.

5. The thermal management system according to claim 1, wherein: The external cooling passage has a portion to which cooling water is supplied in a first direction, and has another portion to which cooling water is supplied in a second direction opposite to the first direction.

6. The thermal management system according to claim 1, wherein: The fuel cell stack includes an internal cooling channel configured to enable cooling water to flow inside the fuel cell stack.

7. The thermal management system according to claim 1, wherein: The fuel cell stack comprises: Membrane electrode assembly; gas diffusion layers respectively disposed on opposite surfaces of the membrane electrode assembly; and Separation plates, each of which is disposed at an outer side of a corresponding one of the gas diffusion layers.

8. The thermal management system according to claim 7, wherein: Each of the partition plates comprises: supply manifolds for supplying air, hydrogen, and cooling water; and Exhaust manifold for exhausting air, hydrogen and cooling water.

9. The thermal management system according to claim 8, wherein: The external cooling passage is disposed adjacent the supply manifold.

10. The thermal management system according to claim 8, wherein: The fuel cell stack includes an internal cooling channel configured to enable cooling water introduced through the supply manifold to flow inside the fuel cell stack.

11. A thermal management system for a fuel cell, the thermal management system comprising: A radiator arranged in heat exchange relationship with cooling water; a first circuit comprising a pump configured to circulate cooling water in the first circuit; a first valve configured to direct cooling water passing through the radiator to the first circuit; a second circuit configured to circulate cooling water therein and containing a fuel cell stack disposed in heat exchange relationship with the cooling water; a second valve configured to place the first circuit and the second circuit in fluid communication with each other; as well as a controller configured to control operation of the pump, the first valve, and the second valve, The fuel cell stack includes an external cooling channel and an internal cooling channel, wherein the external cooling channel is arranged on the periphery of the fuel cell stack and is configured to allow cooling water to flow therethrough, and the internal cooling channel is configured to allow cooling water to flow inside the fuel cell stack.

12. The thermal management system according to claim 11, wherein: To cool the fuel cell, the controller is configured to control operation of the first valve and the second valve to: guiding cooling water circulating in one of the first circuit and the second circuit to the external cooling passage, and Cooling water circulating in the other of the first circuit and the second circuit is guided to the internal cooling passage.

13. The thermal management system according to claim 11, wherein: The first circuit also includes a heater disposed in heat exchange relationship with the cooling water.

14. The thermal management system according to claim 13, wherein: The controller is configured to, under a cold start condition of the fuel cell: operating the heater; circulate the cooling water circulating in the first circuit and the second circuit only through the external cooling passage; and When the fuel cell stack reaches a predetermined temperature, the first valve and the second valve are controlled to circulate cooling water to the external cooling passage and the internal cooling passage.

15. The thermal management system of claim 11, wherein: The second circuit includes a second pump configured to flow cooling water circulating in the second circuit.

16. A fuel cell comprising the thermal management system according to claim 1.

17. A vehicle comprising the thermal management system according to claim 1.

18. A thermal management system for a fuel cell, the thermal management system comprising: A fuel cell stack comprising a plurality of fuel cell units stacked on top of each other; a plurality of external cooling channels disposed on an outer peripheral surface of the fuel cell stack and configured to allow cooling water to flow therethrough; as well as an internal cooling channel configured to enable cooling water to flow inside the fuel cell stack, Wherein, the plurality of external cooling channels include: a first external cooling passage configured to receive cooling water in a first direction; and A second external cooling passage is configured to receive cooling water in a second direction opposite to the first direction.

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