Method for assessing state of health of fuel cell assembly of power supply system

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for evaluating a state of health of a fuel cell assembly (130) of a power supply system (100), the method comprising: obtaining a power request value for the fuel cell assembly (130) and an environmental parameter associated with the fuel cell assembly (130); counting a run time of the fuel cell assembly (130) based on the environmental parameter and the power request value; obtaining an energy conversion efficiency of the fuel cell assembly (130) associated with the operating life; based on the run time and the energy conversion efficiency, a state of health of the fuel cell assembly (130) associated with an operating life is determined. According to the invention, under the condition of fully considering environmental factors and driving habits of a driver, the health state of the fuel cell assembly of the power supply system can be accurately evaluated with low calculation cost, so that a foundation is laid for accurate control of the power supply system.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of power batteries, and in particular to a method for evaluating the state of health of a fuel cell component of a power supply system, a system for evaluating the state of health of a fuel cell component of a power supply system, a device for evaluating the state of health of a fuel cell component of a power supply system, and a computer program product for at least assisting in implementing the steps of the method according to the present invention. Background Art

[0002] With the development of battery technology, fuel cells have received increasing attention. They have advantages such as zero or near-zero emissions and low noise, and are suitable as power sources for vehicles. A fuel cell uses fuels such as hydrogen to chemically react with oxygen in the atmosphere to generate electrical energy to drive an electric motor to work, thereby driving an electric vehicle forward. During the maintenance of a fuel cell, it is usually necessary to evaluate the state of health (SOH) of the fuel cell, which represents the percentage of the full charge capacity of the battery relative to the rated capacity and can reflect the health life status of the battery. Currently, methods such as the open-circuit voltage method and the internal resistance measurement method are usually used to evaluate the state of health of a fuel cell. When implementing these methods, for example, a corresponding voltage is applied to the fuel cell stack. Therefore, it is only possible to evaluate the state of health of a fuel cell based on the fuel cell stack, and it is impossible to evaluate the state of health of a fuel cell based on the overall fuel cell system (which includes electrical appliances such as water pumps and fans in addition to the fuel cell stack). Moreover, the accuracy of the evaluation results is relatively low, especially unable to accurately reflect the working environment factors of the fuel cell.

[0003] Therefore, how to accurately and efficiently evaluate the state of health of a fuel cell component of a power supply system has become a technical problem to be solved currently.

[0004] For this reason, the applicant proposed corresponding solutions in a series of applications (application number 202211082461.9) submitted to the Chinese Patent Office on September 6, 2022. The content thereof is hereby incorporated herein in its entirety, that is, the entire content of this application should be regarded as a part of the specification of the present invention as if it were recorded herein. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The object of the present invention is to provide a method for evaluating the state of health of a fuel cell component of a power supply system, a system for evaluating the state of health of a fuel cell component of a power supply system, a device for evaluating the state of health of a fuel cell component of a power supply system, and a computer program product to at least partially solve the problems in the prior art.

[0006] According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for evaluating the health state of a fuel cell assembly of a power supply system, the method comprising:

[0007] - Obtaining a power request value for the fuel cell assembly and environmental parameters related to the fuel cell assembly;

[0008] - Statistically calculating the operating time of the fuel cell assembly based on the environmental parameters and the power request value;

[0009] - Obtaining the energy conversion efficiency related to the service life of the fuel cell assembly; and

[0010] - Determining the health state related to the service life of the fuel cell assembly based on the operating time and the energy conversion efficiency.

[0011] The core concept of the present invention lies in: introducing the power request value of the fuel cell assembly and the environmental parameters related to the fuel cell assembly as influencing factors, statistically calculating the operating time of the fuel cell assembly, and obtaining the energy conversion efficiency related to the service life of the fuel cell assembly. Thus, considering environmental factors and driver driving habits, it is possible to accurately evaluate the health state of the fuel cell assembly of the power supply system with low computational overhead, thereby laying a foundation for the precise control of the power supply system.

[0012] According to an optional embodiment of the present invention, the operating time distribution of the fuel cell assembly can be statistically calculated based on the environmental parameters and the power request value, and the total operating time of the fuel cell assembly can be accumulated.

[0013] According to another optional embodiment of the present invention, the energy conversion efficiency related to the service life of the fuel cell assembly can be obtained based on the mapping relationship between the energy conversion efficiency, the power request value, and the environmental parameters.

[0014] According to another optional embodiment of the present invention, the health state related to the service life of the fuel cell assembly can be determined by the infinitesimal method based on the operating time distribution, the total operating time, and the energy conversion efficiency.

[0015] According to another optional embodiment of the present invention, the environmental parameters may include temperature, humidity, oxygen content, salt content, and / or atmospheric pressure.

[0016] According to another optional embodiment of the present invention, the service life of the fuel cell assembly is at least related to the operating duration and / or the degree of wear of the fuel cell assembly.

[0017] According to another alternative embodiment of the present invention, a power request value for the fuel cell assembly can be determined at least according to a power expectation value for the power supply system.

[0018] According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a system for evaluating the health state of a fuel cell assembly of a power supply system, the system being configured to execute the method according to the present invention, wherein the system may include the following components:

[0019] - A power request value acquisition module configured to acquire a power request value for the fuel cell assembly;

[0020] - An environmental parameter acquisition module configured to acquire environmental parameters related to the fuel cell assembly;

[0021] - An operating time statistics module configured to statistically calculate the operating time of the fuel cell assembly based on the environmental parameters and the power request value;

[0022] - An energy conversion efficiency acquisition module configured to acquire the energy conversion efficiency of the fuel cell assembly related to its service life; and

[0023] - A health state determination module configured to determine the health state of the fuel cell assembly related to its service life based on the operating time and the energy conversion efficiency.

[0024] According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a device for evaluating the health state of a fuel cell assembly of a power supply system, the device including:

[0025] - A memory; and

[0026] - At least one processor coupled to the memory and configured to execute the method according to the present invention.

[0027] According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a computer program product, such as a computer-readable program carrier, containing computer program instructions which, when executed by a processor, at least assist in implementing the steps of the method according to the present invention. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0028] Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in more detail by referring to the accompanying drawings, and the principles, features and advantages of the present invention can be better understood. The accompanying drawings include:

[0029] Figure 1 A method for evaluating the health state of a fuel cell assembly of a power supply system according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention is shown;

[0030] Figure 2The block diagram of an exemplary power supply system of a fuel cell vehicle is shown;

[0031] Figure 3 The working space schematic diagram of an exemplary fuel cell assembly according to the present invention is shown;

[0032] Figure 4 The energy conversion efficiency distribution schematic diagram of an exemplary fuel cell assembly according to the present invention is shown;

[0033] Figure 5 The block diagram of a system for evaluating the health state of a fuel cell assembly of a power supply system according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention is shown; and

[0034] Figure 6 An example of the hardware implementation of a device for evaluating the health state of a fuel cell assembly of a power supply system according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention is shown. Detailed implementation manners

[0035] In order to make the technical problems to be solved, technical solutions and beneficial technical effects of the present invention clearer and more understandable, the present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the drawings and multiple exemplary embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are only used to explain the present invention, rather than to limit the protection scope of the present invention.

[0036] The basic principle of a fuel cell is that fuel (such as hydrogen) is input from the anode (i.e., fuel electrode) of the battery. Hydrogen molecules (H 2 ) are dissociated into hydrogen ions (H+) and electrons (e-) under the action of the anode catalyst. H+ moves towards the cathode (i.e., oxidation electrode) through the electrolyte layer of the fuel cell, and e- flows to the cathode through an external circuit because it cannot pass through the electrolyte layer. At the same time, oxygen (O 2 ) is input from the cathode of the battery. Oxygen is dissociated into oxygen atoms (O) under the action of the cathode catalyst, and combines with e- flowing to the cathode through the external circuit and H+ passing through the electrolyte layer to generate stable water (H 2 O), thereby completing the electrochemical reaction and releasing heat. Using this electrochemical reaction, as long as hydrogen is continuously input to the anode and oxygen is continuously input to the cathode, the electrochemical reaction will continue continuously, and e- will continuously flow through the external circuit to form a current, thereby continuously providing power for the vehicle, such as electricity or power. Fuel cells have the advantages of high energy conversion efficiency, almost zero emissions, and low noise.

[0037] Figure 1The working flowchart of a method for evaluating the health state of a fuel cell assembly according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention is shown. The following exemplary embodiments describe the method according to the present invention in more detail.

[0038] The method may include steps S1 to S4. In step S1, a power request value for the fuel cell assembly and environmental parameters related to the fuel cell assembly are obtained. In the current embodiment of the present invention, it is elaborated in detail in conjunction with Figure 2 the block diagram of an exemplary power supply system 100 of a fuel cell vehicle shown. It should be noted that the power supply system 100 can be used not only for vehicles, but also for ships, rail transit, and / or aircraft.

[0039] As Figure 2 shown, the power supply system 100 may include a power control component 120, a fuel cell assembly 130, a battery assembly 140, and a hydrogen tank 150. The power control component 120 can determine a power request value for the fuel cell assembly 130 at least according to the current power expectation value of the vehicle (for example, determining the power required by the vehicle based on the depth of the driver stepping on the accelerator), and the power request value can indicate the power point set for the fuel cell assembly 130 (i.e., the power set point).

[0040] The hydrogen tank 150 can supply hydrogen with a corresponding flow rate to the fuel cell assembly 130 according to the power request value (such as the power set point) for the fuel cell assembly 130. The hydrogen tank 150 can store hydrogen fuel, such as liquefied hydrogen, compressed hydrogen, and / or metal oxide hydrogen storage, etc.

[0041] Additionally or alternatively, the power control component 120 can also determine a power set point for the battery assembly 140 to cooperate with the fuel cell assembly 130 to provide power to the motor 110 to achieve the current power expectation value of the vehicle. For example, when the vehicle is accelerating, the battery assembly 140 can provide additional power, and when the vehicle is decelerating, the excess power generated by the fuel cell assembly 130 can be used to charge the battery assembly 140. The battery assembly 140 can include, for example, alkaline batteries (such as nickel batteries, lithium batteries), lead-acid batteries, etc. Thus, the current power expectation value of the vehicle is jointly provided by the fuel cell assembly 130 and the battery assembly 140. The power generated by the power supply system 100 can drive the motor 110 to work, and the motor 110 drives the mechanical transmission structure in the vehicle, and then drives the walking mechanical structures such as the front axle and / or the rear axle of the vehicle to work, so as to drive the vehicle forward.

[0042] Here, the environmental parameters can be obtained through environmental sensors installed on the fuel cell vehicle. The environmental sensors include, for example, temperature sensors, gas sensors, etc. The obtained environmental parameters include, for example, one or more of temperature, humidity, oxygen content, salt content, and atmospheric pressure. In addition, the altitude at which the fuel cell vehicle is located can be obtained through an on-vehicle positioning device, which can indicate at least one or a combination of the oxygen content and the atmospheric pressure. Additionally or alternatively, the environmental parameters can also be obtained by manual input by the user on the control screen interface, or by accessing a wireless communication network or an on-vehicle TBOX terminal.

[0043] In step S2, the operating time of the fuel cell assembly 130 is statistically calculated based on the environmental parameters and the power request value. Here, in particular, the operating time distribution of the fuel cell assembly 130 can be statistically calculated based on the environmental parameters and the power request value, and the total operating time of the fuel cell assembly can be accumulated. For the sake of clarity, the following will elaborate in detail on the statistical calculation of the operating time of the fuel cell assembly 130 in conjunction with Figure 3 a schematic diagram of the working space of an exemplary fuel cell assembly shown.

[0044] In the current embodiment of the present invention, the working space of the fuel cell assembly 130 is defined as a three-dimensional cubic working space, where the x, y, and z axes respectively represent the power request value (i.e., the power set point), temperature, and altitude. The three-dimensional cubic working space consists of a defined number n of sub-working spaces P 1 to P n composed. Considering that the probability distribution of the operating time changes continuously, it can be considered here that the probability density distribution in each sub-working space is uniform.

[0045] Assume that the power request value for the fuel cell assembly 130 during the current operating period is x k , the temperature related to the fuel cell assembly 130 is y k , and the altitude related to the fuel cell assembly 130 is z k . Then, when statistically calculating the operating time distribution of the fuel cell assembly 130, the current operating period is assigned to the sub-working space P k (x k ,y k ,z k ). By accumulating all the operating periods assigned to this sub-working space P k (x k ,y k ,z k ), the operating time related to this sub-working space P k (x k ,y k ,z k) corresponds to the running time T k During the operation of the fuel cell assembly 130, each operating time period is assigned to each sub-working space in the above manner, and the sub-working space P assigned to the corresponding sub-working space P is 1 To P n By accumulating all running time periods, we can get the 1 To P n The corresponding running time T 1 To T n , thereby obtaining the operating time distribution of the fuel cell assembly 130. At the same time, the total operating time T of the fuel cell assembly 130 is obtained by accumulating all operating time periods. t , whereby the fuel cell assembly 130 is in the sub-working space P k (x k ,y k ,z k ) in the running time T k Total running time T t The probability p k It can be calculated as follows:

[0046] p k =T k / T t

[0047] The calculated probability p k It can be used to characterize the probability that the fuel cell assembly 130 is in the sub-workspace during the entire operation process. It is understandable that the probability of each sub-workspace will be updated during the operation process, and the sum of the probabilities of all sub-workspaces of the workspace is equal to 1.

[0048] For example, if the car is traveling in a warm climate, the probability of the fuel cell assembly 130 being in a sub-working space with a higher temperature is higher than the probability of being in a sub-working space with a lower temperature, thereby accurately representing the impact of the ambient temperature of the fuel cell assembly. For another example, if the driver's driving style is more aggressive, that is, the driver steps on the accelerator more deeply, the power request value (i.e., the power set point) for the fuel cell assembly 130 is also higher, and the probability of the fuel cell assembly 130 being in a sub-working space with a higher power request value is higher than the probability of being in a sub-working space with a lower power request value, thereby accurately representing the impact of the power request value of the fuel cell assembly.

[0049] It should be noted that the three-dimensional working space shown here related to the power request value, temperature, and altitude is merely exemplary. The environmental factors of each axis of the three-dimensional working space can be selected from temperature, humidity, oxygen content, salt content, and / or atmospheric pressure, etc., as needed. Additionally or alternatively, when considering three or more environmental factors, the working space of the fuel cell assembly 130 can be a four-dimensional working space or a working space of a higher dimension.

[0050] In step S3, the energy conversion efficiency related to the working life of the fuel cell assembly 130 is obtained. Here, based on the mapping relationship between the energy conversion efficiency, the power request value, and the environmental parameters, the energy conversion efficiency related to the working life of the fuel cell assembly 130 is obtained, where the mapping relationship can be stored in the form of a query table or a graph. The working life of the fuel cell assembly 130 can be related to the working duration and / or the degree of wear of the fuel cell assembly. For example, the degree of wear of the fuel cell assembly can be related to the degree of wear of the catalyst and / or the electrolyte layer. Therefore, each graph or each lookup table can be respectively associated with a time unit (such as year, quarter, or month, etc.).

[0051] It should be noted that the applicant detailed the solution for determining the above mapping relationship in the series of applications (application number 202211082461.9) submitted to the Chinese Patent Office on September 6, 2022. The content thereof is hereby incorporated herein in its entirety, that is, the entire content of this application should be regarded as a part of the specification of the present invention, just as if it were recorded herein, and will not be repeated herein.

[0052] The following will be elaborated in detail in conjunction with Figure 4 the schematic diagram showing the distribution of the energy conversion efficiency of an exemplary fuel cell assembly according to the present invention. Corresponding to Figure 3 the schematic diagram of the working space, in Figure 4 a three-dimensional distribution diagram of the energy conversion efficiency associated with the m-th year of the time unit is shown, where the x, y, and z axes respectively represent the power request value (i.e., the power set point), temperature, and altitude. Assume that the current operating period belongs to the m-th year, the power request value for the fuel cell assembly 130 is x k , the temperature related to the fuel cell assembly 130 is y k , the altitude related to the fuel cell assembly 130 is z k , and by searching the graph, the energy conversion efficiency under the current operating conditions can be determined as It can be understood that in order to obtain the energy conversion efficiency related to the working life of different time units (such as different years), only the graph or lookup table of the energy conversion efficiency associated with the corresponding time unit needs to be called.

[0053] It should be noted that the mapping relationships shown here for the power request value, temperature, altitude, and energy conversion efficiency are merely exemplary. The environmental factors can be selected as needed from among temperature, humidity, oxygen content, salt content, and / or atmospheric pressure, etc. Additionally or alternatively, when considering three or more environmental factors, the distribution map of the energy conversion efficiency of the fuel cell assembly 130 can be four-dimensional or of a higher dimension.

[0054] In step S4, based on the operating time and the energy conversion efficiency, determine the health state related to the working life of the fuel cell assembly. Here, the health state related to the working life of the fuel cell assembly can be determined, for example, by the infinitesimal method based on the operating time distribution, the total operating time, and the energy conversion efficiency. When the current operating time period belongs to the m-th year, call the energy conversion efficiency associated with the m-th year of the fuel cell assembly 130 The fuel cell assembly 130 is in the sub-workspace P k (x k , y k , z k ) of the health state can be calculated as follows:

[0055]

[0056] Where, represents the energy conversion efficiency of the fuel cell assembly 130 under the initial operating state of the fuel cell assembly 130 (i.e., the operating time period belongs to the 0-th year), for the power request value of x for the fuel cell assembly 130 k , the temperature related to the fuel cell assembly 130 is y k , the altitude related to the fuel cell assembly 130 is z k in the case of, that is, compared with , except for the different year to which the operating time period belongs, other operating conditions are the same.

[0057] Considering that the operating time T k (x k , y k , z k ) of the fuel cell assembly 130 in the sub-workspace P k accounts for the probability p t of the total operating time T k , by multiplying the health state of the fuel cell assembly 130 under each sub-workspace with the corresponding probability value p k and accumulating, the health state related to the working life (here, for example, the m-th year) of the fuel cell assembly 130 can be determined Its calculation formula is:

[0058]

[0059] Here, the health state determination module 15 can determine the health state related to the working life of the fuel cell assembly 130. The health state determination module 15 can include a mapping relationship between input parameters and outputs, for example, in the form of a lookup table or a graph, where the input parameters include the operating time distribution T of the fuel cell assembly 130 k and the total operating time T t and the energy conversion efficiency related to the working life The output parameter is the health state related to the working life of the fuel cell assembly Additionally or alternatively, the health state determination module 15 can include an artificial intelligence network, such as a neural network model. The health state determination module 15 can be present in the fuel cell vehicle (e.g., stored in an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM)) or can be accessible by the fuel cell vehicle through a wireless or wired network

[0060] According to an embodiment of the present invention, considering environmental factors and driver driving habits, the health state of the fuel cell assembly of the power supply system can be accurately evaluated with low computational overhead, thus laying a foundation for the precise control of the power supply system

[0061] In addition, it should be noted that the step numbers described herein do not necessarily represent the order of sequence, but are merely a reference numeral. According to specific circumstances, the order can be changed as long as the technical purpose of the present invention can be achieved

[0062] Figure 5 A block diagram of a system for evaluating the health state of a fuel cell assembly of a power supply system according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention is shown

[0063] As Figure 5 shown, the system 1 can include the following components

[0064] - A power request value acquisition module 11, which is configured to acquire a power request value for the fuel cell assembly 130

[0065] - An environmental parameter acquisition module 12, which is configured to acquire environmental parameters related to the fuel cell assembly 130

[0066] - An operating time statistics module 13, which is configured to statistically calculate the operating time of the fuel cell assembly 130 based on the environmental parameters and the power request value

[0067] - An energy conversion efficiency acquisition module 14, which is configured to acquire the energy conversion efficiency of the fuel cell assembly 130 related to the operating life; and

[0068] - A health state determination module 15, which is configured to determine the health state of the fuel cell assembly 130 related to the operating life based on the operating time and the energy conversion efficiency.

[0069] It should be noted that the above modules are virtual modules set according to function division, rather than actual hardware modules. Figure 6 An example of the hardware implementation of a device for evaluating the health state of a fuel cell assembly of a power supply system according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention is shown.

[0070] As Figure 6 shown, the device 2 may include a memory 21 and at least one processor 22. Among them, the processor 22 may be coupled to the memory 21 and is configured to execute the method according to the present invention. The processor 22 may be a general-purpose processor, or may also be implemented as a combination of computing devices, such as a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, multiple microprocessors, one or more microprocessors combined with a DSP core, or other such structures. The memory 21 may store input data, output data, data generated by the processor 22, and / or instructions executed by the processor 22.

[0071] Although specific implementation manners have been described above, these implementation manners are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention disclosure, even in the case of describing a single implementation manner only with respect to specific features. The feature examples provided in the present invention disclosure are intended for illustration rather than limitation, unless otherwise stated. In specific implementations, multiple features may be combined with each other according to actual needs and when technically feasible. Various substitutions, changes, and modifications can also be conceived without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A method for evaluating the health state of a fuel cell component (130) of a power supply system (100), the method comprises: obtaining a power request value for the fuel cell component (130) and environmental parameters related to the fuel cell component (130); statistically calculating the operating time of the fuel cell component (130) based on the environmental parameters and the power request value; obtaining the energy conversion efficiency related to the service life of the fuel cell component (130); and determining the health state related to the service life of the fuel cell component (130) based on the operating time and the energy conversion efficiency.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein, statistically calculating the operating time distribution of the fuel cell component based on the environmental parameters and the power request value, and accumulating the total operating time of the fuel cell component.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein, obtaining the energy conversion efficiency related to the service life of the fuel cell component based on the mapping relationship between the energy conversion efficiency, the power request value and the environmental parameters.

4. The method according to claim 2, wherein, determining the health state related to the service life of the fuel cell component by using the infinitesimal method based on the operating time distribution, the total operating time and the energy conversion efficiency.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein, the environmental parameters include temperature, humidity, oxygen content, salt content and / or atmospheric pressure.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein, the service life of the fuel cell component is at least related to the operating duration and / or the degree of wear of the fuel cell component.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein, determining the power request value for the fuel cell component at least according to the power expected value for the power supply system.

8. A system (1) for evaluating the health state of a fuel cell component (130) of a power supply system (100), the system (1) being configured to execute the method according to any one of the above claims, wherein, the system (1) comprises the following components: a power request value acquisition module (11) configured to obtain a power request value for the fuel cell component (130); an environmental parameter acquisition module (12) configured to obtain environmental parameters related to the fuel cell component (130); an operating time statistical module (13) configured to statistically calculate the operating time of the fuel cell component (130) based on the environmental parameters and the power request value; an energy conversion efficiency acquisition module (14) configured to obtain the energy conversion efficiency related to the service life of the fuel cell component (130); and a health state determination module (15) configured to determine the health state related to the service life of the fuel cell component (130) based on the operating time and the energy conversion efficiency.

9. An apparatus (2) for evaluating the health state of a fuel cell assembly (130) of a power supply system (100), the apparatus (2) comprising: a memory (21); and at least one processor (22) coupled to the memory (21) and configured to execute the method according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

10. A computer program product, such as a computer-readable program carrier, comprising computer program instructions which, when executed by a processor, at least assist in implementing the steps of the method according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

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