Battery system and thermal management control method

Abstract

The invention relates to a battery system and a thermal management control method. The thermal management control method comprises the following steps: acquiring liquid level information of service liquid in a fuel battery; judging whether the liquid level of the service liquid in the fuel cell is lower than a minimum preset threshold value or not according to the liquid level information; and when the liquid level of the service liquid in the fuel cell is lower than the minimum preset threshold value, controlling the cooling pump to start. According to the thermal management control method, the condition that the liquid level of the service liquid is lower than the minimum preset threshold value can be found in time by monitoring the liquid level information of the service liquid in the fuel cell in real time. And when the liquid level is lower than the minimum preset threshold value, the controller controls the cooling pump to be started in time, so that the working environment temperature of the fuel cell is not greatly fluctuated, the condition that the performance of the fuel cell is degraded due to overheating or temperature fluctuation is avoided, and the working efficiency and the safety of the fuel cell are remarkably improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the field of ocean buoys, and particularly to a battery system and a thermal management control method. Background Art

[0002] In the usage scenario of ocean buoys, due to the relatively harsh ocean environment with characteristics such as high humidity and high corrosiveness, the components of ocean buoys often have a relatively short service life. To solve this problem, the existing ocean buoys install the components in a sealed compartment to avoid direct contact with seawater.

[0003] However, for components such as fuel cells, since they generate a large amount of heat during operation, the sealed storage space also brings serious heat dissipation problems to such components. The current solution is to detect the ambient temperature around the fuel cell and control the operation of the heat dissipation system. Such a control method highly depends on temperature sensors and has corresponding hysteresis, resulting in a large temperature fluctuation range for the fuel cell and further problems such as unstable output power. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The present application provides a battery system and a thermal management control method to solve some or all of the deficiencies in the related art.

[0005] The present application provides a thermal management control method applied to a battery system. The battery system includes a fuel cell, a fuel chamber, and a cooling pump. The fuel chamber is used to provide fuel for the fuel cell, and the cooling pump is used to cool the fuel cell. The thermal management control method includes: Obtaining the liquid level information of the service liquid in the fuel cell; Judging whether the liquid level of the service liquid in the fuel cell is lower than the minimum preset threshold according to the liquid level information; When the liquid level of the service liquid in the fuel cell is lower than the minimum preset threshold, controlling the cooling pump to start.

[0006] Optionally, after controlling the cooling pump to start, it further includes: Judging whether the liquid level of the service liquid in the fuel cell is higher than the standard preset threshold according to the liquid level information; When the liquid level of the service liquid in the fuel cell is higher than the standard preset threshold, controlling the cooling pump to stop working.

[0007] Optionally, the minimum preset threshold is configured as 65% of the highest liquid level of the service liquid; and / or, the standard preset threshold is configured as 75% of the highest liquid level of the service liquid.

[0008] Optionally, the cooling pump includes a main pump and a standby pump; controlling the cooling pump to start includes: Controlling the main pump to start and determining whether the startup duration of the main pump exceeds a first preset duration; When the startup duration of the main pump exceeds the first preset duration, controlling the main pump to stop working and controlling the standby pump to start.

[0009] Optionally, when controlling the main pump to start and the startup duration of the main pump does not exceed the first preset duration, it further includes: Judging whether the service liquid level in the fuel cell is higher than a standard preset threshold according to the liquid level information; When the service liquid level in the fuel cell is higher than the standard preset threshold, controlling the main pump to stop working.

[0010] Optionally, after controlling the standby pump to start, it further includes: Judging whether the startup duration of the standby pump exceeds a second preset duration; When the startup duration of the standby pump exceeds the second preset duration, controlling the standby pump to stop working and sending an alarm code to the cloud.

[0011] Optionally, when controlling the standby pump to start and the startup duration of the standby pump does not exceed the second preset duration, it further includes: Judging whether the service liquid level in the fuel cell is higher than a standard preset threshold according to the liquid level information; When the service liquid level in the fuel cell is higher than the standard preset threshold, controlling the standby pump to stop working.

[0012] Optionally, the minimum preset threshold is configured as 65% of the highest liquid level of the service liquid; and / or, the standard preset threshold is configured as 75% of the highest liquid level of the service liquid.

[0013] This application also provides a battery system, which includes a battery box, a fuel cell, a fuel chamber, a cooling pump, and a controller. The battery box is configured as an enclosed box. The fuel cell is disposed in the battery box. The fuel chamber is communicated with the battery box through a pipeline and is used to provide fuel for the fuel cell. The cooling pump is disposed in the battery box and is used to cool the fuel cell. The controller is electrically connected to the cooling pump and is used to execute the thermal management control method described above.

[0014] Optionally, the cooling pump includes a main pump and a standby pump, both of which are electrically connected to the controller. The normal state of the battery system is to use the main pump. When the main pump fails, the battery system switches to using the standby pump.

[0015] The technical solutions provided by the embodiments of the present application may include the following beneficial effects: As can be seen from the above embodiments, the thermal management control method of the present application can timely detect the situation where the service liquid level is lower than the minimum preset threshold by real-time monitoring of the liquid level information of the fuel cell. When the liquid level is lower than the minimum preset threshold, the controller controls the cooling pump to be turned on in time, so as to ensure that the working environment temperature of the fuel cell does not fluctuate greatly, avoid the performance attenuation of the fuel cell caused by overheating or temperature fluctuation, and significantly improve the working efficiency and safety of the fuel cell.

[0016] It should be understood that the above general description and the following detailed description are only exemplary and explanatory, and cannot limit the present application. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application, the drawings required for the description of the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings in the following description are only some embodiments of the present application, and those of ordinary skill in the art can obtain other drawings without creative efforts based on these drawings.

[0018] Figure 1 It is a schematic structural diagram of a battery system in an embodiment of the present application; Figure 2 It is a partial flow chart of the thermal management control method in an embodiment of the present application; Figure 3 It is a complete flow chart of the thermal management control method in an embodiment of the present application.

[0019] Description of the reference numerals: 1. Battery system; 11. Battery box; 12. Fuel cell; 13. Fuel cavity; 14. Cooling pump. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

[0020] Here, the technical solutions in the embodiments (or "embodiment modes") of the present application will be clearly and completely described in conjunction with the drawings. When the following description involves the drawings, unless otherwise indicated, the same numerals in different drawings represent the same or similar elements.

[0021] If there are terms related to directional indication or positional relationship in the embodiments of the present application (such as up, down, left, right, front, back, inside, outside, top, bottom, center, vertical, horizontal, longitudinal, lateral, length, width, counterclockwise, clockwise, axial, radial, circumferential, etc.), such terms are only used to explain the relative positional relationship and movement conditions between components in a specific posture (as shown in the drawings); if the specific posture changes, the directional indication or positional relationship will also change accordingly. In addition, terms such as "first" and "second" in the embodiments of the present application are only for the purpose of convenient description and cannot be construed as indicating or implying relative importance.

[0022] As Figure 1 shown, the present application provides a battery system 1, which is applicable to marine buoys or other scenarios of enclosed storage spaces. The battery system 1 includes: a battery box 11, a fuel cell 12, a fuel cavity 13, a cooling pump 14, and a controller (not shown in the figure). The battery box 11 is configured as an enclosed box. The fuel cell 12 is disposed in the battery box 11. The fuel cavity 13 is communicated with the battery box 11 through a pipeline and is used to provide fuel for the fuel cell 12. The cooling pump 14 is disposed in the battery box 11 and is used to cool the fuel cell 12. The controller is electrically connected to the cooling pump 14 and is used to execute the thermal management control method of the battery system 1.

[0023] The battery system 1 of the present application adopts an enclosed battery box 11 to ensure that the fuel cell 12 and other components work in an enclosed environment. Such a design can effectively prevent external pollutants from entering the battery system 1, reduce the risk of damage to the fuel cell 12 caused by the harsh marine environment, thereby improving the safety and reliability of the battery system 1 and enhancing the environmental adaptability of the battery system 1. At the same time, the battery system 1 of the present application stores the relevant data of the liquid level information of the service liquid in the fuel cell 12 in the holding register of the controller, so that the controller can monitor the data in the holding register, thereby obtaining the liquid level information of the service liquid in the fuel cell 12 according to the data stored in the holding register, and then automatically adjusting the operating state of the cooling pump 14 to ensure that the fuel cell 12 is always at a better operating temperature. This design improves the automation level of the system, reduces the possibility of performance degradation of the fuel cell 12 caused by changes in environmental temperature, and thus ensures that the fuel cell 12 always operates at a high working efficiency.

[0024] In an alternative embodiment, the cooling pump 14 includes a main pump and a standby pump, both of which are electrically connected to the controller. The normal state of the battery system 1 is to use the main pump. When the main pump fails, the battery system 1 switches to using the standby pump.

[0025] By providing a main pump and a standby pump, when the main pump fails in the battery system 1, the battery system 1 can control the standby pump to immediately take over the cooling function, ensuring that the cooling process of the fuel cell 12 will not be interrupted, ensuring that the fuel cell 12 always remains within the optimal temperature range, and avoiding performance degradation of the fuel cell 12 caused by overheating or temperature fluctuations. This design can effectively extend the service life of the fuel cell 12 and the entire battery system 1, significantly improve the reliability of the battery system 1, avoid system failure caused by the failure of the cooling pump 14, enhance the intelligence level and environmental adaptability of the system.

[0026] Reference Figure 2 As shown, the thermal management control method of the battery system 1 described in this application includes: S1. Obtain the liquid level information of the service liquid in the fuel cell 12; S2. Determine whether the liquid level of the service liquid in the fuel cell 12 is lower than the minimum preset threshold according to the liquid level information; S3. When the liquid level of the service liquid in the fuel cell 12 is lower than the minimum preset threshold, control the cooling pump 14 to start.

[0027] By monitoring the liquid level information of the service liquid in the fuel cell 12 in real time, the thermal management control method of this application can promptly detect the situation where the liquid level of the service liquid is lower than the minimum preset threshold. When the liquid level is lower than the minimum preset threshold, the controller controls the cooling pump 14 to start in a timely manner, thereby ensuring that the working environment temperature of the fuel cell 12 will not fluctuate significantly, avoiding the situation of performance degradation of the fuel cell 12 caused by overheating or temperature fluctuations, and significantly improving the working efficiency and safety of the fuel cell 12.

[0028] It should be noted that in the embodiments described in the present application, the minimum preset threshold is configured to be 65% of the highest liquid level of the service liquid. That is to say, when the controller detects that the liquid level of the service liquid in the fuel cell 12 is lower than 65% of the highest liquid level, it will determine that the operating temperature of the fuel cell 12 is too high at this time, and immediately control the cooling pump 14 to start working to cool down the fuel cell 12. In this embodiment, the preset working scenario is a relatively common marine environment. In a normal marine environment, when the liquid level of the service liquid in the fuel cell 12 is at 65% of the highest liquid level, the corresponding ambient temperature of the fuel cell 12 is about 40 °C. In some more extreme environments, such as extremely hot working scenarios in summer or equatorial regions, the ambient temperature of the battery system 1 itself is relatively high and the heating rate is fast. Therefore, the minimum preset threshold also needs to be increased accordingly, such as increased to 75%, 80% or even higher, to ensure that the fuel cell 12 can be cooled more timely; on the contrary, if in relatively cold working scenarios such as winter or polar regions, the demand for cooling during the operation of the fuel cell 12 is greatly reduced. Therefore, the minimum preset threshold can be lowered, and even in some extremely cold cases, the minimum preset threshold can be cancelled. It can be seen that the thermal management control method of the present application is flexible and can be adjusted accordingly according to different working environments. The present application does not limit this.

[0029] In an alternative embodiment, after S3, it further includes: S4. Judging whether the liquid level of the service liquid in the fuel cell 12 is higher than the standard preset threshold according to the liquid level information; S5. When the liquid level of the service liquid in the fuel cell 12 is higher than the standard preset threshold, controlling the cooling pump 14 to stop working.

[0030] In the thermal management control method of the present application, when the liquid level of the service liquid reaches the standard preset threshold, the controller can control the cooling pump 14 to stop working, thereby ensuring that the fuel cell 12 works within an appropriate temperature range, ensuring that the fuel cell 12 can always maintain a high-power state operation, thereby improving the working efficiency, output power of the fuel cell 12 and the control accuracy of the battery system 1. At the same time, the setting of this control method can also avoid the unnecessary operation of the cooling pump 14 when the liquid level is sufficient, thereby effectively reducing the energy consumption of the system and improving the energy utilization efficiency.

[0031] Correspondingly, in the embodiments described in the present application, the standard preset threshold is configured to be 75% of the highest liquid level of the service liquid.

[0032] Similar to the minimum preset threshold described above, in this embodiment, the preset working scenario is a relatively common marine environment. In a normal marine environment, when the service liquid level in the fuel cell 12 rises to 75% of the highest level, it means that the working environment temperature of the fuel cell 12 has met the requirements for its efficient operation. In some more extreme environments, such as extremely hot working scenarios in summer or equatorial regions, the ambient temperature of the battery system 1 itself is relatively high and the temperature rise rate is fast. Therefore, the standard preset threshold also needs to be increased accordingly, such as increased to 85%, 90% or even higher, to ensure that the fuel cell 12 can be cooled more timely; on the contrary, if in relatively cold working scenarios in winter or polar regions, the demand for cooling during the operation of the fuel cell 12 is greatly reduced. Therefore, the standard preset threshold can be lowered, and even in some extremely cold cases, the standard preset threshold can be cancelled. It can be seen that the thermal management control method of the present application is flexible and can be adjusted accordingly according to different working environments. The present application does not limit this.

[0033] In an alternative embodiment, the cooling pump includes a main pump and a standby pump. S3 further includes: S31. Control the main pump to start and determine whether the startup duration of the main pump exceeds a first preset duration; S32. When the startup duration of the main pump exceeds the first preset duration, control the main pump to stop working and control the standby pump to start.

[0034] The battery system 1 and the thermal management control method of the present application can automatically switch to the standby pump when the startup duration of the main pump exceeds the first preset duration through the dual-pump design of the main pump and the standby pump, thus effectively avoiding the situation of cooling interruption caused by a single pump failure. This design significantly improves the reliability, safety and intelligent level of the system, ensures that the cooling function can still operate normally when the main pump is abnormal, and optimizes the resource allocation and energy utilization efficiency of the system.

[0035] In an alternative embodiment, when the main pump is controlled to start and the startup duration of the main pump does not exceed the first preset duration, it further includes: S33. Determine whether the service liquid level in the fuel cell 12 is higher than the standard preset threshold according to the liquid level information; S34. When the service liquid level in the fuel cell 12 is higher than the standard preset threshold, control the main pump to stop working.

[0036] In this embodiment, when the level of the service liquid reaches the standard preset threshold, the controller can control the main pump to stop working, thereby ensuring that the fuel cell 12 operates within an appropriate temperature range, ensuring that the fuel cell 12 can always operate at a high power state, and thus improving the working efficiency, output power of the fuel cell 12, and the control accuracy of the battery system 1. At the same time, it can also avoid the unnecessary operation of the main pump when the liquid level is sufficient, thereby effectively reducing the energy consumption of the system and improving the energy utilization efficiency. In the embodiment described in this application, the standard preset threshold is configured to be 75% of the highest liquid level of the service liquid.

[0037] In an alternative embodiment, after controlling the standby pump to start, it further includes: S35. Determine whether the startup duration of the standby pump exceeds a second preset duration; S36. When the startup duration of the standby pump exceeds the second preset duration, control the standby pump to stop working and send an alarm code to the cloud.

[0038] Through the design of steps S35 and S36, the thermal management control method of this application enables the battery system 1 to automatically stop the standby pump when the startup duration of the standby pump exceeds the second preset duration and send an alarm code to the cloud, further optimizing the intelligent monitoring and fault handling capabilities of the system. This design not only improves the safety, fault tolerance, and remote monitoring capabilities of the system but also reduces the maintenance cost and difficulty of fault troubleshooting of the system.

[0039] It should be noted that based on the preset scenarios of the battery system 1 in this application, both the first preset duration and the second preset duration are set to 10s. In other alternative embodiments, in combination with factors such as the response speed, network conditions, and working environment of the battery system 1, the first preset duration and the second preset duration can be adjusted accordingly. For example, the first preset duration can be set to 5s, the second preset duration can be set to 15s, or both the first preset duration and the second preset duration can be set to 5s, etc. Therefore, this application does not limit this either.

[0040] In addition, during the actual operation process, if only the startup duration of the main pump exceeds the first preset duration, a maintenance code can be sent to the cloud to remind the operator to perform remote maintenance on the main pump. When the cloud receives the alarm code sent by the battery system 1, it can also remind the operator to respond quickly and perform maintenance on both the main pump and the standby pump of the battery system 1. After the operator completes the maintenance work on the main pump and the standby pump, an elimination instruction can be issued to eliminate the alarm code of the battery system 1, so that the thermal management control process can proceed normally.

[0041] In an alternative embodiment, when the standby pump is controlled to start and the startup duration of the standby pump does not exceed the second preset duration, it further includes: S37. Determine whether the service liquid level in the fuel cell 12 is higher than the standard preset threshold according to the liquid level information; S38. When the service liquid level in the fuel cell 12 is higher than the standard preset threshold, control the standby pump to stop working.

[0042] Similarly, similar to S33 and S34, when the service liquid level reaches the standard preset threshold, the controller can control the standby pump to stop working, thereby ensuring that the fuel cell 12 operates within an appropriate temperature range, ensuring that the fuel cell 12 can always operate at a high power state, thereby improving the working efficiency, output power of the fuel cell 12, and the control accuracy of the battery system 1. At the same time, it can also avoid the unnecessary operation of the standby pump when the liquid level is sufficient, thereby effectively reducing the energy consumption of the system and improving the energy utilization efficiency. In the embodiment described in the present application, the standard preset threshold is configured to be 75% of the highest liquid level of the service liquid.

[0043] See Figure 3 As shown, taking the cooling pump including a main pump and a standby pump, the first preset duration and the second preset duration are both 10s, the minimum preset threshold is 65% of the highest liquid level of the service liquid, and the standard preset threshold is 75% of the highest liquid level of the service liquid as an example, the thermal management control method of the present application is described: During the actual operation process, when the fuel cell 12 of the battery system 1 starts to operate, the controller will immediately read the relevant data of the service liquid level information in the holding register and perform real-time monitoring. When the controller detects that the service liquid level in the fuel cell 12 drops and is lower than the minimum preset threshold according to the data in the holding register, it will control the main pump to start and cool down the battery box 11. During this process, if the main pump is normally started within the first preset duration, then the controller will continue to monitor the data in the holding register until the service liquid level in the fuel cell 12 rises and exceeds the standard preset threshold, and the controller will control the main pump to close. On the contrary, if the main pump is not normally started within the first preset duration, the controller will cut off the power supply of the main pump, start the standby pump, and at the same time send an alarm code of the main pump abnormality to the cloud. Similarly, if the standby pump is normally started within the second preset duration, then the controller will continue to monitor the data in the holding register until the service liquid level in the fuel cell 12 rises and exceeds the standard preset threshold, and the controller will control the standby pump to close. If the standby pump is also not normally started within the second preset duration, then the controller will also cut off the power supply of the standby pump and send an alarm code of both the main pump and the standby pump being abnormal to the cloud. After the operator checks, repairs, and eliminates the abnormalities of the two cooling pumps 14, an alarm code issued by the controller can be eliminated by issuing an elimination instruction.

[0044] It can be seen that the design of the thermal management control method of the present application effectively improves the response speed and intelligent level of the battery system 1, significantly enhances the heat dissipation efficiency in the battery box 11, thereby reducing the temperature fluctuation in the battery box 11 and keeping the temperature gradient in the battery box 11 within 2 °C / m. 3 Furthermore, the fuel cell 12 can operate at a relatively high output efficiency. In addition, the dual-pump design of the present application also effectively improves the safety, fault tolerance and remote monitoring capabilities of the system, and reduces the maintenance cost and difficulty of troubleshooting of the system.

[0045] It should be noted that the technical solutions or technical features described in the above embodiments can be combined or supplemented with each other without conflict. The scope of protection of the present application is not limited to the precise structures described in the above embodiments and shown in the drawings; any modifications, equivalent replacements, improvements, etc. made within the spirit and principle of the present application shall be included within the scope of protection of the present application.

Claims

1. A thermal management control method, applied to a battery system, characterized in that, The battery system includes a fuel cell, a fuel chamber, and a cooling pump. The fuel chamber is used to supply fuel to the fuel cell, and the cooling pump is used to cool the fuel cell; The thermal management control method includes: Obtaining the liquid level information of the service liquid in the fuel cell; Judging whether the liquid level of the service liquid in the fuel cell is lower than a minimum preset threshold according to the liquid level information; When the liquid level of the service liquid in the fuel cell is lower than the minimum preset threshold, controlling the cooling pump to start.

2. The thermal management control method according to claim 1, characterized in that After controlling the cooling pump to start, it further includes: Judging whether the liquid level of the service liquid in the fuel cell is higher than a standard preset threshold according to the liquid level information; When the liquid level of the service liquid in the fuel cell is higher than the standard preset threshold, controlling the cooling pump to stop working.

3. The thermal management control method according to claim 2, wherein The minimum preset threshold is configured to be 65% of the highest liquid level of the service liquid; and / or, the standard preset threshold is configured to be 75% of the highest liquid level of the service liquid.

4. The thermal management control method according to claim 1, wherein The cooling pump includes a main pump and a standby pump; controlling the cooling pump to start includes: Controlling the main pump to start and judging whether the startup duration of the main pump exceeds a first preset duration; When the startup duration of the main pump exceeds the first preset duration, controlling the main pump to stop working and controlling the standby pump to start.

5. The thermal management control method according to claim 4, wherein When controlling the main pump to start and the startup duration of the main pump does not exceed the first preset duration, it further includes: Judging whether the liquid level of the service liquid in the fuel cell is higher than a standard preset threshold according to the liquid level information; When the liquid level of the service liquid in the fuel cell is higher than the standard preset threshold, controlling the main pump to stop working.

6. The thermal management control method according to claim 4, wherein, After controlling the standby pump to start, it further includes: Judging whether the startup duration of the standby pump exceeds a second preset duration; When the startup duration of the standby pump exceeds the second preset duration, controlling the standby pump to stop working and sending an alarm code to the cloud.

7. The thermal management control method according to claim 6, wherein When controlling the standby pump to start and the startup duration of the standby pump does not exceed the second preset duration, it further includes: Judging whether the liquid level of the service liquid in the fuel cell is higher than a standard preset threshold according to the liquid level information; When the liquid level of the service liquid in the fuel cell is higher than the standard preset threshold, controlling the standby pump to stop working.

8. The thermal management control method according to claim 5 or 7, characterized in that The minimum preset threshold is configured to be 65% of the highest liquid level of the service liquid; and / or, the standard preset threshold is configured to be 75% of the highest liquid level of the service liquid.

9. A battery system, characterized in that, The battery system includes: A battery box configured as an airtight box; A fuel cell disposed in the battery box; A fuel chamber communicated with the battery box through a pipeline for supplying fuel to the fuel cell; A cooling pump disposed in the battery box for cooling the fuel cell; and A controller electrically connected to the cooling pump and configured to execute the thermal management control method according to any one of claims 1-8.

10. The battery system according to claim 9, characterized in that, The cooling pump includes a main pump and a standby pump, both of which are electrically connected to the controller; the normal state of the battery system is to use the main pump; when the main pump fails, the battery system switches to using the standby pump.

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