Thermal management method and thermal management subsystem for fuel cell system

Abstract

The invention proposes a thermal management method for a fuel cell system, and the method comprises the steps: obtaining the operation characteristic information of a radiator module of the fuel cell system and the target outlet temperature of the radiator module in real time, inputting the information into a preset radiator module outlet temperature model, and obtaining the operation information of an actuator; and controlling operation of a related actuator of the fuel cell system based on the actuator operation information to obtain a target outlet temperature of a radiator module, the radiator module being configured to include at least two radiator assemblies respectively arranged corresponding to at least two parallel cooling branches of the coolant loop, the heat sink module outlet temperature model is established based on the configuration of the heat sink module. According to some embodiments of the invention, various spatial layout modes of a plurality of radiator assemblies connected in parallel of the fuel cell system can be supported, the fuel cell system can adapt to various vehicle types and cope with various working conditions more flexibly, the thermal management capability of the fuel cell system is improved, and the operation stability of the fuel cell system is enhanced.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of fuel cells, and in particular, to a thermal management method for a fuel cell system, a thermal management subsystem for a fuel cell system, a fuel cell system for a vehicle, and a computer program product. Background Art

[0002] Currently, more and more vehicle models on the market use electrical energy generated by fuel cells as the power source. Limited by the current technical level, there is still much room for improvement in various aspects of fuel cells. Among them, the stack temperature is an important factor directly affecting its efficiency and durability. Therefore, it is particularly important to appropriately manage the stack temperature. Most of the existing temperature management methods for fuel cell systems directly use the stack temperature as the control target, and methods such as PID control, fuzzy logic control, and model predictive control have emerged to achieve the control of the stack temperature. However, due to the lack of comprehensive consideration of various factors, such as the performance, working state, installation position on the vehicle, and environmental impact of some components in the fuel cell system, these current single-target temperature management methods still have great deficiencies in practical applications.

[0003] For example, a fuel cell system often needs to have strong cooling and heat dissipation capabilities. The traditional solution is to equip the fuel cell system with large radiators and fans, but their model sizes are still limited by the installation space in the engine compartment and / or the performance of other components in the system, such as pump flow rate, etc. Therefore, the heat dissipation capacity and installation layout are still not satisfactory. A further solution is to consider arranging multiple radiators in parallel at multiple permitted installation positions on the vehicle to ensure the heat dissipation capacity of the system. However, the selectable installation positions usually vary depending on the vehicle model. Due to different installation positions, the radiator models that can be selected, the performance that the radiator can exert, and / or the possible surrounding impacts may all be different. Moreover, when one or more radiators have problems, the system also needs to change the control strategy accordingly. Obviously, the above-mentioned existing temperature management methods for fuel cell systems are still difficult to cope with these complex situations. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The purpose of the present invention is to provide a thermal management method for a fuel cell system, so as to be able to at least partially solve many problems existing in the prior art.

[0005] According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a thermal management method for a fuel cell system, including:

[0006] Obtaining in real time the operation characteristic information of the radiator module of the fuel cell system and the target outlet temperature of the radiator module and inputting them into a preset radiator module outlet temperature model to obtain actuator operation information; and

[0007] Based on the actuator operation information, control the operation of the relevant actuators of the fuel cell system to obtain the target outlet temperature of the radiator module.

[0008] Wherein, the radiator module is configured to include at least two radiator components respectively corresponding to at least two parallel cooling branches of the coolant circuit.

[0009] Wherein, the radiator module outlet temperature model is established based on the configuration of the radiator module.

[0010] According to an optional embodiment of the present invention, establish the radiator module outlet temperature model based on the performance characteristics and installation characteristics of each radiator component of the radiator module.

[0011] According to an optional embodiment of the present invention, the radiator module outlet temperature model includes a preset refrigerant flow model, a pipeline transmission model, and a radiator component heat dissipation model.

[0012] According to an optional embodiment of the present invention, the performance parameters and / or installation positions of each radiator component are different from each other.

[0013] According to an optional embodiment of the present invention, the radiator component includes a radiator serving as the actuator and a fan corresponding to the radiator, and the actuator operation information includes the operation parameters of each radiator and / or the operation parameters of each fan.

[0014] According to an optional embodiment of the present invention, the actuator further includes a driving pump and a thermostat on the coolant circuit, and the actuator operation information further includes the driving pump power and the thermostat opening.

[0015] According to an optional embodiment of the present invention, the actuator further includes one or more valves adapted to control the coolant flow rate of each cooling branch of the coolant circuit, and the actuator operation information further includes the respective valve openings of the one or more valves.

[0016] According to an optional embodiment of the present invention, determine the target outlet temperature of the radiator module based on the inlet temperature and outlet temperature of the fuel cell stack of the coolant circuit.

[0017] According to an optional embodiment of the present invention, the operation characteristic information of the radiator module is suitable for characterizing the real-time heat dissipation power of each radiator component.

[0018] According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a computer program product, in particular a computer-readable storage medium, which includes or stores computer program instructions that can execute the thermal management method for a fuel cell system according to the first aspect of the present invention when the computer program instructions are executed by a processor.

[0019] According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a thermal management subsystem for a fuel cell system, comprising:

[0020] a model management module configured to establish a radiator module outlet temperature model based on the configuration of a radiator module of the fuel cell system;

[0021] a data information acquisition module configured to acquire in real time the operating characteristic information of each component of the radiator module and the target outlet temperature of the radiator module and input them into the radiator module outlet temperature model to obtain actuator operation information; and

[0022] an execution control module configured to control the operation of relevant actuators of the fuel cell system based on the actuator operation information to obtain the target outlet temperature of the radiator module,

[0023] wherein the radiator module is configured to include at least two radiator components respectively corresponding to at least two parallel cooling branches of a coolant circuit.

[0024] According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a fuel cell system for a vehicle, comprising the thermal management subsystem for a fuel cell system according to the third aspect of the present invention.

[0025] The beneficial effects of the present invention according to the above aspects of the present invention are that, on the basis of taking the stack temperature as the target, a control strategy with the radiator module outlet temperature as the control target is added. Among them, establishing a radiator module outlet temperature model based on the configuration of the radiator module of the fuel cell system and performing real-time thermal management can support various spatial layout modes of multiple parallel radiator components, more flexibly adapt to the configurations and layouts of various vehicle models and cope with various situations, such as the situation where the components of an individual radiator component fail, improve the thermal management ability of the fuel cell system and enhance the stability of the operation of the fuel cell system. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0026] Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in more detail by referring to the drawings, and the principles, features and advantages of the present invention can be better understood. The drawings include:

[0027] Figure 1 A flowchart schematically showing the main steps of a thermal management method for a fuel cell system according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

[0028] Figure 2 A coolant circuit of a fuel cell system adapted to apply a thermal management method for a fuel cell system according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention is schematically shown;

[0029] Figure 3Schematically shows a coolant circuit of a fuel cell system adapted to apply a thermal management method for a fuel cell system according to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

[0030] Figure 4 Schematically shows a coolant circuit of a fuel cell system adapted to apply a thermal management method for a fuel cell system according to yet another exemplary embodiment of the present invention; and

[0031] Figure 5 Schematically shows a thermal management subsystem for a fuel cell system according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. Detailed Description of the Invention

[0032] 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 in conjunction with 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.

[0033] Figure 1 Schematically shows a thermal management method for a fuel cell system according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. As Figure 1 shown, a thermal management method for a fuel cell system according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention includes:

[0034] S1: Obtain in real time the operation characteristic information of the radiator module of the fuel cell system and the target outlet temperature of the radiator module and input them into a preset radiator module outlet temperature model to obtain actuator operation information; and

[0035] S2: Control the operation of relevant actuators of the fuel cell system based on the actuator operation information to obtain the target outlet temperature of the radiator module.

[0036] The thermal management method for a fuel cell system according to the present invention is particularly applicable to a fuel cell system in which a coolant circuit includes at least two parallel cooling branches, and a radiator assembly is correspondingly provided for each cooling branch. The specific layout of the parallel cooling branches and the performance and model of the corresponding radiator assemblies may vary depending on the vehicle model, and these radiator assemblies together constitute a radiator module. Thus, the configuration of the radiator module includes at least the performance characteristics and installation characteristics of each radiator assembly. The performance characteristics are, for example, the performance parameters of each radiator assembly, including the performance parameters of the various components included in the radiator assembly, such as the radiator and the fan, and may also include the performance parameters of a spray device, etc. in the case where components such as a spray device are included. The installation characteristics may include, for example, the installation positions of each radiator assembly, such as the front of the vehicle, the rear of the vehicle, the side of the vehicle body, the front of the vehicle floor, the rear of the vehicle floor, etc., and the pipe distance and pipe configuration depending on the installation position, that is, the length of the coolant pipes of each cooling branch, and the number and length of its horizontal extension section, vertical extension section, and / or inclined extension section, etc. In an alternative embodiment, the performance parameters and / or installation positions of each radiator assembly may be different from each other.

[0037] The radiator module outlet temperature model is established based on the above configuration of the radiator module. Specifically, the radiator module outlet temperature model at least includes a preset refrigerant flow model, a pipeline transmission model, and a radiator component heat dissipation model, and may also appropriately include other models as needed. These preset models are established and trained according to any appropriate well-known method, so that by using these preset models and combining the above various configuration information of the radiator module, a radiator module outlet temperature model that comprehensively considers factors such as coolant flow characteristics, coolant pipeline layout, and radiator component performance and operating status can be established. Relevant data such as the operating characteristic information of each radiator component, the operation information of each relevant actuator, the inlet temperature of the radiator module, and the outlet temperature of the radiator module are collected and a training data set is generated to train the established radiator module outlet temperature model, so that the radiator module outlet temperature model can predict the actuator operation information of the relevant actuator required to achieve the radiator module target outlet temperature based on the operating characteristic information of each radiator component, the inlet temperature of the radiator module, and the radiator module target outlet temperature. The operating characteristic information of the radiator component may include the actual operating parameters of each component of the radiator component, which is suitable for characterizing the real-time heat dissipation power of each radiator component. The radiator component heat dissipation model can predict the heat dissipation amount and / or outlet temperature of the corresponding radiator component by combining this information and other necessary information such as coolant flow rate. Based on this, the radiator module outlet temperature model predicts the actuator operation information of the relevant actuator according to the required radiator module target outlet temperature and the actual outlet temperature of each radiator component and / or the actual outlet temperature of the radiator module detected by a temperature sensor, for example. Controlling the operation of the relevant actuator according to the predicted actuator operation information can make the outlet temperature of the radiator module approach and reach the required radiator module target outlet temperature.

[0038] The following describes in more detail the thermal management method for a fuel cell system according to each exemplary embodiment of the present invention with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0039] Figure 2 Schematically shows the coolant circuit of a fuel cell system suitable for applying the thermal management method for a fuel cell system according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. As Figure 2 shown, the coolant circuit connects the radiator module 1 and the electric stack 2 of the fuel cell. At least part of the coolant flows through the electric stack 2 after being cooled by heat dissipation in the radiator module 1 to cool down the electric stack 2. The coolant circuit includes a plurality of parallel cooling branches. Figure 2Two cooling branches are schematically shown. A radiator assembly 1A of the radiator module 1 is correspondingly provided in one cooling branch, and a radiator assembly 1B of the radiator module 1 is correspondingly provided in the other cooling branch. Each of the radiator assemblies 1A and 1B is shown to include a radiator and a correspondingly provided fan. Of course, other components may also be appropriately included, and the coolant circuit may include other cooling branches not shown. The coolant circuit further includes a driving pump 3 for controlling the coolant flow rate and a thermostat 4 for controlling the coolant splitting ratio. According to the opening degree of the thermostat 4, a part of the coolant flows directly through the driving pump 3 to the inlet of the fuel cell stack 2 without passing through the radiator module 1, and a part of the coolant flows to the inlet of the fuel cell stack 2 after being cooled by the radiator module 1, thereby being able to initially adjust the heat to be dissipated by the radiator module 1.

[0040] In the coolant circuit, along the coolant flow direction, an appropriate position after the confluence point of the cooling branches is used as the radiator module outlet position 5, and the coolant temperature at the radiator module outlet position 5 is used as the radiator module outlet temperature. The radiator module outlet position 5 is, for example, located in the engine compartment, and the position and / or pipeline distance and configuration between it and the fuel cell stack 2 are predetermined and unchanged, so as to be suitable for determining the heat to be dissipated by the fuel cell stack based on the inlet temperature and the outlet temperature of the fuel cell stack 2, and then determining the desired coolant temperature at the radiator module outlet position 5 as the radiator module target outlet temperature and inputting it into the radiator module outlet temperature model. Optionally, the radiator module outlet temperature model may further include a target temperature prediction model, which can cooperate with the coolant flow model and the pipeline transmission model to predict the desired radiator module target outlet temperature based on the inlet temperature and the outlet temperature of the fuel cell stack 2. The radiator module outlet temperature model predicts the actuator operation information of the relevant actuator by combining the radiator module target outlet temperature, the operating characteristic information of each of the radiator assemblies 1A and 1B, and the actual outlet temperature of each radiator assembly and / or the actual outlet temperature of the radiator module detected by, for example, a temperature sensor.

[0041] The related actuators may include the respective components of the radiator assemblies 1A and 1B, such as the corresponding radiators and fans, so as to achieve the target outlet temperature of the radiator module by directly adjusting the operating characteristics of each radiator assembly 1A, 1B, that is, the operating parameters of each component. Specifically, in one example, the radiator module outlet temperature model may output the radiator operating parameters and / or fan operating parameters of the radiator assembly as actuator operation information based on the prediction results of a radiator assembly heat dissipation model (which may be the heat dissipation and / or outlet temperature of the corresponding radiator assembly), such as the actual outlet temperature of the radiator assembly detected by a temperature sensor and the target outlet temperature of the radiator module, so as to achieve the target outlet temperature of the radiator module by independently adjusting the operating characteristics of the radiator module. In another example, when the radiator module outlet temperature model gives the actuator operation information of a radiator assembly, and the prediction result based on the operating characteristic information of the corresponding radiator assembly heat dissipation model shows that the heat dissipation or outlet temperature of the radiator assembly does not reach the expected value, and / or after a reasonable response time has passed in the calculation, the temperature sensor shows that the outlet temperature of the radiator assembly does not reach the temperature value that should be achieved by means of the actuator operation information, the radiator module outlet temperature model may output the actuator operation information of the components of other radiator assemblies, so as to compensate for the missing heat dissipation by changing the operating state of another radiator assembly to achieve the target outlet temperature of the radiator module.

[0042] In an alternative embodiment, the related actuators further include a drive pump 3 and a thermostat 4, so the actuator operation information may further include the pump power of the drive pump 3 and the thermostat opening of the thermostat 4, and further be able to determine and achieve the target outlet temperature of the radiator module in combination with the coolant flow rate and the flow split ratio.

[0043] Figure 3 Schematically shows a coolant circuit of a fuel cell system suitable for applying a thermal management method for a fuel cell system according to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention. The coolant circuit is the same as Figure 2 The shown coolant circuit in that flow valves 6A, 6B for controlling the coolant flow rate of each cooling branch are provided on each cooling branch. Accordingly, the actuator operation information further includes the respective valve openings of each flow valve 6A, 6B. Therefore, it is possible to control the coolant flow rate flowing through each radiator assembly by controlling the opening degrees of the respective flow valves 6A, 6B to achieve the target outlet temperature of the radiator module.

[0044] Figure 4 Schematically shows a coolant circuit of a fuel cell system suitable for applying a thermal management method for a fuel cell system according to yet another exemplary embodiment of the present invention. The coolant circuit is the same as Figure 2 andFigure 3 The coolant circuit shown is different in that, for example, a three-way valve 7 for controlling the coolant flow rate ratio of two coolant branches is provided at the branch point of two coolant branches or two of multiple coolant branches. Correspondingly, the actuator operation information further includes the valve opening degree of such a three-way valve 7. Therefore, the coolant flow rate ratio of the relevant two coolant branches can be controlled by controlling the opening degree of the three-way valve 7 to achieve the target outlet temperature of the radiator module.

[0045] By providing the flow valves 6A, 6B or the three-way valve 7, a low-energy-consuming heat dissipation process can be achieved by appropriately controlling their opening degrees and setting the operating parameters of the corresponding radiator assemblies. In addition, with the help of these flow valves or three-way valves, good vibration and noise performance (NVH: Noise, Vibration, Harshness) can also be obtained in combination with the installation positions of the radiator assemblies. For example, in one example, the radiator assembly 1A is arranged at the front of the vehicle or under the vehicle and at least partially exposed to the vehicle body surface. Therefore, a large amount of natural air flow passes through the radiator surface during driving, enabling the corresponding fan to operate at a low power or even not work. In this way, the opening degrees of the flow valves 6A, 6B or the three-way valve 7 can be changed so that more coolant flows to the radiator assembly 1A and it is cooled by the natural air flow. At the same time, the target heat dissipation amounts of the radiator assembly 1B and other existing radiator assemblies are correspondingly reduced. Therefore, the power of their components, especially each fan, can also be significantly reduced, thus not only enabling a low-energy-consuming heat dissipation process but also obtaining good vibration and noise performance.

[0046] The above describes the thermal management method for a fuel cell system according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. By using the above thermal management method for a fuel cell system according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the fuel cell system can be thermally managed with the outlet temperature of the radiator module as the control target, providing greater freedom for the configuration of the radiator module, that is, the radiator assemblies can be configured more freely according to needs and their installation positions and pipeline layouts can be selected. Moreover, even for various different radiator module configurations, more accurate and flexible thermal management can be implemented to cope with various working conditions, improving the thermal management ability of the fuel cell system and enhancing the stability of the operation of the fuel cell system.

[0047] Generally speaking, under normal operating conditions, the operating characteristics of each radiator component can be determined based on the determined outlet temperature of the radiator module, and the heat dissipation state of the fuel cell system can be grasped based on the operating characteristic information of the radiator module under normal operation. On the other hand, in the case of a fault where one or more components of one or more radiator components fail, the new actuator operation information can be determined based on the operating characteristic information of the faulty radiator component by using the radiator module outlet temperature model, so as to compensate for the missing heat dissipation amount of the faulty radiator component by changing the operation state of other actuators. For example, increasing the power of the radiator and fan of other non-faulty radiator components in parallel to increase the heat dissipation of other radiator components, or increasing the power of the driving pump and / or increasing the opening degree of the cooling branch of the thermostat to increase the total coolant flow rate through the radiator module, or adjusting the opening degree of the valve of the relevant cooling branch to adjust the coolant flow rate through other non-faulty radiator components, etc.

[0048] The thermal management method for a fuel cell system according to the present invention is not limited to the above exemplary embodiments. For example, in addition to the actual operating parameters of each component of the radiator component itself, the operating characteristic information of the radiator module may also include environmental information. For example, for a radiator exposed on the vehicle body surface, such as installed under the vehicle floor, heat dissipation data of the natural airflow passing through the radiator can be collected by means of an airflow sensor, etc. In addition, the operating characteristic information of more actuators can be additionally considered to determine and achieve the target outlet temperature of the radiator module, so that more flexible responses can be made to situations such as failures of more actuators. It can be envisioned that various other factors can also be appropriately combined to determine and achieve the target outlet temperature of the radiator module, and for the thermal management method for a fuel cell system according to the various exemplary embodiments of the present invention, the combination of these factors is easy to implement.

[0049] The present invention also provides a thermal management subsystem 100 for a fuel cell system, as Figure 5 shown, which includes:

[0050] A model management module 10, which is configured to establish a radiator module outlet temperature model based on the configuration of the radiator module of the fuel cell system; a data information acquisition module 20, which is configured to acquire the operating characteristic information of each component of the radiator module and the target outlet temperature of the radiator module in real time and input them into the radiator module outlet temperature model to obtain actuator operation information; and an execution control module 30, which is configured to control the operation of the relevant actuators of the fuel cell system based on the actuator operation information to obtain the target outlet temperature of the radiator module. Among them, the radiator module is configured to include at least two radiator components respectively corresponding to at least two parallel cooling branches of the coolant circuit.

[0051] The present invention also provides a fuel cell system for a vehicle, which includes a thermal management subsystem 100 for a fuel cell system according to the present invention.

[0052] The present invention also provides a computer program product, in particular a computer-readable storage medium, which includes or stores computer program instructions that, when executed by a processor, are capable of performing a thermal management method for a fuel cell system according to any exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

[0053] Although specific embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail herein, they are provided for illustrative purposes only and should not be considered as limiting the scope of the present invention. Various substitutions, alterations, and modifications can be conceived without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A thermal management method for a fuel cell system, comprising: Obtaining in real time the operating characteristic information of the radiator module of the fuel cell system and the target outlet temperature of the radiator module, and inputting them into a preset radiator module outlet temperature model to obtain actuator operation information; And Based on the actuator operation information, controlling the operation of relevant actuators of the fuel cell system to obtain the target outlet temperature of the radiator module, Wherein, the radiator module is configured to include at least two radiator components respectively corresponding to at least two parallel cooling branches of the coolant circuit, Wherein, the radiator module outlet temperature model is established based on the configuration of the radiator module.

2. The thermal management method for a fuel cell system according to claim 1, wherein, The radiator module outlet temperature model is established based on the performance characteristics and installation characteristics of each radiator component of the radiator module.

3. The thermal management method for a fuel cell system according to claim 2, wherein, The radiator module outlet temperature model includes a preset refrigerant flow model, a pipeline transmission model, and a radiator component heat dissipation model; and / or The performance parameters and / or installation positions of each of the radiator components are different from each other.

4. The thermal management method for a fuel cell system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein, The radiator component includes a radiator serving as the actuator and a fan corresponding to the radiator, and the actuator operation information includes operation parameters of each radiator and / or operation parameters of each fan.

5. The thermal management method for a fuel cell system according to claim 4, wherein The actuator further includes a drive pump and a thermostat on the coolant circuit, and the actuator operation information further includes the drive pump power and the thermostat opening degree.

6. The thermal management method for a fuel cell system according to claim 5, wherein, The actuator further includes one or more valves adapted to control the coolant flow rate of each cooling branch of the coolant circuit, and the actuator operation information further includes the respective valve opening degrees of the one or more valves.

7. The thermal management method for a fuel cell system according to claims 1 to 3, 5, and 6, wherein, Determining the target outlet temperature of the radiator module based on the inlet temperature and outlet temperature of the fuel cell stack of the coolant circuit; and / or The operating characteristic information of the radiator module is suitable for characterizing the real-time heat dissipation power of each radiator component.

8. A computer program product, especially a computer-readable storage medium, which includes or stores computer program instructions that can execute the method according to any one of claims 1 - 7 when the computer program instructions are executed by a processor.

9. A thermal management subsystem for a fuel cell system, comprising: A model management module configured to establish a radiator module outlet temperature model based on the configuration of the radiator module of the fuel cell system; A data information acquisition module configured to obtain in real time the operating characteristic information of each component of the radiator module and the target outlet temperature of the radiator module and input them into the radiator module outlet temperature model to obtain actuator operation information; And An execution control module, which is configured to control the operation of relevant actuators of the fuel cell system based on the actuator operation information to obtain the target outlet temperature of the radiator module. Wherein, the radiator module is configured to include at least two radiator components respectively corresponding to at least two parallel cooling branches of the coolant circuit.

10. A fuel cell system for a vehicle, comprising the thermal management subsystem for a fuel cell system according to claim 9.

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