Method for determining drainage strategy of anode of fuel cell system and related device

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a method of determining a drainage strategy for an anode of a fuel cell system. The method includes determining water generation rate-related information of the fuel cell system and thickness-related information of a membrane electrode, wherein the water generation rate-related information includes at least a current of a fuel cell stack. The method further includes determining a water permeability of an anode of the fuel cell system based on the water generation rate related information and the thickness related information. Further, the method includes determining a drainage strategy for the anode based on the water permeability. Through the mode, the water permeability of the anode can be determined in combination with the thickness of the membrane electrode, and then the drainage strategy of the anode is determined based on the water permeability, so that the influence of aging of a fuel cell stack on the drainage of the anode is avoided, and the accuracy of the drainage strategy of the anode and the stability of a fuel cell system are improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to the technical field of fuel cell technology, and more particularly to a method and related device for determining a drainage strategy for an anode of a fuel cell system. Background Art

[0002] In a fuel cell system, electric power is generated through an electrochemical reaction between hydrogen and oxygen to drive a vehicle. A fuel cell system generally includes devices such as a fuel cell stack, a hydrogen tank, and a converter. Among them, hydrogen in the anode of the fuel cell stack and oxygen in the cathode react at the membrane electrode, and liquid water is generated in the cathode.

[0003] Since a large amount of water is generated during the electrochemical reaction between hydrogen and oxygen in the fuel cell stack, in order to ensure the normal operation of the fuel cell system, it is necessary to timely drain the water generated in the fuel cell stack during the operation phase. Therefore, how to ensure the accuracy and timeliness of the drainage strategy in the fuel cell stack is of great significance to the fuel cell system. Summary of the Invention

[0004] Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a method and related device for determining a drainage strategy for an anode of a fuel cell system. In the embodiments of the present disclosure, based on water generation rate-related information such as the current of the fuel cell stack and thickness-related information of the membrane electrode, the water permeability of water permeating from the cathode to the anode in the fuel cell system is determined, and then based on this water permeability, a drainage strategy for the anode is determined. In this way, it is possible to determine the water permeability of the anode in combination with the thickness of the membrane electrode, and then determine the drainage strategy for the anode based on this water permeability, thereby avoiding the influence of fuel cell stack aging on anode drainage and improving the accuracy of the anode drainage strategy and the stability of the fuel cell system.

[0005] In a first aspect of the present disclosure, a method for determining a drainage strategy for an anode of a fuel cell system is provided. The method includes determining water generation rate-related information of the fuel cell system and thickness-related information of the membrane electrode, where the water generation rate-related information at least includes the current of the fuel cell stack. The method further includes determining the water permeability of the anode of the fuel cell system based on the water generation rate-related information and the thickness-related information. In addition, the method includes determining a drainage strategy for the anode based on the water permeability.

[0006] In a second aspect of the present disclosure, an apparatus for determining a drainage strategy for an anode of a fuel cell system is provided. The apparatus includes a relevant information determination module configured to determine information related to the water production rate of the fuel cell system and information related to the thickness of the membrane electrode assembly. The information related to the water production rate includes at least the current of the fuel cell stack. The apparatus further includes a water permeability determination module configured to determine the water permeability of the anode of the fuel cell system based on the information related to the water production rate and the thickness information. In addition, the apparatus further includes a drainage strategy determination module configured to determine the drainage strategy for the anode based on the water permeability.

[0007] In a third aspect of the present disclosure, a controller is provided. The controller includes one or more processors; and a storage device for storing one or more programs, which when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to implement the method provided according to the first aspect of the present disclosure.

[0008] In a fourth aspect of the present disclosure, a fuel cell system is provided, which includes the controller provided according to the third aspect of the present disclosure.

[0009] In a fifth aspect of the present disclosure, a machine-readable storage medium is provided. Machine-executable instructions are stored on the machine-readable storage medium, and when the machine-executable instructions are executed by a processor, the method provided according to the first aspect of the present disclosure is implemented.

[0010] It should be understood that the content described in the disclosure part is not intended to limit the key or important features of the embodiments of the present disclosure, nor to limit the scope of the present disclosure. Other features of the present disclosure will become easily understood through the following description. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0011] In combination with the drawings and with reference to the following detailed description, the above and other features, advantages and aspects of the embodiments of the present disclosure will become more obvious. In the drawings, the same or similar reference numerals denote the same or similar elements, where:

[0012] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of a fuel cell system in which some embodiments of the present disclosure can be implemented is shown;

[0013] Figure 2 A flowchart of a method for determining a drainage strategy for an anode of a fuel cell system according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown;

[0014] Figure 3A A schematic diagram of a fuel cell stack including an unaged membrane electrode assembly according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown;

[0015] Figure 3BSchematic diagram of a fuel cell stack including an aged membrane electrode according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0016] Figure 4 Schematic diagram showing the curve relationship between the current of a fuel cell stack and the water permeability of the anode according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0017] Figure 5 Schematic diagram showing the curve relationship between time and the pressure of the cathode according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0018] Figure 6 Schematic diagram showing the process of determining the drainage strategy of the anode of a fuel cell system according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0019] Figure 7 Block diagram of a device for determining the drainage strategy of the anode of a fuel cell system according to some embodiments of the present disclosure; and

[0020] Figure 8 Schematic block diagram of an example device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0021] In all the drawings, the same or similar reference numerals denote the same or similar elements. Detailed Description of Specific Embodiments

[0022] Embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in more detail below with reference to the drawings. Although some embodiments of the present disclosure are shown in the drawings, it should be understood that the present disclosure can be implemented in various forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. On the contrary, these embodiments are provided to more thoroughly and completely understand the present disclosure. It should be understood that the drawings and embodiments of the present disclosure are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of protection of the present disclosure.

[0023] In the description of the embodiments of the present disclosure, the term "including" and its like should be understood as an open inclusion, i.e., "including but not limited to". The term "based on" should be understood as "at least partially based on". The term "one embodiment" or "the embodiment" should be understood as "at least one embodiment". The terms "first", "second", etc. may refer to different or the same objects. There may also be other explicit and implicit definitions hereinafter.

[0024] During the operation of a fuel cell system, a large amount of water is generated at the cathode and permeates through the membrane electrode to the anode. When the liquid water in the anode is not drained in time, the liquid water will overflow from the anode, resulting in a malfunction of the fuel cell system, further damaging the fuel cell stack and reducing the service life of the fuel cell system. Therefore, during the operation of the fuel cell system, it is necessary to drain the liquid water from the anode in time to avoid the situation of water overflow in the anode.

[0025] Traditionally, liquid water is separated from the exhaust gas discharged from the anode by a water separator, and the liquid water is discharged from the fuel cell system through a drain valve. However, the factor of the aging of the fuel cell stack in the fuel cell system is not considered in the traditional method. When the fuel cell stack ages, the amount of water permeating into the anode will increase. When the increased amount of water is not discharged in time, the water in the anode will still overflow. Therefore, in the case of the aging of the fuel cell stack, the drainage accuracy and timeliness of the drainage strategy in the traditional method are poor.

[0026] For this reason, embodiments of the present disclosure provide a method for determining a drainage strategy for the anode of a fuel cell system. According to information related to the water generation rate such as the current of the fuel cell stack and information related to the thickness of the membrane electrode, the water permeability from the cathode to the anode in the fuel cell system is determined, and then a drainage strategy for the anode is determined based on the water permeability. In this way, the water permeability of the anode can be determined in combination with the thickness of the membrane electrode, and then a drainage strategy for the anode can be determined based on the water permeability, thereby avoiding the influence of the aging of the fuel cell stack on the anode drainage and improving the accuracy of the anode drainage strategy and the stability of the fuel cell system.

[0027] Figure 1 FIG. shows a schematic diagram of a fuel cell system <100> in which some embodiments of the present disclosure can be implemented. Refer to Figure 1 , the fuel cell system <100> includes a fuel cell stack <101>. The fuel cell stack <101> includes an anode <102>, a membrane electrode <103>, and a cathode <104>. In the fuel cell stack <101>, hydrogen in the anode <102> and oxygen in the cathode <104> can undergo an electrochemical reaction on the membrane electrode <103> to generate electric energy, and then supply power to a load through a DC / DC converter <105>.

[0028] Continue to refer to Figure 1 , the fuel cell system <100> further includes a hydrogen injector <106>, a water separator <107>, a hydrogen circulation pump <108>, a drain valve <109>, an exhaust valve <110>, and a tail exhaust <118>. Among them, the hydrogen injector <106> can supply hydrogen in the hydrogen storage system to the anode <102> of the fuel cell stack <101> and control the pressure and flow rate of the hydrogen. The water separator <107> can separate the liquid water discharged from the anode <102>. The hydrogen circulation pump <108> can circulate the unreacted hydrogen in the anode <102> from the outlet of the anode <102> to the inlet of the anode <102>. The drain valve <109> can discharge the liquid water separated by the water separator <107>. The exhaust valve <110> can discharge the impurity gas (such as nitrogen) when the concentration of the impurity gas in the anode <102> becomes high. The liquid water discharged by the drain valve <109> and the gas discharged by the exhaust valve <110> are both discharged from the fuel cell system through the tail exhaust <118>.

[0029] Continue to refer to Figure 1 , the fuel cell system 100 further includes an air compressor 111 and a back pressure valve 112. Among them, the air compressor 111 is used to pressurize the air and supply air to the cathode 104 of the fuel cell stack 120. The back pressure valve 112 is used to adjust the gas pressure in the cathode 104 and discharge the exhausted gas (mainly nitrogen) after the reaction in the cathode 104. The gas discharged by the back pressure valve 112 is discharged from the fuel cell system through the tail pipe 118.

[0030] It should be understood that Figure 1 the fuel cell system 100 shown in is only an example of the embodiments of the present disclosure and cannot limit the solutions provided by the present disclosure. The fuel cell system 100 may further include more or fewer components. In some embodiments, the fuel cell system 100 may further include a coolant circuit. In some embodiments, cut-off valves may be provided at the inlet and outlet of the anode 102. In some embodiments, the fuel cell system 100 may include an intercooler for cooling the air and a humidifier for humidifying the air. It should also be understood that the fuel cell system in the embodiments of the present disclosure can be applied to various scenarios and can be used as a power source or an auxiliary power configuration in various devices, including but not limited to vehicles, yachts, aerospace equipment, underwater power equipment, etc.

[0031] Continue to refer to Figure 1 , the opening, operation and closing of each component in the fuel cell system 100 can be controlled by the controller 113. The controller 113 may be, for example, a fuel cell control unit (Fuel Cell Control Unit, abbreviated as FCCU). The controller 113 determines the water generation rate related information 114 of the fuel cell system and the thickness related information 115 of the membrane electrode, where the water generation rate related information 115 at least includes the current of the fuel cell stack 103. Then, the controller 113 determines the water permeability 116 of the anode of the fuel cell system based on the water generation rate related information 114 and the thickness related information 115. Further, the controller 113 determines the anode drainage strategy 117 based on the water permeability 116.

[0032] In an embodiment of the present disclosure, based on the water generation rate related information 114 of the fuel cell stack 101 and the thickness related information 115 of the membrane electrode 103, the water permeability 116 that permeates from the cathode 104 to the anode 102 in the fuel cell system 100 is determined, and then the drainage strategy 117 of the anode 102 is determined based on the water permeability 116. In this way, the drainage strategy 117 of the anode 102 can be determined in combination with the thickness of the membrane electrode 103, thereby avoiding the situation where when the water permeability 116 of the anode 102 changes due to the aging of the fuel cell stack 101 (i.e., the thickness of the membrane electrode 103 changes), the drainage strategy 117 of the anode 102 cannot be adjusted in time, resulting in water overflow in the anode 102, and improving the accuracy of the drainage strategy 117 of the anode 102.

[0033] The following will be combined with Figures 2 to 8 The process according to the embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail. For ease of understanding, the specific data mentioned in the following description are all exemplary and are not used to limit the protection scope of the present disclosure. It can be understood that the embodiments described below may also include additional actions not shown and / or actions shown may be omitted, and the scope of the present disclosure is not limited in this regard.

[0034] Figure 2 The flowchart of a method 200 for determining the drainage strategy of the anode of a fuel cell system according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. In some embodiments, the method 200 may be executed by Figure 1 The controller 113 shown in. It should be understood that the method 200 may also include additional actions not shown and / or actions shown may be omitted, and the scope of the present disclosure is not limited in this regard.

[0035] At 202, the controller 113 determines the water generation rate related information 114 of the fuel cell system 100 and the thickness related information 115 of the membrane electrode, where the water generation rate related information 114 at least includes the current of the fuel cell stack 101. In some embodiments, the water generation rate related information 114 refers to the related information of the rate of water generation in the cathode 104 of the fuel cell system 100, and may include, for example, information such as the temperature, current, and humidity of the fuel cell stack 101. In some embodiments, the thickness related information 115 refers to the information associated with the thickness of the membrane electrode 103 in the fuel cell stack 101, which includes, for example, the pressure of the cathode 104 and the rate of change of the pressure, etc.

[0036] It should be understood that the magnitude of the current of the fuel cell stack 101 reflects the number of proton exchanges in the membrane electrode 103 during the electrochemical reaction between hydrogen and oxygen. The higher the reaction degree between hydrogen and oxygen, the more the number of proton exchanges in the membrane electrode 103, the greater the amount of water generated in the cathode 104, and the greater the current of the fuel cell stack 101. Therefore, the current of the fuel cell stack 101 can be used as the water generation rate related information 114 of the cathode 104. It should be understood that when the liquid water generated in the fuel cell stack 101 passes through the pipeline, it will cause the temperature of the fuel cell stack 101 to change, resulting in the condensation of gaseous water into liquid water, thereby increasing the amount of water in the cathode 104. Therefore, the temperature of the fuel cell stack 101 can be used as the water generation rate related information 114 of the cathode 104.

[0037] In some embodiments, the water generation rate related information 114 includes the current and temperature of the fuel cell stack 101. The controller 113 first obtains the current and temperature of the fuel cell stack 101, and determines the water generation rate (i.e., the amount of water generated per unit time) in the cathode 104 of the fuel cell system 100 based on the current and temperature. Then, based on the water generation rate of the cathode 104, the water permeability of the anode of the fuel cell stack 101 is determined (i.e., the amount of water permeating from the cathode to the anode per unit time. Since this water permeability does not consider the thickness factor of the membrane electrode 103, it can be referred to as the initial water permeability).

[0038] It should be understood that in the fuel cell stack 101, the pressure in the anode 102 is generally greater than the pressure in the cathode 104. Therefore, the hydrogen in the anode 102 will permeate through the membrane electrode 103 into the cathode 104, thereby increasing the pressure in the cathode 104. As the fuel cell stack 101 ages, the membrane electrode 103 gradually thins, resulting in an increasing rate of hydrogen permeating from the anode 102 through the membrane electrode 103 into the cathode 104, and thus the pressure or the rate of pressure change in the cathode 104 gradually increases. Therefore, there is a negative correlation between the thickness of the membrane electrode 103 and the pressure or the rate of pressure change in the cathode 104. The pressure or the rate of pressure change in the cathode 103 can be used as the membrane electrode 103 thickness related information 115. In some embodiments, the pressure information in the cathode 104 can be collected by a pressure sensor disposed in the cathode 104.

[0039] In some embodiments, the membrane electrode 103 thickness related information is the thickness of the membrane electrode 103. Since the fuel cell stack 101 is composed of multiple fuel cell units, the thickness of the membrane electrode 103 can be, for example, the average or median of the thicknesses of the membrane electrodes in multiple fuel cell units.

[0040] At 204, the controller 113 determines the water permeability 116 of the anode 102 of the fuel cell system 100 based on the water production rate related information 114 and the thickness related information 116. In some embodiments, the water permeability 116 of the anode 102 refers to the amount of water that permeates from the cathode 104 to the anode 102 of the fuel cell system 100 per unit time. From the above, it can be seen that the water permeability 116 of the anode 102 depends not only on the amount of water generated in the cathode 104 of the fuel cell stack 101, but also on the thickness of the membrane electrode 103. Among them, the amount of water generated in the cathode 104 and the water permeability 116 of the anode 102 show a positive correlation, and the thickness of the membrane electrode 103 and the water permeability 116 of the anode 102 show a negative correlation.

[0041] In some embodiments, first, the relationship between the pressure of the cathode 104 and the thickness of the membrane electrode 103 of the fuel cell system 100 is determined. Then, the relationship between the water permeability 116 of the anode 102 and the thickness of the membrane electrode 103 of the fuel cell system 100 is determined. Further, based on the relationship between the pressure of the cathode 104 and the thickness of the membrane electrode 103 and the relationship between the water permeability of the anode 102 and the thickness of the membrane electrode 103, the relationship between the pressure of the cathode 104 and the water permeability 116 of the anode 102 is determined.

[0042] After determining the relationship between the pressure of the cathode 104 and the water permeability 116 of the anode 102, the water permeability 116 of the anode 102 of the fuel cell system 100 can be determined based on the water production rate related information 114 (such as the current, humidity, and temperature of the fuel cell stack 101), the pressure of the cathode 104, and the relationship between the pressure of the cathode 104 and the water permeability 116 of the anode 102. In this way, the water permeability 116 of the anode 102 can be characterized by the pressure of the cathode 104 (as the thickness related information 115), without measuring the thickness of the membrane electrode 103 and characterizing the water permeability 116 of the anode 102 based on the thickness of the membrane electrode 103, thereby reducing the information acquisition and calculation costs and improving the calculation efficiency of the water permeability 116 of the anode 102.

[0043] In some embodiments, the thickness-related information 115 includes the rate of change of the pressure of the cathode 104 of the fuel cell system 100. The controller 113 can determine the water permeability from the cathode 104 into the anode 102 (this water permeability is not combined with the thickness of the membrane electrode 103 and can thus be referred to as the initial water permeability) based on the water generation rate-related information 114 (such as the temperature, humidity, or current of the fuel cell stack 101), and then, in combination with the rate of change of the pressure in the cathode 104, determine a correction coefficient corresponding to this rate of change of the pressure. Further, based on the product of the water permeability from the cathode 104 into the anode 102 and this correction coefficient, the final water permeability 116 (this water permeability is combined with the thickness of the membrane electrode 103) is determined.

[0044] It should be understood that the higher the rate of change of the pressure, the thinner the thickness of the membrane electrode 103, and at this time, the higher the deviation degree of the water permeability, and thus the greater the degree of correction. In some embodiments, the rate of change of the pressure of the cathode 104 is divided into multiple rate-of-change levels, and there is a corresponding correction coefficient for each rate-of-change level. The controller 113 can determine the corresponding rate-of-change level based on the rate of change of the pressure of the cathode 104, and then correct the water permeability based on the correction coefficient corresponding to this rate-of-change level. In this way, the correction coefficient can be quickly determined based on the rate of change of the pressure of the cathode 104, thereby improving the calculation speed of the water permeability.

[0045] At 206, the controller 113 determines the drainage strategy 117 of the anode 102 based on the water permeability 116. In some embodiments, the drainage strategy 117 of the anode 102 is determined based on the water permeability 116. When the water permeability 116 is high, the drainage volume in the drainage strategy 117 is large, and at this time, a drainage strategy 117 with a higher drainage efficiency needs to be set. When the water permeability 116 is low, the drainage volume in the drainage strategy 117 is small, and at this time, a drainage strategy 117 with a lower drainage efficiency needs to be set.

[0046] In some embodiments, the drainage strategy 117 includes at least one of the opening frequency, opening duration, and opening degree of the drain valve 109 of the anode 102. Among them, the opening frequency is the number of times the drain valve 109 opens within a certain period of time. It should be understood that in this embodiment, there is no limitation that the drain valve 109 opens at the same time interval, that is, the opening frequency can change with time. The opening duration is the time for the drain valve 109 to open each time. It should be understood that in this embodiment, there is also no limitation that the time for the drain valve 109 to open each time must be the same. The opening degree is the effective cross-sectional area of the liquid water flow when the drain valve 109 opens, which can be, for example, the opening diameter of the drain valve 109. It should be understood that in this embodiment, there is also no limitation that the opening degree of the drain valve 109 each time must be the same.

[0047] In the current embodiment, after determining the water permeability 116 in the anode 102, at least one of the opening frequency, opening duration, and opening degree of the drain valve 109 can be adjusted based on the water permeability 116. For example, after the fuel cell stack 101 ages, the thickness of the membrane electrode 103 becomes smaller, and at this time, the water permeability of the anode 102 becomes higher. The opening frequency of the drain valve 109 can be increased to quickly drain the liquid water in the anode 102, thereby preventing the water in the anode 102 from overflowing and improving the stability of the fuel cell system 100. In this way, the drainage volume of the drain valve 109 within a certain period of time can be quickly determined and adjusted, thereby improving the accuracy of the drainage strategy 117. Additionally, different control methods of the drain valve 109 can be selected based on the actual scenario requirements, thereby improving the adaptability to different usage scenarios and different operating conditions of the fuel cell system.

[0048] In this embodiment, based on the water generation rate-related information 114 such as the current of the fuel cell stack 101 and the thickness-related information 115 of the membrane electrode 103, the water permeability 116 that permeates from the cathode 104 to the anode 102 in the fuel cell system 100 is determined, and then the drainage strategy 117 of the anode 102 is determined based on the water permeability 116. In this way, the drainage strategy 117 of the anode 102 can be determined in combination with the thickness of the membrane electrode 103, thereby avoiding the situation where the drainage strategy 117 of the anode 102 cannot be adjusted in a timely manner when the water permeability 116 of the anode 102 changes due to the aging of the fuel cell stack 101 (i.e., the thickness of the membrane electrode 103 changes), resulting in water overflow in the anode 102, and improving the accuracy of the drainage strategy 117 of the anode 102 and the stability of the fuel cell system 100.

[0049] Figure 3A The schematic diagram of a fuel cell stack 300A including an unaged membrane electrode according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. Refer to Figure 3A , the fuel cell stack 300A includes a cathode 302, an unaged membrane electrode 304A, and an anode 306. Among them, the thickness of the unaged membrane electrode 304A is D1. It should be understood that the thickness D1 of the unaged membrane electrode 304A is relatively large. Figure 3A The arrows in indicate the flow direction of hydrogen, and the density of the arrows can represent the magnitude of the gas permeability of hydrogen ( Figure 3A the arrows in are relatively sparse, and the gas permeability of hydrogen is relatively small). Since the pressure in the anode 306 is greater than the pressure in the cathode 302, hydrogen will permeate from the anode 306 to the cathode 302 through the membrane electrode 304A, resulting in an increase in the pressure in the cathode 302. It can be understood that since the thickness D1 of the membrane electrode 304A is relatively large at this time, the permeation rate of hydrogen is relatively low, and the rate of increase in the pressure in the cathode 302 is relatively low.

[0050] Figure 3BA schematic diagram of a fuel cell stack 300B including an aged membrane electrode is shown, which illustrates some embodiments of the present disclosure. Referring to Figure 3B , the fuel cell stack 300B includes 302, an aged membrane electrode 304B, and an anode 306. Among them, the thickness of the aged membrane electrode 304B is D2, and the thickness D2 is less than the thickness D1 of the unaged membrane electrode 304A in the fuel cell stack 300A. Figure 3B The arrows in Figure 3B indicate the flow direction of hydrogen, and the density of the arrows represents the magnitude of the hydrogen gas permeability ( Figure 3B the arrows in are relatively dense, indicating a relatively large hydrogen gas permeability). Since the pressure in the anode 306 is greater than the pressure in the cathode 302, hydrogen will permeate from the anode 306 through the membrane electrode 304B into the cathode 302, resulting in an increase in the pressure in the cathode 302. It can be understood that since the thickness D2 of the membrane electrode 304B is small at this time, the hydrogen permeation rate is high, and the pressure increase rate in the cathode 302 is high.

[0051] In some embodiments, the relationship between the pressure of the cathode 104 and the thickness of the membrane electrode 103 includes: the gas permeability P of the anode 102 g , the gas diffusivity D of the cathode 104, the gas solubility S of the cathode 104, the area A of the membrane electrode 103, the pressure P of the cathode 104, and the thickness d of the membrane electrode 103. Among them, the gas diffusivity D of the cathode 104 is related to the temperature and gas type in the cathode 104, and the gas solubility S of the cathode 104 is related to the temperature and humidity in the cathode 104. The specific relationship is expressed as shown in Equation (1):

[0052]

[0053] In the current embodiment, the relationship between the water permeability of the anode 102 and the thickness of the membrane electrode 103 includes: the water permeability P of the anode 102 w , the current I of the fuel cell stack 101, the Faraday constant F, the electro-drag coefficient n d , the water diffusivity D of the anode 102 w , the water concentration C of the cathode 104 C , the water concentration C of the anode 102 a , and the relationship with the thickness d of the membrane electrode 103. Among them, the electro-drag coefficient n d is related to the material of the membrane electrode 103, the water diffusivity D of the anode 102 w is related to the temperature of the anode 102, the water concentration C of the cathode 104 C is related to the humidity of the cathode 104 and the current of the fuel cell stack 101, and the water concentration C of the anode 102 a is related to the humidity of the anode 102. The specific relationship is expressed as shown in Equation (2):

[0054]

[0055] It should be understood that as the fuel cell stack 101 ages, the thickness of the membrane electrode 103 will become smaller and smaller. Set all the valves of the cathode 104 to the closed state (otherwise the pressure in the cathode 104 will always be the ambient pressure, so the premise for the execution of the steps in this embodiment is that all the valves in the cathode 104 are closed), and other factors such as temperature, humidity, and the ratio of nitrogen to hydrogen are all constants (other factors are relatively constant. To simplify the calculation process, the parameters of other factors are set as constants in this embodiment). In Equation (1), only the pressure P of the cathode 104 and the thickness d of the membrane electrode 103 are variables, so as to obtain the relationship between the pressure P of the cathode 104 and the thickness d of the membrane electrode 103, such that the pressure P of the cathode 104 can be used as thickness-related information reflecting the thickness d of the membrane electrode 103.

[0056] In Equation (2), set only the water permeability P of the anode 102 w and the thickness d of the membrane electrode 103 as variables (for similar reasons as in Equation (1), the parameters of other factors are set as constants), so as to obtain the relationship between the water permeability P of the anode 102 w and the thickness d of the membrane electrode 103. Since the pressure P of the cathode 104 in Equation (1) can reflect the thickness d of the membrane electrode 103, therefore, by combining Equation (1) and Equation (2), the relationship between the water permeability P w and the pressure P of the cathode 104 can be obtained. Alternatively or additionally, since the rate of change of the pressure P can also reflect the thickness d of the membrane electrode 103, therefore, by combining Equation (1) and Equation (2), the relationship between the water permeability P w and the rate of change of the pressure P of the cathode 104 can also be obtained.

[0057] In this way, direct measurement of the thickness d of the membrane electrode 103 can be avoided, enabling this embodiment to characterize the thickness d of the membrane electrode 103 through the pressure P in the cathode 104, and further obtaining the relationship between the water permeability P w and the pressure P of the cathode 104, thereby reducing the acquisition cost of relevant information and improving the calculation efficiency of the water permeability P of the anode 102 w of the anode 102.

[0058] Figure 4 Fig. shows a schematic diagram of the curve relationship 400 between the current of the fuel cell stack in some embodiments of the present disclosure and the water permeability of the anode. In the curve relationship 400, the horizontal axis represents the current I of the fuel cell stack, with the unit of A (ampere), and the vertical axis represents the water permeability R of the anode of the fuel cell stack w, and its unit is mL / s (milliliter per second). It should be understood that the magnitude of the current of the fuel cell stack reflects the number of proton exchanges in the membrane electrode during the electrochemical reaction between hydrogen and oxygen (i.e., the amount of water generated in the cathode). Therefore, referring to Figure 4 , the larger the current I of the fuel cell stack, the more water is generated in the cathode, and the water permeability R of the anode w is higher (this water permeability does not consider the thickness of the membrane electrode, so it can be called the initial water permeability).

[0059] Figure 5 shows a schematic diagram of the curve relationship 500 between time and the pressure of the cathode in some embodiments of the present disclosure. In the curve relationship 500, the horizontal axis represents time t, and its unit is s (second), and the vertical axis represents the pressure P of the cathode, and its unit is hPa (hectopascal). The curve relationship 500 includes curve relationship 502, curve relationship 504, and curve relationship 506, and the change rates of their pressures P decrease in sequence. Therefore, the change rate level of the pressure change rate of curve relationship 502 can be set as the first level (the largest pressure gradient level), the change rate level of the pressure change rate of curve relationship 504 can be set as the second level (the allowable pressure gradient level), and the change rate level of the pressure change rate of curve relationship 506 can be set as the third level (the basic pressure gradient level), and each level has a corresponding correction coefficient.

[0060] It should be understood that the pressure change rate of curve relationship 502 is the largest, so the thickness of its membrane electrode is the smallest (i.e., the most serious aging degree of the fuel cell stack), and the corresponding correction degree of water permeability is the largest. The pressure change rate of curve relationship 506 is the smallest, so the thickness of its membrane electrode is the largest (i.e., the smallest aging degree of the fuel cell stack), and the corresponding correction degree of water permeability is the smallest.

[0061] Figure 6 shows a schematic diagram of the process 600 for determining the drainage strategy of the anode of a fuel cell system in some embodiments of the present disclosure. Referring to Figure 6 , in some embodiments, the fuel cell system 616 includes a fuel cell stack 618, a cathode 620, a membrane electrode 622, an anode 624, an ejector pump 626, a temperature sensor 628-1 and a pressure sensor 630-1 at the anode inlet, a temperature sensor 628-2 and a pressure sensor 630-2 at the anode outlet, a water separator 632, a hydrogen circulation pump 634, and a drain valve 636. Among them, the ejector pump 626 is used to eject the hydrogen of the anode 624 to accelerate the intake speed, the temperature sensor 628-1 and the pressure sensor 630-1 are respectively used to collect the temperature and pressure of the anode inlet, the temperature sensor 628-2 and the pressure sensor 630-2 are respectively used to collect the temperature and pressure of the anode outlet, and the remaining structures are in Figure 1have been described in detail in the fuel cell system 100 and will not be elaborated here.

[0062] In some embodiments, a controller (not shown in Figure 6 ) of the fuel cell system 100 obtains the current 602 of the fuel cell stack 618, and then determines the water permeability based on the model 604 of the current 602 and the water permeability (the model 604 can be, for example, Figure 4 the curve relationship 400 in). And the controller can also obtain relevant information such as the temperature 606 of the fuel cell stack 618, the cathode pressure 608 (information related to the thickness of the membrane electrode 622), and the humidity 610, so as to determine the corresponding correction coefficient based on the model 612 of the thickness of the membrane electrode 622 and the water permeability (the model 612 can be, for example, Figure 5 the curve relationship 500 in). Figure 5 the three correction coefficients corresponding to the three change rate levels of the three pressure change rates in).

[0063] In the current embodiment, after determining the water permeability based on the model 604 of the current and the water permeability and determining the correction coefficient based on the model 612 of the thickness of the membrane electrode 622 and the water permeability, the water permeability is corrected based on the correction coefficient to obtain the corrected water permeability 614. Then, the controller determines the drainage strategy based on the corrected water permeability 614, and adjusts the drainage circuit of the anode outlet of the fuel cell stack 618 through the drainage strategy. In some embodiments, the controller adjusts the opening frequency, opening time, and opening degree of the drainage valve 636 based on the corrected water permeability 614, so that the water discharge rate in the anode 624 matches the corrected water permeability 614.

[0064] Figure 7 shows a block diagram of a device 700 for determining the drainage strategy of the anode of a fuel cell system according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. Refer to Figure 7 , the device 700 includes a relevant information determination module 702, configured to determine the water generation rate related information and the membrane electrode thickness related information of the fuel cell system, and the water generation rate related information includes at least the current of the fuel cell stack. The device 700 also includes a water permeability determination module 704, configured to determine the water permeability of the anode of the fuel cell system based on the water generation rate related information and the thickness related information. In addition, the device 700 further includes a drainage strategy determination module 706, configured to determine the drainage strategy of the anode based on the water permeability.

[0065] In some embodiments, the thickness-related information includes the pressure of the cathode of the fuel cell system, and the water permeability determination module 704 is further configured to: determine the water permeability of the anode of the fuel cell system based on the water generation rate-related information, the pressure of the cathode, and the relationship between the pressure of the cathode and the water permeability of the anode.

[0066] In some embodiments, the apparatus 700 further includes a relationship determination module configured to: determine the relationship between the pressure of the cathode of the fuel cell system and the thickness of the membrane electrode; determine the relationship between the water permeability of the anode of the fuel cell system and the thickness of the membrane electrode; and determine the relationship between the pressure of the cathode and the water permeability of the anode based on the relationship between the pressure of the cathode and the thickness of the membrane electrode and the relationship between the water permeability of the anode and the thickness of the membrane electrode.

[0067] In some embodiments, the relationship between the pressure of the cathode and the thickness of the membrane electrode includes: the relationship between the gas permeability of the anode, the gas diffusivity of the cathode, the gas solubility of the cathode, the area of the membrane electrode, the pressure of the cathode, and the thickness of the membrane electrode.

[0068] In some embodiments, the relationship between the water permeability of the anode and the thickness of the membrane electrode includes: the relationship between the water permeability of the anode, the current of the fuel cell stack, the Faraday constant, the electro-osmotic drag coefficient, the water diffusivity of the anode, the first water concentration of the cathode, the second water concentration of the anode, and the thickness of the membrane electrode.

[0069] In some embodiments, the thickness-related information includes the rate of change of the pressure of the cathode of the fuel cell system, and the water permeability determination module 704 is further configured to: determine the initial water permeability of the anode of the fuel cell system based on the water generation rate-related information; determine a corresponding correction coefficient based on the rate of change of the pressure of the cathode; and determine the water permeability based on the initial water permeability and the correction coefficient.

[0070] In some embodiments, the water permeability determination module 704 is further configured to: determine a corresponding rate-of-change level based on the rate of change of the pressure of the cathode; and determine a corresponding correction coefficient based on the rate-of-change level.

[0071] In some embodiments, the water generation rate-related information further includes the temperature of the fuel cell stack, and the water permeability determination module 704 is further configured to: determine the water generation rate of the cathode of the fuel cell system based on the current and temperature of the fuel cell stack; and determine the initial water permeability of the anode of the fuel cell system based on the water generation rate.

[0072] In some embodiments, the drainage strategy indicates at least one of the opening frequency, opening duration, and opening degree of the drainage valve of the anode, and the drainage strategy determination module 706 is further configured to: adjust at least one of the opening frequency, opening duration, and opening degree of the drainage valve based on the water permeability.

[0073] It can be understood that the device 700 of the present disclosure can achieve at least one of the many advantages that the methods or processes described above can achieve. For example, the device 700 can determine the water permeability from the cathode to the anode in the fuel cell system according to the water generation rate-related information such as the current of the fuel cell stack and the thickness-related information of the membrane electrode, and then determine the anode drainage strategy based on the water permeability. In this way, it is possible to determine the water permeability of the anode in combination with the thickness of the membrane electrode, and then determine the anode drainage strategy based on the water permeability, thereby avoiding the influence of fuel cell stack aging on anode drainage and improving the accuracy of the anode drainage strategy and the stability of the fuel cell system.

[0074] Figure 8 A schematic block diagram of an example device 800 that can be used to implement the embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. As Figure 8 shown, the device 800 includes a processor 801, which can execute various appropriate actions and processes according to the computer program instructions stored in the read-only memory (ROM) 802 and loaded into the random access memory (RAM) 803. In the RAM 803, various programs and data required for the operation of the device 800 can also be stored. The processor 801, ROM 802, and RAM 803 are connected to each other through a bus 804. The input / output (I / O) interface 805 is also connected to the bus 804.

[0075] Each of the processes and processes described above, such as the method 200, can be executed by the processor 801. For example, in some embodiments, the method 200 can be implemented as a computer software program, which is tangibly included in a machine-readable medium. In some embodiments, part or all of the computer program can be loaded and / or installed onto the device 800 via the ROM 802. When the computer program is loaded into the RAM 803 and executed by the processor 801, one or more actions of the method 200 described above can be executed.

[0076] The present disclosure can be a method, apparatus, system, and / or computer program product. The computer program product can include a computer-readable storage medium having computer-readable program instructions thereon for performing various aspects of the present disclosure.

[0077] A computer-readable storage medium can be a tangible device that can hold and store instructions for use by an instruction execution device. A computer-readable storage medium may be, for example, but not limited to, an electrical storage device, a magnetic storage device, an optical storage device, an electromagnetic storage device, a semiconductor storage device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. More specific examples (a non-exhaustive list) of the computer-readable storage medium include: a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or flash memory), a static random access memory (SRAM), and any suitable combination of the foregoing. The computer-readable storage medium used herein is not construed as being an instantaneous signal per se, such as a radio wave or other freely propagating electromagnetic wave, an electromagnetic wave propagating through a waveguide or other transmission medium (e.g., an optical pulse through an optical fiber cable), or an electrical signal transmitted through a wire.

[0078] The computer-readable program instructions described herein can be downloaded from a computer-readable storage medium to various computing / processing devices, or downloaded to an external computer or external storage device via a network, such as the Internet, a local area network, a wide area network, and / or a wireless network. The network may include copper transmission cables, optical fiber transmissions, wireless transmissions, routers, firewalls, switches, gateway computers, and / or edge servers. A network adapter card or network interface in each computing / processing device receives the computer-readable program instructions from the network and forwards the computer-readable program instructions for storage in a computer-readable storage medium in each computing / processing device.

[0079] The computer program instructions for performing the operations of the present disclosure may be assembly instructions, instruction set architecture (ISA) instructions, machine instructions, machine - related instructions, microcode, firmware instructions, state - setting data, or source code or object code written in any combination of one or more programming languages, including object - oriented programming languages such as Smalltalk, C++, etc., and conventional procedural programming languages such as the "C" language or similar programming languages. The computer - readable program instructions may be executed entirely on the user's computer, partially on the user's computer, executed as a stand - alone software package, partially on the user's computer and partially on a remote computer, or entirely on a remote computer or server. In the case of a remote computer, the remote computer may be connected to the user's computer through any type of network, including a local area network (LAN) or a wide area network (WAN), or, alternatively, may be connected to an external computer (e.g., via an Internet service provider through the Internet). In some embodiments, by using the state information of the computer - readable program instructions to customize an electronic circuit, such as a programmable logic circuit, a field - programmable gate array (FPGA), or a programmable logic array (PLA), the electronic circuit can execute the computer - readable program instructions to implement various aspects of the present disclosure.

[0080] Aspects of the present disclosure are described herein with reference to the flowchart and / or block diagram of methods, apparatus (systems), and computer program products according to embodiments of the present disclosure. It should be understood that each block of the flowchart and / or block diagram, and the combinations of blocks in the flowchart and / or block diagram, can be implemented by computer - readable program instructions.

[0081] These computer - readable program instructions can be provided to a processing unit of a general - purpose computer, a special - purpose computer, or other programmable data - processing apparatus to produce a machine such that, when the instructions are executed by the processing unit of the computer or other programmable data - processing apparatus, a device is produced that implements the functions / actions specified in one or more blocks of the flowchart and / or block diagram. These computer - readable program instructions can also be stored in a computer - readable storage medium, and these instructions cause a computer, a programmable data - processing apparatus, and / or other devices to work in a particular manner, so that the computer - readable medium storing the instructions includes a manufactured article that includes instructions for implementing various aspects of the functions / actions specified in one or more blocks of the flowchart and / or block diagram.

[0082] Computer-readable program instructions may also be loaded onto a computer, other programmable data processing apparatus, or other devices to cause a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer, other programmable data processing apparatus, or other devices to produce a computer-implemented process such that the instructions executed on the computer, other programmable data processing apparatus, or other devices implement the functions / acts specified in one or more boxes of the flowchart and / or block diagram.

[0083] The flowcharts and block diagrams in the figures illustrate the architecture, functionality, and operation of possible implementations of systems, methods, and computer program products according to various embodiments of the present disclosure. In this regard, each block in the flowchart or block diagram may represent a module, a segment of code, or a portion of an instruction, which contains one or more executable instructions for implementing the specified logical function. In some alternative implementations, the functions noted in the blocks may occur out of the order noted in the figures. For example, two consecutive blocks may in fact be executed substantially in parallel, or they may sometimes be executed in the reverse order, depending on the functions involved. It should also be noted that each block in the block diagrams and / or flowcharts, and combinations of blocks in the block diagrams and / or flowcharts, can be implemented by a dedicated hardware-based system that performs the specified functions or acts, or by a combination of dedicated hardware and computer instructions.

[0084] The embodiments of the present disclosure have been described above. The above description is exemplary, not exhaustive, and is not limited to the disclosed embodiments. Many modifications and variations will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the described embodiments. The choice of terms used herein is intended to best explain the principles of the embodiments, the practical application, or the technical improvement of the technology in the market, or to enable other ordinary skilled persons in the art to understand the embodiments disclosed herein.

Claims

1. A method for determining a drain strategy for an anode of a fuel cell system, comprising: Determining information related to a water generation rate and a thickness of a membrane electrode of the fuel cell system, wherein the information related to the water generation rate includes at least a current of the fuel cell stack; determining a water permeability of the anode of the fuel cell system based on the water generation rate related information and the thickness related information; as well as Based on the water permeability, the drainage strategy of the anode is determined.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the thickness-related information comprises a pressure of a cathode of the fuel cell system, and determining the water permeability of the anode of the fuel cell system based on the water generation rate-related information and the thickness-related information comprises: The water permeability of the anode of the fuel cell system is determined based on the information related to the water generation rate and the pressure of the cathode, and the relationship between the pressure of the cathode and the water permeability of the anode.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein a method for determining the relationship between the pressure of the cathode and the water permeability of the anode comprises: determining a relationship between the pressure of the cathode and the thickness of the membrane electrode of the fuel cell system; determining the relationship between the water permeability of the anode and the thickness of the membrane electrode of the fuel cell system; as well as The relationship between the cathode pressure and the anode water permeability is determined based on the relationship between the cathode pressure and the thickness of the membrane electrode and the relationship between the anode water permeability and the thickness of the membrane electrode.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein the relationship between the pressure of the cathode and the thickness of the membrane electrode comprises: The relationship among the gas permeability of the anode, the gas diffusion rate of the cathode, the gas solubility of the cathode, the area of the membrane electrode, the pressure of the cathode, and the thickness of the membrane electrode.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein the relationship between the water permeability of the anode and the thickness of the membrane electrode comprises: The relationship between the water permeability of the anode, the current of the fuel cell stack, the Faraday constant, the electric drag coefficient, the water diffusivity of the anode, the first water concentration of the cathode, the second water concentration of the anode, and the thickness of the membrane electrode.

6. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the thickness-related information comprises a pressure change rate of a cathode of the fuel cell system, and determining the water permeability of the anode of the fuel cell system based on the water generation rate-related information and the thickness-related information comprises: determining an initial water permeability of the anode of the fuel cell system based on the water generation rate related information; determining a corresponding correction coefficient based on the pressure change rate of the cathode; and The water permeability is determined based on the initial water permeability and the correction factor.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein determining a corresponding correction coefficient based on the pressure change rate of the cathode comprises: Determine a corresponding rate-of-change level based on the rate of change of the pressure of the cathode; and Determine a corresponding correction factor based on the rate-of-change level.

8. The method according to claim 6, wherein the water production rate-related information further includes the temperature of the fuel cell stack, and determining the initial water permeability of the anode of the fuel cell system based on the water production rate-related information includes: Determine the water production rate of the cathode of the fuel cell system based on the current and the temperature of the fuel cell stack; and Determine the initial water permeability of the anode of the fuel cell system based on the water production rate.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein the drainage strategy indicates at least one of the opening frequency, the opening duration, and the opening degree of the drainage valve of the anode, and determining the drainage strategy of the anode based on the water permeability includes: Adjust at least one of the opening frequency, the opening duration, and the opening degree of the drainage valve based on the water permeability.

10. An apparatus for determining a drainage strategy of an anode of a fuel cell system, comprising: A relevant information determination module configured to determine water production rate-related information and membrane electrode thickness-related information of the fuel cell system, the water production rate-related information including at least the current of the fuel cell stack; A water permeability determination module configured to determine the water permeability of the anode of the fuel cell system based on the water production rate-related information and the thickness-related information; and A drainage strategy determination module configured to determine the drainage strategy of the anode based on the water permeability.

11. A controller, comprising: At least one processor; and A memory coupled to the at least one processor and having instructions stored thereon, the instructions when executed by the at least one processor cause the controller to perform the method according to any one of claims 1-9.

12. A fuel cell system, comprising the controller according to claim 11.

13. A machine-readable storage medium having machine-executable instructions stored thereon, wherein the machine-executable instructions are executed by a processor to implement the method according to any one of claims 1 to 9.

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