Thermal management method of fuel cell and processing device

Abstract

The invention discloses a thermal management method of a fuel cell and a processing device, and relates to the technical field of fuel cells, according to the technical scheme, thermal attributes of components in the fuel cell are equivalently represented through a circuit structure, and a thermal management model of the fuel cell is constructed based on the thermal attributes. The output parameter of the power supply module in the circuit structure can be determined through the heat dissipating capacity of the electric pile in the fuel cell, so that the electrical parameters of other circuit elements in the circuit structure can be determined, the thermal attribute of the corresponding component in the fuel cell can be represented through the electrical parameters, and the thermal attribute at least comprises the temperature parameter of the component in the fuel cell. Therefore, according to the technical scheme, the thermal attributes of the components in the fuel cell are creatively represented through the circuit structure, the thermal attributes of the corresponding components in the fuel cell can be obtained based on calculation of the electrical parameters of the circuit elements in the circuit structure, the temperature parameters of the components can be determined without a temperature sensor, and the cost is reduced.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of fuel cell technology, and more specifically, to a thermal management method and processing apparatus for fuel cells. Background Technology

[0002] Hydrogen storage methods in fuel cells mainly include high-pressure hydrogen storage, liquid hydrogen storage, and solid-state hydrogen storage. Although solid-state hydrogen storage has a lower hydrogen storage density compared to other types of hydrogen storage methods, its ease of transportation and safe portability make it widely used in low-power, portable fuel cells and it is widely applied in small vehicles, two-wheeled vehicles, three-wheeled vehicles, portable power sources, and small stationary power generation equipment.

[0003] For fuel cells using solid-state hydrogen storage, thermal management is required to ensure safe and stable operation. Current technologies necessitate the use of multiple temperature sensors to monitor the temperatures of various components, resulting in high costs. Summary of the Invention

[0004] In view of this, this application provides a thermal management method and processing apparatus for fuel cells, the scheme of which is as follows:

[0005] A thermal management method for a fuel cell, the fuel cell comprising: a stack; a solid hydrogen storage tank for supplying hydrogen fuel to the stack; and a cooling system for cooling the stack and for heating the solid hydrogen storage tank using the heat generated by the stack.

[0006] Thermal management methods include:

[0007] A thermal management model for the fuel cell is determined, which is used to represent the thermal properties of the components in the fuel cell through circuit structure equivalence.

[0008] The heat dissipation of the fuel cell stack is obtained to determine the output parameters of the power module in the circuit structure;

[0009] Based on the output parameters of the power module, the electrical parameters of other circuit elements in the circuit structure are determined. The electrical parameters can characterize the thermal properties of the corresponding components in the fuel cell; among them, the thermal properties include at least the temperature parameters of the components.

[0010] Optionally, among the above thermal management methods, the methods for establishing a thermal management model include:

[0011] The heat in the fuel cell is equivalent to voltage, the heat conduction is equivalent to the current transmission, the heat-generating components in the fuel cell are equivalent to the power units in the power module, the heat-consuming components are equivalent to resistors, and the heat-storing components are equivalent to capacitors.

[0012] Based on the heat conduction information in the fuel cell, the power module, capacitor and resistor are interconnected to form a circuit structure.

[0013] In this power module, multiple power supply units are connected in series.

[0014] Optionally, in the above thermal management method, the heat-generating components in the fuel cell are equivalent to power units in a power module, the heat-consuming components are equivalent to resistors, and the heat-storing components are equivalent to capacitors, including:

[0015] The fuel cell stack is equivalent to a first resistor, a first capacitor, and a power unit in the power module.

[0016] The first resistor and the first capacitor are connected in parallel across the two ends of the power module.

[0017] Optionally, in the above thermal management method, the cooling system includes: a heat exchanger, which receives cooling water flowing out of the cooling chamber in the fuel cell stack via a first pipeline, heats the solid hydrogen storage tank with the cooling water, and then returns the cooling water to the cooling chamber via a second pipeline; the first pipeline includes a water pump, which is connected to the cooling chamber and the heat exchanger via water pipes; the second pipeline includes a radiator, which is connected to the cooling chamber and the heat exchanger via water pipes.

[0018] The components in a fuel cell that generate heat are equivalent to power units in a power module, the components that consume heat are equivalent to resistors, and the components that store heat are equivalent to capacitors, including:

[0019] The water pump is equivalent to a power unit in the power module; the water pipe is equivalent to a first variable resistor; the heat sink is equivalent to a second variable resistor; the heat exchanger and the solid hydrogen storage tank are equivalent to a resistor-capacitor module.

[0020] The first variable resistor, the second variable resistor, and the RC module are connected in parallel at both ends of the power supply module.

[0021] Optionally, in the above thermal management method, the heat exchanger and the solid hydrogen storage tank are equivalent to a resistor-capacitor module connected in parallel with the power module, including:

[0022] The hydrogen flowing out of the solid hydrogen storage bottle is equivalent to a third variable resistor; the bottle body of the solid hydrogen storage bottle is equivalent to a second capacitor and a second resistor; the metallic hydrogen storage material in the bottle body is equivalent to a third capacitor; the third variable resistor, the second capacitor and the third capacitor are connected in parallel to form a first circuit module.

[0023] The heat exchanger is equivalent to a third resistor, and the second resistor and the third resistor are connected in parallel to form a second circuit module.

[0024] The thermal contact connection between the heat exchanger and the solid hydrogen storage cylinder is equivalent to a fourth resistor.

[0025] The first circuit module, the second circuit module, and the fourth resistor are connected in series across the two parallel terminals of the power supply module.

[0026] Optionally, in the above thermal management methods, the method for determining the thermal management model of the fuel cell includes:

[0027] Read the pre-stored thermal management model;

[0028] Alternatively, the heat in a fuel cell can be equated to voltage, and the heat conduction to current transmission, in order to establish a thermal management model.

[0029] Optionally, the thermal management method described above further includes:

[0030] Based on electrical parameters, determine the temperature parameters of the corresponding components in the fuel cell;

[0031] Based on the temperature parameters and the current measured temperature of the component, determine whether the thermal properties of the component meet the calibration conditions.

[0032] Optionally, in the above thermal management method, the thermal properties also include the heat storage parameters and / or heat dissipation parameters of the corresponding components in the fuel cell;

[0033] Thermal management methods also include:

[0034] Based on electrical parameters, determine the heat storage parameters and / or heat dissipation parameters of the corresponding components in the fuel cell;

[0035] Based on thermal storage parameters and / or heat dissipation parameters, determine whether the current components in the fuel cell meet the model compatibility requirements.

[0036] This application also provides a processing apparatus for performing any of the above-described thermal management methods, comprising:

[0037] The determination module is used to determine the thermal management model of the fuel cell, which is used to represent the thermal properties of the components in the fuel cell through circuit structure equivalents.

[0038] The acquisition module is used to acquire the heat dissipation of the fuel cell stack in order to determine the output parameters of the power module in the circuit structure;

[0039] The processing module is used to determine the electrical parameters of other circuit elements in the circuit structure based on the output parameters of the power module. The electrical parameters can characterize the thermal properties of the corresponding components in the fuel cell; wherein the thermal properties include at least the temperature parameters of the components.

[0040] Optionally, the above-mentioned heat treatment device further includes: a model building module, used to convert the heat in the fuel cell into voltage, the heat conduction into current transmission, the heat-generating components in the fuel cell into power units in the power module, the heat-consuming components into resistors, and the heat-storing components into capacitors, and based on the heat conduction information in the fuel cell, to interconnect the power module, capacitors and resistors to form a circuit structure.

[0041] In this power module, multiple power supply units are connected in series.

[0042] As described above, the thermal management method and processing device for fuel cells provided in this application represent the thermal properties of components in the fuel cell through an equivalent circuit structure, and a thermal management model for the fuel cell is constructed based on this. The output parameters of the power module in the circuit structure can be determined by the heat dissipation of the fuel cell stack, thereby determining the electrical parameters of other circuit elements in the circuit structure. These electrical parameters can characterize the thermal properties of corresponding components in the fuel cell, including the temperature parameters of the components. Therefore, this application's technical solution creatively characterizes the thermal properties of components in the fuel cell through a circuit structure. Based on the calculation of the electrical parameters of the circuit elements in the circuit structure, the thermal properties of corresponding components in the fuel cell can be obtained, eliminating the need for temperature sensors and reducing costs. Attached Figure Description

[0043] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application or related technologies, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only embodiments of this application. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on the provided drawings without creative effort.

[0044] The structures, proportions, sizes, etc., shown in the accompanying drawings are only for the purpose of assisting those skilled in the art in understanding and reading the content disclosed in the specification, and are not intended to limit the implementation conditions of this application. Therefore, they have no substantial technical significance. Any modifications to the structure, changes in the proportions, or adjustments to the size, without affecting the effects and purposes that this application can produce, should still fall within the scope of the technical content disclosed in this application.

[0045] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a fuel cell provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0046] Figure 2 A schematic flowchart of a fuel cell thermal management method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0047] Figure 3 A flowchart illustrating a method for establishing a thermal management model, as provided in this application embodiment;

[0048] Figure 4 An equivalent circuit diagram of the battery stack in a fuel cell in a thermal management model is provided as an embodiment of this application;

[0049] Figure 5 A schematic diagram illustrating the heat exchange design principle of a solid hydrogen storage tank and heat exchanger in a fuel cell, provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0050] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the circuit structure corresponding to a thermal management model provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0051] Figure 7 A schematic flowchart illustrating another fuel cell thermal management method provided in this application embodiment;

[0052] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the temperature comparison results of a fuel cell stack provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0053] Figure 9 A schematic diagram showing the temperature comparison results of a solid hydrogen storage bottle provided in this application embodiment;

[0054] Figure 10 A schematic flowchart illustrating another fuel cell thermal management method provided in this application embodiment;

[0055] Figure 11 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a processing device provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0056] Figure 12 This is a schematic diagram of another processing device provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0057] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures:

[0058] 11. Fuel cell stack; 12. Solid hydrogen storage tank; 13. Cooling system; 14. Cooling chamber;

[0059] 21 First pipeline, 22 Second pipeline, 23 Heat exchanger, 24 Water pump, 25 Radiator;

[0060] 31 Determine module, 32 Processing module, 33 Acquire module, 34 Establish module;

[0061] 121 Bottle body, 122 Metal hydrogen storage material, 123 Valve. Detailed Implementation

[0062] The embodiments of this application will now be clearly and completely described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of this application, and not all of them. All other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments of this application without creative effort are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0063] To make the above-mentioned objectives, features and advantages of this application more apparent and understandable, the application will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments.

[0064] refer to Figure 1 and Figure 2 , Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a fuel cell provided in an embodiment of this application. Figure 2 This is a schematic flowchart of a fuel cell thermal management method provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0065] like Figure 1 As shown, the fuel cell includes: a stack 11; a solid hydrogen storage tank 12, which is used to provide hydrogen fuel to the stack; and a cooling system 13, which is used to cool the stack 11 and to heat the solid hydrogen storage tank 12 using the heat generated by the stack.

[0066] Solid-state hydrogen storage cylinder 12 is a metal hydrogen storage device containing a metal hydrogen storage material. Metal hydrogen storage is one method of solid-state hydrogen storage. The metal hydrogen storage material requires an external heat source to heat during the hydrogen release process. Figure 1 In the fuel cell shown, the heat generated during the operation of the stack 11 can be used as a heat source to heat the metal hydrogen storage material, realizing waste heat recovery and reuse, which greatly improves the overall energy utilization rate of the system.

[0067] The cooling system 13 can employ water cooling to regulate the temperature of the fuel cell stack 11. After being heated to a high temperature by the fuel cell stack 11, the cooling water is transported through the cooling system 13 to the vicinity of the solid hydrogen storage tank 12, where it is heated by the heat exchanger 23. If the temperature of the cooling water after passing through the heat exchanger 23 is still higher than the operating temperature required for cooling the fuel cell stack 11, further heat dissipation can be achieved through the radiator 25. The radiator 25 can be a fan. Because of the heat exchange between the heat exchanger 23 and the solid hydrogen storage tank 12, the power consumption of the radiator 25 can be significantly reduced. Therefore, the fuel cell can maintain a very high energy efficiency point.

[0068] The heat exchanger 23 can be a coolant pipeline wrapped around the outer wall of the solid hydrogen storage bottle 12. The heat exchanger 23 can heat the solid hydrogen storage bottle 12 through the high-temperature coolant flowing out of the fuel cell stack 11 based on heat conduction.

[0069] Common proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cells operate at temperatures between 50°C and 100°C, with a thermal efficiency of approximately 50%. This operating temperature range and the large amount of waste heat generated can be used as a heat source for heating the solid hydrogen storage tank 12. Therefore, the fuel cell stack 11 and the solid hydrogen storage tank 12 can achieve waste heat recovery and utilization through a cooling system 13, greatly improving the system's energy utilization rate.

[0070] Different metallic hydrogen storage materials require different threshold temperatures to release hydrogen. Common magnesium-based hydrogen storage materials have hydrogen release temperatures exceeding 200℃. Rare earth materials have release temperatures between 50-60℃. Therefore, Figure 1 The fuel cell shown requires a complete heating scheme for the solid hydrogen storage cylinder 12 to maintain the solid hydrogen storage cylinder 12 within a suitable temperature range, so as to achieve continuous and stable release of hydrogen from the metal hydrogen storage material inside the cylinder.

[0071] Figure 1 The system structure design of the fuel cell shown requires the cooling system 13 to maintain both the fuel cell stack 11 and the solid hydrogen storage tank 12 within a suitable temperature range to achieve optimal operating efficiency or optimal fuel utilization. This necessitates effective thermal management methods to meet the adaptive operating temperature requirements of the fuel cell stack 11 at different power levels and the hydrogen release efficiency requirements of the solid hydrogen storage tank at different temperatures. The fuel cell design needs to consider not only steady-state operating conditions but also dynamic loading conditions. The design of the fuel cell requires consideration of the steady-state and dynamic heat generation, heat dissipation, heat conduction, and heat convection conditions of each component, as well as the differences in heat transfer under different temperature environments. Therefore, the overall system thermal balance design of the fuel cell is quite complex.

[0072] To address the aforementioned problems, embodiments of this application provide a method for... Figure 1 The thermal management method for fuel cells shown creatively transforms the complex thermal balance design of fuel cells into a simple, quantifiable circuit structure. Based on the calculation of the electrical parameters of the circuit elements in the circuit structure, the thermal properties of the corresponding components in the fuel cell can be obtained.

[0073] like Figure 2 As shown, Figure 2 The thermal management method for the fuel cell shown includes:

[0074] Step S11: Determine the thermal management model of the fuel cell. The thermal management model is used to represent the thermal properties of the components in the fuel cell through circuit structure equivalence.

[0075] Step S12: Obtain the heat dissipation of the fuel cell stack 11 to determine the output parameters of the power module in the circuit structure.

[0076] For a given fuel cell, when the stack 11 is in a stable state, the cooling system 13 and the solid hydrogen storage tank 12 need to be in a corresponding stable state to adapt to the working state of the stack 11 and ensure the safe and stable operation of the stack 11.

[0077] In this embodiment, the heat in the fuel cell is equivalent to voltage. When the fuel cell stack 11 is in a stable state, the heat dissipation generated by the stack 11 is a fixed value that can be measured and calibrated. Therefore, based on the heat dissipation of the fuel cell stack 11, the output parameters of the power module in the circuit structure can be determined. The output parameters of the power module include the output voltage and / or current of the power module.

[0078] Step S13: Based on the output parameters of the power module, determine the electrical parameters of other circuit elements in the circuit structure. The electrical parameters can characterize the thermal properties of the corresponding components in the fuel cell.

[0079] Among them, thermal properties include at least the temperature parameters of the component.

[0080] The design of metal hydrogen storage devices is complex, involving not only the heat absorbed by the metal hydrogen storage material in the solid hydrogen storage cylinder 12, but also the heat absorbed by the external cylinder (which can be a steel cylinder or other cylinder materials). Furthermore, during the heating of the solid hydrogen storage cylinder 12, various components in the fuel cell also dissipate heat to the surrounding environment, and the heat dissipation and absorption of each component vary significantly with the output of the fuel cell stack 11. Therefore, the heat exchange design and thermal balance calculation of the entire fuel cell system are extremely complex. Conventional thermal management schemes based on temperature sensors require setting up independent temperature sensors for each component in the fuel cell. This scheme can only monitor the temperature of the corresponding component and cannot determine the impact of the heat absorption and dissipation performance of the components on the heat dissipation performance of the fuel cell stack 11, nor can it manage the heat absorption and dissipation performance of the components in the fuel cell.

[0081] In the thermal management method for fuel cells provided in this application embodiment, the overall heat exchange design of the fuel cell is simplified based on the circuit diagram constructed by a specific thermal management model. The thermal properties of the components in the fuel cell are characterized by the circuit structure. Based on the calculation of the electrical parameters of the circuit elements in the circuit structure, the thermal properties of the corresponding components in the fuel cell can be obtained. The temperature parameters of these components can be determined without the need for temperature sensors, thereby reducing costs.

[0082] The electrical parameters of circuit elements can also characterize the heat storage parameters and / or heat dissipation parameters of corresponding components in the fuel cell. Heat storage parameters characterize the heat absorption performance of the corresponding component, and heat dissipation parameters characterize the heat dissipation performance of the corresponding component. Therefore, the technical solution of this application can also determine the impact of the heat absorption and heat dissipation performance of components in the fuel cell on the heat dissipation performance of the fuel cell stack 11 based on the calculation of the electrical parameters of circuit elements in the circuit structure, and can also achieve management of the heat absorption and heat dissipation performance of components in the fuel cell.

[0083] refer to Figure 3 , Figure 3 A flowchart of a method for establishing a thermal management model is provided in this application embodiment. The method includes:

[0084] Step S21: Equivalent the heat in the fuel cell to voltage, the conduction of heat to the transmission of current, the heat-generating components in the fuel cell to power units in the power module, the heat-consuming components to resistors, and the heat-storing components to capacitors.

[0085] Step S22: Based on the heat conduction information in the fuel cell, interconnect the power module, capacitor and resistor to form a circuit structure;

[0086] In this power module, multiple power supply units are connected in series.

[0087] In this embodiment, the heat generation, heat dissipation, and heat storage processes of the fuel cell components are sequentially equivalent to a power supply unit, a resistor, and a capacitor. Based on the heat conduction information within the fuel cell, the power supply module, capacitor, and resistor are interconnected to form a circuit structure. This allows the heat generation, heat dissipation, and heat storage processes in the fuel cell to be sequentially mapped to quantifiable power output parameters (including voltage and / or current), resistance values, and capacitance values. Furthermore, the electrical parameters of the circuit elements corresponding to the components in the fuel cell can be calculated using the circuit structure, thereby determining the thermal properties of the components within the fuel cell.

[0088] Based on the thermal management method provided in this application, each component in a fuel cell can be simply equated to a resistor and / or capacitor, which can greatly simplify the design process of the fuel cell. All components involving heat dissipation can be equated to resistors, all components capable of heat storage can be equated to capacitors, and all heat-generating elements can be equated to power units in a power module.

[0089] based on Figure 3 The method shown allows for the pre-calibration testing of each component in a fuel cell with a defined system structure. It enables the quantitative analysis and design of the originally complex heat exchange and thermal balance design using a simple circuit structure, thereby optimizing the heat exchange scheme and thermal balance calculation. This facilitates the improvement of energy utilization in the fuel cell and the optimization of the system design.

[0090] refer to Figure 4 , Figure 4 The present application provides an equivalent circuit diagram of the battery stack in a fuel cell in a thermal management model. In step S21 above, the heat-generating components in the fuel cell are equivalent to power units in the power module, the heat-consuming components are equivalent to resistors, and the heat-storing components are equivalent to capacitors. This includes: the battery stack 11 is equivalent to a first resistor R1, a first capacitor C1, and a power unit E1 in the power module; wherein the first resistor R1 and the first capacitor C1 are connected in parallel across the two parallel terminals of the power module E.

[0091] Since the fuel cell stack 11 generates heat during operation, it can be equivalent to a power unit E1 in a power module. Furthermore, since the fuel cell stack 11 can also dissipate and store heat, it can also be equivalent to a heat dissipation element and a heat storage element. Therefore, the fuel cell stack 11 can also be equivalent to a first resistor R1 and a first capacitor C1 connected in parallel. The first resistor R1 represents the heat dissipation of the fuel cell stack 11, and the first capacitor C1 represents the heat storage of the fuel cell stack 11.

[0092] For a given fuel cell stack 11, its heat dissipation and heat storage performance are fixed and can be pre-calibrated using simulation experiments. Its heat dissipation is related to the fuel cell stack's output power; the higher the output power, the greater the heat dissipation, the higher the temperature of fuel cell stack 11, and the higher the output parameters of power supply unit E1. Conversely, the lower the output power, the smaller the heat dissipation, the higher the temperature of fuel cell stack 11, and the lower the output parameters of power supply unit E1. Therefore, the output parameters of its equivalent power supply unit E1 can be determined by the output power of fuel cell stack 11.

[0093] refer to Figure 5 and Figure 6 , Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the heat exchange design principle of a solid hydrogen storage tank and heat exchanger in a fuel cell, provided in an embodiment of this application. Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the circuit structure corresponding to a thermal management model provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0094] Combination Figure 1 and Figure 5 As shown, the cooling system 13 includes: a heat exchanger 23, which obtains cooling water flowing out of the cooling chamber 14 in the fuel cell stack 11 through a first pipeline 21, heats the solid hydrogen storage cylinder 12 with the cooling water, and then returns the cooling water to the cooling chamber 14 through a second pipeline 22; the first pipeline 21 includes a water pump 24, which is connected to the cooling chamber 14 and the heat exchanger 23 respectively via water pipes; the second pipeline 22 includes a radiator 25, which is connected to the cooling chamber 14 and the heat exchanger 23 respectively via water pipes.

[0095] In this embodiment, water is used as the coolant in the cooling system 13. Obviously, other coolants made of other materials can also be used in other embodiments. This embodiment does not limit the material of the coolant.

[0096] based on Figure 1 and Figure 5 The fuel cell shown above, in step S21, equates the heat-generating components in the fuel cell to power units in a power module, the heat-consuming components to resistors, and the heat-storing components to capacitors, including: equating the water pump 24 to a power unit E2 in the power module; and equating the water pipe to a first variable resistor R. X1 The heat sink 25 is equivalent to a second variable resistor R. X2 The heat exchanger 23 and the solid hydrogen storage tank are equivalent to an RC module; wherein, the first variable resistor R X1 The second variable resistor R X2 The RC module and the resistor-capacitor module are connected in parallel at both ends of the power supply module.

[0097] Since the heat exchanger 23 has an adjustable heat dissipation efficiency, and the heat dissipation of the water pipe varies with the internal cooling water flow rate, the first variable resistor R... X1 The second variable resistor R represents the heat dissipation of the heat sink. X2 This represents the heat dissipation of all water pipes in the cooling system 13. As mentioned above, the heat exchanger 23 can be a fan, and its heat dissipation efficiency can be changed by adjusting the fan speed.

[0098] The above-mentioned equivalent representation of heat exchanger 23 and solid hydrogen storage tank 12 as a resistor-capacitor module RC connected in parallel with power module E includes: equivalent representation of hydrogen flowing out of solid hydrogen storage tank 12 as a third variable resistor R. X3 The solid hydrogen storage bottle 12's body 121 is equivalent to a second capacitor C2 and a second resistor R2; the metallic hydrogen storage material 122 in the body 121 is equivalent to a third capacitor C3; the third variable resistor R... X3 The second capacitor C2 and the third capacitor C3 are connected in parallel to form the first circuit module; the heat exchanger 23 is equivalent to the third resistor R3, and the second resistor R2 and the third resistor R3 are connected in parallel to form the second circuit module; the thermal contact connection between the heat exchanger 23 and the solid hydrogen storage bottle 12 is equivalent to the fourth resistor R4; wherein, the first circuit module, the second circuit module and the fourth resistor R4 are connected in series at the two ends of the parallel connection of the power supply module E.

[0099] The cylinder 121 has a valve 123 for supplying hydrogen fuel to the fuel cell stack 11.

[0100] The complex heat exchange process between the solid hydrogen storage cylinder 12 and the cooling system 13 includes the heat exchange process between the heat exchanger 23 and the solid hydrogen storage cylinder 12, including heat conduction and heat radiation, as well as heat dissipation from the cylinder body 121 and heat exchanger 23 to the environment, and convective heat transfer carried away by the hydrogen flow. Furthermore, the cylinder body 121 and the metallic hydrogen storage material 122 have relatively large heat capacities, therefore they need to be simplified as parallel capacitor elements.

[0101] Therefore, the complex heat exchange process between the solid hydrogen storage cylinder 12 and the cooling system 13 can be represented by a RC module formed by multiple capacitors and resistors connected in series and parallel. In this RC module, the second capacitor C2 represents the heat storage of the cylinder 121, the third capacitor C3 represents the heat storage of the metallic hydrogen storage material 122, and the third variable resistor R... X3 The first resistor R1 represents the heat carried away by the hydrogen flowing out of the bottle 121. The second resistor R2 represents the heat dissipation of the bottle 121. The third resistor R3 represents the heat dissipation of the heat exchanger 23. Since there is a large thermal resistance between the heat exchanger 23 and the bottle 121, the fourth resistor R4 represents the thermal contact resistance between the heat exchanger 23 and the solid hydrogen storage bottle 12.

[0102] Figure 1 The heating elements in the fuel cell structure shown include the stack 11 and the water pump 24, which are equivalent to power unit E1 and power unit E2 in the power module E, respectively.

[0103] for Figure 6 The circuit structure corresponding to the thermal management model shown can be calibrated experimentally for the capacitance and resistance of each component in the fuel cell. After calibration, the steady-state, dynamic, and thermal equilibrium of the entire fuel cell system under different ambient temperatures can be quantitatively designed based on the circuit structure.

[0104] In the fuel cell thermal management method provided in this application embodiment, the heat exchange structure of the metal hydrogen storage fuel cell is equivalent to a simple resistor and capacitor, and the system architecture of the fuel cell is equivalent to a circuit structure that can be quantified and calculated. The heat exchange scheme that was originally impossible to quantify and calculate is transformed into a scheme that can be quantified and calculated through the equivalent circuit, and quantitative analysis can be performed through the equivalent circuit.

[0105] Regarding the thermal management method provided in this application, the method for determining the thermal management model of the fuel cell in step S11 above includes: reading a pre-stored thermal management model. In this embodiment, a corresponding thermal management model can be pre-established based on the system architecture of the fuel cell. When executing this thermal management method, the pre-stored thermal management model can be directly read to calculate the heat dissipation of each component of the fuel cell based on the thermal management method. When the heat dissipation does not meet the target heat dissipation, the heat dissipation of the components can be quickly verified based on the circuit structure to see if it meets the system requirements. If it does not meet the requirements, the fuel cell can be locally optimized and adjusted based on the circuit structure.

[0106] If component adjustments are required, their equivalent capacitance and / or inductance can be directly incorporated into the circuit structure for performance verification to confirm whether the adjusted component model meets the heat dissipation requirements.

[0107] Moreover, based on the circuit structure set by the thermal management model, there is no need for actual data acquisition from the fuel cell. The calculation can be performed directly based on the data in the circuit structure to verify whether the circuit elements corresponding to each component can meet the working requirements of the fuel cell under various operating conditions.

[0108] In other embodiments, for the thermal management method provided in this application, the method for determining the thermal management model of the fuel cell in step S11 above may further include: equating the heat in the fuel cell to voltage, and the heat conduction to current transmission, in order to establish a thermal management model. In this embodiment, each time the thermal management method is executed, a corresponding thermal management model needs to be established based on the system structure of the fuel cell.

[0109] refer to Figure 7 , Figure 7 This is a flowchart illustrating another fuel cell thermal management method provided in an embodiment of this application, based on any of the above-described embodiments. Figure 7 The thermal management method shown also includes:

[0110] Step S14: Determine the temperature parameters of the corresponding components in the fuel cell based on the electrical parameters.

[0111] Step S15: Based on the temperature parameters and the current measured temperature of the component, determine whether the thermal properties of the component meet the calibration conditions.

[0112] For a given fuel cell, when the output power of the stack 11 is determined, the electrical parameters of each component in the equivalent circuit structure can be determined based on the pre-calibrated values ​​of capacitance and resistance. The electrical parameters include the voltage across the circuit element and the current flowing through it. Based on the electrical parameters, the temperature parameters of the corresponding component can be determined.

[0113] like Figure 8 As shown, Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the temperature comparison results of a fuel cell stack provided in an embodiment of this application. Figure 8 The figure shows the measured stack temperature and the model stack temperature calculated based on the thermal management model when the cooling water flow rates are 10 L / min, 30 min, and 100 L / min. Under the same cooling water flow rate, the left side is a bar chart of the measured stack temperature, and the right side is a bar chart of the model stack temperature.

[0114] like Figure 9 As shown, Figure 9This is a schematic diagram showing the temperature comparison results of a solid hydrogen storage bottle provided in an embodiment of this application. Figure 9 The figure shows the measured bottle temperature and the model bottle temperature calculated based on the thermal management model when the cooling water flow rate is 10 L / min, 30 min, and 100 L / min. Under the same cooling water flow rate, the left side is a bar chart of the measured bottle temperature, and the right side is a bar chart of the model bottle temperature.

[0115] based on Figure 8 and Figure 9 As shown, using the thermal management method of this application, the temperature parameters of corresponding components in the fuel cell can be calculated relatively accurately through the electrical parameters in the circuit structure. The difference between the model-calculated temperature and the measured temperature is small, which allows for a good quantitative analysis of the temperature parameters of each component in the fuel cell through the thermal management model.

[0116] In this embodiment, the thermal properties also include the heat storage parameters and / or heat dissipation parameters of the corresponding components in the fuel cell. In this case, the thermal management method can also be as follows: Figure 10 As shown.

[0117] refer to Figure 10 , Figure 10 This is a flowchart illustrating another fuel cell thermal management method provided in an embodiment of this application, based on any of the above-described embodiments. Figure 10 The thermal management method shown also includes:

[0118] S41: Based on electrical parameters, determine the heat storage parameters and / or heat dissipation parameters of the corresponding components in the fuel cell.

[0119] S42: Based on thermal storage parameters and / or heat dissipation parameters, determine whether the current components in the fuel cell meet the model compatibility requirements.

[0120] As mentioned above, the equivalent resistance and / or equivalent capacitance values ​​corresponding to each component in the fuel cell can be pre-calibrated. Electrical parameters can include the values ​​of equivalent resistance and / or equivalent capacitance. Capacitance values ​​represent the heat storage capacity of a component, while resistance values ​​represent its heat dissipation capacity. Therefore, based on these electrical parameters, it can be determined whether the current component meets the model compatibility requirements, facilitating component selection and adjustment based on the fuel cell's performance requirements and verifying whether the component model meets these performance requirements.

[0121] As described above, the thermal management method provided in this application can equate the complex heat exchange and thermal balance design of a fuel cell to a quantifiable circuit structure, simplifying the cooling and heat exchange design in the fuel cell. All steady-state, dynamic, and heat transfer processes under different ambient temperatures in the fuel cell can be accurately quantitatively analyzed and calculated based on the circuit results. Based on the circuit structure, the energy utilization rate of the fuel cell can be optimized through quantitative and parameterized design.

[0122] This thermal management approach can be extended to the thermal balance design of larger and more complex fuel cells, and is not limited to... Figure 1 The fuel cell with the structure shown.

[0123] The parameters of the equivalent circuit elements corresponding to each component in the circuit structure can be pre-calibrated through experiments.

[0124] For a heating element that can be equivalent to a power supply unit, the calibration method for the equivalent power supply unit includes: the heat dissipation of the heating element at the corresponding power is used as the power supply voltage.

[0125] In the thermal management model, resistance includes fixed resistance and variable resistance. Variable resistance mainly corresponds to components where heat dissipation varies significantly with coolant flow rate and can be adjusted based on coolant flow rate. Fixed resistance mainly corresponds to components where heat dissipation is relatively fixed and cannot be actively adjusted. For heat dissipation elements that can be equivalent to resistors, the resistance value is calibrated as follows: with the fuel cell stack 11 at a set steady-state power, measure the temperature of the coolant flowing in and out, calculate the temperature difference between the inflow and outflow, and divide this temperature difference by the coolant flow rate to obtain the equivalent resistance value.

[0126] For heat storage elements that can be equivalent to capacitors, some components that heat up more slowly can be considered equivalent to capacitors when the fuel cell is under dynamic operating conditions. The capacitance calibration method includes: measuring the temperatures of the coolant flowing in and out, calculating the temperature difference between the inflow and outflow, and dividing this temperature difference by the time required for the heat dissipation element to rise to the calibrated temperature as the equivalent capacitance value.

[0127] Both equivalent capacitance and equivalent resistance need to be calibrated based on the temperature difference between the inflow and outflow of coolant. For components in the fuel cell without coolant inflow and flow, such as the cylinder 121 or hydrogen storage material, they can be calibrated separately in a test device with coolant inflow and outflow.

[0128] Based on the thermal management method provided in the above embodiments, another embodiment of this application also provides a processing apparatus that can execute the thermal management method provided in the above embodiments. Figure 11 As shown.

[0129] refer to Figure 11 , Figure 11 This is a schematic diagram of a processing device provided in an embodiment of the present application. The processing device includes:

[0130] Module 31 is used to determine the thermal management model of the fuel cell. The thermal management model is used to represent the thermal properties of the components in the fuel cell through circuit structure equivalents.

[0131] Acquisition module 33 is used to acquire the heat dissipation of fuel cell stack 11 in order to determine the output parameters of power module E in the circuit structure;

[0132] The processing module 32 is used to determine the electrical parameters of other circuit elements in the circuit structure based on the output parameters of the power module E. The electrical parameters can characterize the thermal properties of the corresponding components in the fuel cell; wherein, the thermal properties include at least the temperature parameters of the components.

[0133] refer to Figure 12 , Figure 12 This is a schematic diagram of another processing device provided in an embodiment of this application. Based on the above-described embodiments, Figure 12 The processing device shown also includes: a model building module 34, which is used to convert the heat in the fuel cell into voltage, the heat conduction into current transmission, the heat-generating components in the fuel cell into power units in the power module E, the heat-consuming components into resistors, and the heat-storing components into capacitors. Based on the heat conduction information in the fuel cell, the power module E, capacitors, and resistors are interconnected to form a circuit structure; wherein, multiple power units in the power module E are connected in series.

[0134] The processing device provided in this application embodiment can be used to execute the above-described thermal management method, has a technical solution corresponding to the above-described thermal management method, can solve the same technical problems, achieve the same technical effects, and the working principle of the processing device can be explained with reference to the above-described thermal management method.

[0135] The various embodiments in this application are described in a progressive, parallel, or combined manner. Each embodiment focuses on its differences from other embodiments, and similar or identical parts between embodiments can be referred to interchangeably. The implementation methods provided in this application can be combined with each other without contradiction.

[0136] It should be noted that, in the description of this application, the accompanying drawings and embodiments are illustrative rather than restrictive. The same reference numerals throughout the embodiments identify the same structures. Additionally, for ease of understanding and description, the thicknesses of some layers, films, panels, regions, etc., may be exaggerated in the drawings. It is also understood that when an element such as a layer, film, region, or substrate is referred to as being "on" another element, the element may be directly on the other element or there may be intermediate elements. Furthermore, "on" means positioning an element on or below another element, but does not inherently mean positioning it above another element according to the direction of gravity.

[0137] The terms "upper," "lower," "top," "bottom," "inner," and "outer," etc., indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings. They are used only for the convenience of describing this application and for simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, they should not be construed as limitations on this application. When a component is considered to be "connected" to another component, it can be directly connected to the other component or there may be a component positioned centrally in the middle.

[0138] It should also be noted that, in this document, relational terms such as "first" and "second" are used merely to distinguish one entity or operation from another, and do not necessarily require or imply any such actual relationship or order between these entities or operations. Furthermore, the terms "comprising," "including," or any other variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, such that an article or apparatus comprising a list of elements includes not only those elements but also other elements not expressly listed, or elements inherent to such an article or apparatus. Without further limitations, an element defined by the phrase "comprising one..." does not exclude the presence of other identical elements in the article or apparatus that includes the aforementioned element.

[0139] The above description of the disclosed embodiments enables those skilled in the art to make or use this application. Various modifications to these embodiments will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be implemented in other embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of this application. Therefore, this application is not to be limited to the embodiments shown herein, but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

Claims

1. A thermal management method for a fuel cell, characterized in that, The fuel cell includes: a stack; a solid hydrogen storage tank for supplying hydrogen fuel to the stack; and a cooling system for cooling the stack and for heating the solid hydrogen storage tank using the heat generated by the stack. The thermal management method includes: A thermal management model for the fuel cell is determined, wherein the thermal management model is used to represent the thermal properties of the components in the fuel cell through equivalent circuit structure. The heat dissipation of the fuel cell stack is obtained to determine the output parameters of the power module in the circuit structure; Based on the output parameters of the power module, the electrical parameters of other circuit elements in the circuit structure are determined, and the electrical parameters can characterize the thermal properties of the corresponding components in the fuel cell; wherein the thermal properties include at least the temperature parameters of the components.

2. The thermal management method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The method for establishing the thermal management model includes: The heat in the fuel cell is equivalent to voltage, the heat conduction is equivalent to the current transmission, the heat-generating component in the fuel cell is equivalent to the power unit in the power module, the heat-consuming component is equivalent to resistor, and the heat-storing component is equivalent to capacitor. Based on the heat conduction information in the fuel cell, the power module, the capacitor, and the resistor are interconnected to form the circuit structure. In this power module, multiple power units are connected in series.

3. The thermal management method according to claim 2, characterized in that, The heat-generating components in the fuel cell are equivalent to the power supply unit in the power module, the heat-consuming components are equivalent to resistors, and the heat-storing components are equivalent to capacitors, including: The stack is equivalent to a first resistor, a first capacitor, and a power unit in the power module; The first resistor and the first capacitor are connected in parallel across the two ends of the power module.

4. The thermal management method according to claim 2, characterized in that, The cooling system includes: a heat exchanger that receives cooling water flowing from the cooling chamber in the fuel cell stack via a first pipeline, heats the solid hydrogen storage tank with the cooling water, and then returns the cooling water to the cooling chamber via a second pipeline; the first pipeline includes a water pump that is connected to the cooling chamber and the heat exchanger via water pipes; the second pipeline includes a radiator that is connected to the cooling chamber and the heat exchanger via water pipes. The heat-generating components in the fuel cell are equivalent to the power supply unit in the power module, the heat-consuming components are equivalent to resistors, and the heat-storing components are equivalent to capacitors, including: The water pump is equivalent to a power unit in the power module; the water pipe is equivalent to a first variable resistor; the heat sink is equivalent to a second variable resistor; the heat exchanger and the solid hydrogen storage bottle are equivalent to a resistor-capacitor module. The first variable resistor, the second variable resistor, and the RC module are respectively connected in parallel across the two ends of the power supply module.

5. The thermal management method according to claim 4, characterized in that, The heat exchanger and the solid hydrogen storage tank can be equivalently represented as a resistor-capacitor module connected in parallel with the power module, including: The hydrogen flowing out of the solid hydrogen storage bottle is equivalent to a third variable resistor; the bottle body of the solid hydrogen storage bottle is equivalent to a second capacitor and a second resistor; the metal hydrogen storage material in the bottle body is equivalent to a third capacitor; the third variable resistor, the second capacitor and the third capacitor are connected in parallel to form a first circuit module; The heat exchanger is equivalent to a third resistor, and the second resistor and the third resistor are connected in parallel to form a second circuit module. The thermal contact connection between the heat exchanger and the solid hydrogen storage bottle is equivalent to a fourth resistor. The first circuit module, the second circuit module, and the fourth resistor are connected in series across the two parallel terminals of the power supply module.

6. The thermal management method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The method for determining the thermal management model of the fuel cell includes: Read the pre-stored thermal management model; Alternatively, the heat in the fuel cell can be equated to voltage, and the heat conduction to current transmission, in order to establish the thermal management model.

7. The thermal management method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The thermal management method further includes: Based on the electrical parameters, the temperature parameters of the corresponding components in the fuel cell are determined; Based on the temperature parameters and the current measured temperature of the component, determine whether the thermal properties of the component meet the calibration conditions.

8. The thermal management method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The thermal properties also include the heat storage parameters and / or heat dissipation parameters of the corresponding components in the fuel cell; The thermal management method further includes: Based on the electrical parameters, determine the heat storage parameters and / or heat dissipation parameters of the corresponding components in the fuel cell; Based on the heat storage parameters and / or the heat dissipation parameters, determine whether the current components in the fuel cell meet the model compatibility requirements.

9. A processing apparatus for performing the thermal management method as described in any one of claims 1-8, characterized in that, include: A determination module is used to determine the thermal management model of the fuel cell, wherein the thermal management model is used to represent the thermal properties of the components in the fuel cell through circuit structure equivalents; An acquisition module is used to acquire the heat dissipation of the fuel cell stack in order to determine the output parameters of the power module in the circuit structure; The processing module is used to determine the electrical parameters of other circuit elements in the circuit structure based on the output parameters of the power module. The electrical parameters can characterize the thermal properties of the corresponding components in the fuel cell. The thermal properties include at least the temperature parameters of the components.

10. The processing apparatus according to claim 9, characterized in that, It also includes: a model building module, used to convert the heat in the fuel cell into voltage, the heat conduction into current transmission, the heat-generating components in the fuel cell into power units in the power module, the heat-consuming components into resistors, and the heat-storing components into capacitors, and based on the heat conduction information in the fuel cell, to interconnect the power module, the capacitors and the resistors to form the circuit structure; In this power module, multiple power units are connected in series.

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