Energy management system, energy management method, and vehicle

Abstract

The application relates to the technical field of energy management, in particular to an energy management system, an energy management method and a vehicle, wherein the energy management system comprises: a first supply part for transmitting vehicle liquid hydrogen and a second supply part for transmitting cooling liquid cooled by a battery stack; and a power generation module, which is arranged in the first supply part and the second supply part respectively, and generates first electric energy by using the temperature difference between the vehicle liquid hydrogen and the cooling liquid cooled by the battery stack; and a management module, which is used for converting the first electric energy into direct current meeting preset standard conditions, and is used for supplying the direct current to devices meeting target power consumption conditions in the vehicle, and storing the electric energy in the direct current which is not used for supplying the devices meeting the target power consumption conditions to a power battery of the vehicle. The application can convert the temperature difference between the ultra-low temperature of liquid hydrogen and the high temperature of the cooling liquid of the battery stack into electric energy by using thermoelectric materials, and use the electric energy for charging the power battery or a vehicle auxiliary system.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of energy management technology, and in particular to an energy management system, energy management method and vehicle. Background Technology

[0002] Liquid hydrogen (LH2) is an ideal storage medium for fuel cell vehicles due to its extremely high energy density. However, liquid hydrogen is stored at very low temperatures and must be heated to ambient temperature by a vaporizer before use in the fuel cell stack. The vaporization process of liquid hydrogen typically uses ambient air or coolant as a heat source, such as an ambient air vaporizer, which uses the heat of the ambient air to vaporize the liquid hydrogen through natural convection or forced ventilation. During the vaporization process, the liquid hydrogen releases a certain amount of cold energy.

[0003] In some related technologies, coolant circulation vaporizers are used to vaporize liquid hydrogen using the high-temperature coolant from the fuel cell engine as a heat source, thereby reducing additional heat waste. The utilization of liquid hydrogen's cold energy is more often focused on standalone refrigeration or power generation devices, such as using liquid hydrogen's cold energy to drive an independent refrigeration cycle (like the Rankine cycle) for power generation.

[0004] However, in related technologies, coolant circulating vaporizers merely transfer cold energy to the cooling system, greatly increasing the load on the radiator and causing a significant increase in cooling fan energy consumption, without recovering or utilizing the cold energy in any way. Independent cold energy power generation systems are usually used in fixed hydrogen refueling stations or large industrial installations. These systems are complex, bulky, costly, and slow to respond, and cannot meet the control requirements of vehicle environments in terms of space, weight, dynamic response, and cost, which urgently need to be addressed. Summary of the Invention

[0005] This application provides an energy management system, an energy management method, and a vehicle to address the problems in related technologies, such as the limited operating environment of liquid hydrogen cold energy utilization devices, the complexity and limited efficiency improvement of independently set liquid hydrogen cold energy recovery devices, the inability to achieve deep and compact integration with the vehicle's thermal management system, the difficulty in meeting the control requirements of the vehicle environment on space, weight, dynamic response, and cost, and the difficulty in recovering and utilizing liquid hydrogen cold energy in vehicles, resulting in cold energy waste.

[0006] A first aspect of this application provides an energy management system, including: a first supply unit for transmitting liquid hydrogen from a vehicle and a second supply unit for transmitting coolant cooled from a battery stack; and a power generation module adapted to the first supply unit and the second supply unit respectively, wherein the power generation module generates first electrical energy by utilizing the temperature difference between the liquid hydrogen from the vehicle and the coolant cooled from the battery stack; and a management module configured to convert the first electrical energy into direct current (DC) that meets preset standard conditions, so as to use the DC to power devices in the vehicle that meet target power consumption conditions, and to store the electrical energy in the DC that does not power the devices that meet the target power consumption conditions into the vehicle's power battery.

[0007] Optionally, in one embodiment of this application, the energy management system further includes: a power generation system, configured to receive hydrogen gas that meets preset temperature conditions generated by the power generation module using the temperature difference between the liquid hydrogen in the vehicle and the coolant after cooling the battery stack, and to generate second electrical energy using the hydrogen gas and oxygen that meet the preset temperature conditions, so as to use the second electrical energy to power the drive motor and / or power battery of the vehicle.

[0008] Optionally, in one embodiment of this application, the power generation module includes a housing body, and a liquid hydrogen flow channel and a coolant flow channel disposed within the housing body, wherein the first supply component is connected to the liquid hydrogen flow channel to deliver liquid hydrogen through the liquid hydrogen flow channel; the second supply component is connected to both ends of the coolant flow channel to circulate and deliver coolant through the coolant flow channel.

[0009] Optionally, in one embodiment of this application, the second supply component includes: a coolant circulation pipeline connected to the coolant flow channel and the fuel cell stack; a coolant pump disposed in the coolant circulation pipeline for pumping the coolant; and a front-end radiator connected to the coolant circulation pipeline and located upstream of the fuel cell stack for replenishing and cooling the coolant.

[0010] Optionally, in one embodiment of this application, the management module includes: a controller for dynamically adjusting the input impedance to maintain the maximum power output of the power generation module; and a converter for converting the first electrical energy into direct current that meets preset standard conditions.

[0011] A second aspect of this application provides an energy management method, characterized in that it employs the energy management system described above, wherein the method includes the following steps: obtaining a first electrical energy and hydrogen gas meeting a preset temperature condition based on the temperature difference between liquid hydrogen in the liquid hydrogen channel and coolant from the fuel cell stack in the coolant channel, and obtaining a second electrical energy based on the hydrogen and oxygen gas; converting the first electrical energy and the second electrical energy into direct current meeting preset standard conditions, so as to use the direct current to power the vehicle's drive motor, power battery, and devices that meet the target power consumption conditions.

[0012] Optionally, in one embodiment of this application, the method further includes: detecting the real-time temperature at the outlet of the coolant channel; reducing the flow rate of the coolant to meet a first target flow rate when the real-time temperature is less than or equal to a first preset safety threshold; increasing the flow rate of the coolant to meet a second target flow rate when the real-time temperature is greater than the first preset safety threshold and the temperature difference between the liquid hydrogen and the coolant is less than a preset temperature difference threshold; and adjusting the flow rate of the coolant until the power generation reaches the target peak when the real-time temperature is greater than the second preset safety threshold and the power generation is lower than the target peak value, wherein the second preset safety threshold is greater than the first preset safety threshold.

[0013] Optionally, in one embodiment of this application, the method further includes: calculating the target flow rate of the hydrogen and its corresponding target hydrogen flow rate based on the actual power demand of the power battery; adjusting the actual flow rate of the liquid hydrogen according to the target hydrogen flow rate until the actual flow rate of the hydrogen reaches the target flow rate.

[0014] Optionally, in one embodiment of this application, the method further includes: detecting instantaneous voltage and instantaneous current during the first power generation process; calculating instantaneous power during the first power generation process based on the instantaneous voltage and instantaneous current; and applying a target perturbation to the first power generation process according to the direction of increase of the instantaneous power, so as to control the instantaneous power to be at a target peak value.

[0015] A third aspect of this application provides an energy management device, comprising: a processing module, configured to obtain a first electrical energy and hydrogen gas meeting preset temperature conditions based on the temperature difference between liquid hydrogen in a liquid hydrogen channel and coolant from a fuel cell stack in a coolant channel, and to obtain a second electrical energy based on the hydrogen and oxygen gas; and a conversion module, configured to convert the first electrical energy and the second electrical energy into direct current (DC) electricity meeting preset standard conditions, so as to use the DC electricity to power the vehicle's drive motor, power battery, and devices that meet target power consumption conditions.

[0016] Optionally, in one embodiment of this application, it further includes: a first detection module, used to detect the real-time temperature at the outlet of the coolant channel; a first adjustment module, used to reduce the flow rate of the coolant to meet a first target flow rate when the real-time temperature is less than or equal to a first preset safety threshold; a second adjustment module, used to increase the flow rate of the coolant to meet a second target flow rate when the real-time temperature is greater than the first preset safety threshold and the temperature difference between the liquid hydrogen and the coolant is less than a preset temperature difference threshold; and a third adjustment module, used to adjust the flow rate of the coolant until the power generation reaches the target peak when the real-time temperature is greater than the second preset safety threshold and the power generation when generating the first electrical energy is lower than the target peak value, wherein the second preset safety threshold is greater than the first preset safety threshold.

[0017] Optionally, in one embodiment of this application, it further includes: a first calculation module, used to calculate the target flow rate of the hydrogen and its corresponding target hydrogen flow rate according to the actual power demand of the power battery; and an adjustment module, used to adjust the actual flow rate of the liquid hydrogen according to the target hydrogen flow rate until the actual flow rate of the hydrogen reaches the target flow rate.

[0018] Optionally, in one embodiment of this application, it further includes: a second detection module, configured to detect instantaneous voltage and instantaneous current during the first power generation process; a second calculation module, configured to calculate instantaneous power during the first power generation process based on the instantaneous voltage and instantaneous current; and a control module, configured to apply a target disturbance to the first power generation process based on the direction of increase of the instantaneous power, so as to control the instantaneous power to be at a target peak value.

[0019] A third aspect of this application provides an electronic device, including: a memory, a processor, and a computer program stored in the memory and executable on the processor, wherein the processor executes the program to implement the energy management method as described in the above embodiments.

[0020] A fourth aspect of this application provides a computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program that, when executed by a processor, implements the energy management method described above.

[0021] A fifth aspect of this application provides a computer program product, including a computer program that, when executed, is used to implement the energy management method described above.

[0022] This application embodiment can generate electricity by utilizing the temperature difference between the cryogenic liquid hydrogen in the liquid hydrogen channel and the high-temperature coolant in the coolant channel, and reuse the hydrogen produced after the cryogenic liquid hydrogen is vaporized to generate electricity. At the same time, a three-level dedicated parallel control architecture is used to control the electricity generation process, and finally realize the power supply for the vehicle's drive motor, power battery and electric auxiliary system. This achieves indirect energy savings through cold energy recovery and reduced cooling system energy consumption, thus doubly improving overall vehicle energy efficiency. It transforms the traditional passive dissipation process into an active energy recovery and thermal management optimization process, effectively increasing the vehicle's driving range while also assisting in adjusting the thermal management load of the battery stack. Furthermore, this application integrates the three functional modules of gasification, power generation, and thermal management into a single unit. The various modules and subsystems have a compact structure. This solid-state power generation mode eliminates the need for moving parts, and the highly integrated design effectively saves valuable chassis space, effectively meeting the vehicle environment's requirements for space, weight, dynamic response, and cost control. In addition, the embodiments of this application can also, based on sensor feedback, coordinate with the ECU to control the coolant pump and hydrogen pipeline regulating valve, maintaining the optimal temperature difference between the low-temperature liquid hydrogen in the liquid hydrogen channel and the high-temperature coolant in the coolant channel, preventing icing in the channels. This achieves excellent control through extremely simple logic. This solves the problems in related technologies, such as the limited operating environment of liquid hydrogen cold energy utilization devices, the complexity and limited efficiency improvement of stand-alone liquid hydrogen cold energy recovery devices, the inability to achieve deep and compact integration with the vehicle's thermal management system, the difficulty in meeting the control requirements of the vehicle environment on space, weight, dynamic response and cost, and the difficulty in recovering and utilizing liquid hydrogen cold energy in vehicles, resulting in cold energy waste.

[0023] Additional aspects and advantages of this application will be set forth in part in the description which follows, and in part will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of this application. Attached Figure Description

[0024] The above and / or additional aspects and advantages of this application will become apparent and readily understood from the following description of the embodiments taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein: Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of an energy management system provided according to an embodiment of this application; Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the overall architecture of an energy management system according to an embodiment of this application; Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a thermoelectric gasification power generation module according to an embodiment of this application; Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the internal circuit principle of a power management unit according to an embodiment of this application. Figure 5 This is a flowchart of an energy management method provided according to an embodiment of this application; Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the control logic of an energy management system according to an embodiment of this application; Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of an energy management device provided according to an embodiment of this application; Figure 8 This is a structural schematic diagram of a vehicle provided according to an embodiment of this application.

[0025] Figure label: 10-Energy management system; 100-First supply component, 200-Second supply component, 300-Power generation module and 400-Management module; 20-Energy management device; 500-Processing module, 600-Conversion module; 801-Memory, 802-Processor and 803-Communication interface. Detailed Implementation

[0026] The embodiments of this application are described in detail below. Examples of these embodiments are shown in the accompanying drawings, wherein the same or similar reference numerals denote the same or similar elements or elements having the same or similar functions throughout. The embodiments described below with reference to the accompanying drawings are exemplary and intended to explain this application, and should not be construed as limiting this application.

[0027] The energy management system, energy management method, and vehicle of this application are described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Addressing the limitations of the operating environment for liquid hydrogen cold energy utilization devices mentioned in the background art, the complexity and limited efficiency improvement of independently installed liquid hydrogen cold energy recovery systems, and the inability to achieve deep and compact integration with the vehicle's thermal management system, this application struggles to meet the vehicle environment's requirements for space, weight, dynamic response, and cost control. Furthermore, the liquid hydrogen cold energy in vehicles is difficult to recover and reuse, resulting in energy waste. This application provides an energy management system, energy management method, and vehicle. In this method, the temperature difference between the low-temperature liquid hydrogen in the liquid hydrogen flow channel and the high-temperature coolant in the coolant flow channel can be used to generate electricity. The hydrogen produced after the low-temperature liquid hydrogen is vaporized is then reused to generate electrical energy. Simultaneously, a three-level dedicated parallel control architecture is used for control during the electricity generation process, ultimately providing power to the vehicle's drive motor, power battery, and electric auxiliary systems. This achieves indirect energy savings through cold energy recovery and reduced cooling system energy consumption, thus doubly improving overall vehicle energy efficiency. It transforms the traditional passive dissipation process into an active energy recovery and thermal management optimization process, effectively increasing the vehicle's driving range while also assisting in adjusting the thermal management load of the battery stack. Furthermore, this application integrates the three functional modules of gasification, power generation, and thermal management into a single unit. The various modules and subsystems have a compact structure. This solid-state power generation mode eliminates the need for moving parts, and the highly integrated design effectively saves valuable chassis space, effectively meeting the vehicle environment's requirements for space, weight, dynamic response, and cost control. In addition, the embodiments of this application can also, based on sensor feedback, coordinate with the ECU to control the coolant pump and hydrogen pipeline regulating valve, maintaining the optimal temperature difference between the low-temperature liquid hydrogen in the liquid hydrogen channel and the high-temperature coolant in the coolant channel, preventing icing in the channels. This achieves excellent control through extremely simple logic. This solves the problems in related technologies, such as the limited operating environment of liquid hydrogen cold energy utilization devices, the complexity and limited efficiency improvement of stand-alone liquid hydrogen cold energy recovery devices, the inability to achieve deep and compact integration with the vehicle's thermal management system, the difficulty in meeting the control requirements of the vehicle environment on space, weight, dynamic response and cost, and the difficulty in recovering and utilizing liquid hydrogen cold energy in vehicles, resulting in cold energy waste.

[0028] Specifically, Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of an energy management system 10 provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0029] like Figure 1 As shown, the energy management system 10 includes: The system includes a first supply unit 100 for transmitting liquid hydrogen to the vehicle and a second supply unit 200 for transmitting coolant after cooling the battery stack; a power generation module 300, which is adapted to the first and second supply units respectively, and generates first electrical energy using the temperature difference between the liquid hydrogen and the coolant after cooling the battery stack; and a management module 400 for converting the first electrical energy into direct current (DC) that meets preset standard conditions, so as to power devices in the vehicle that meet the target power conditions, and to store the DC energy that does not power devices that meet the target power conditions in the vehicle's power battery. The power generation module 300 includes a housing body, and a liquid hydrogen flow channel and a coolant flow channel disposed within the housing body. The first supply unit 100 is connected to the liquid hydrogen flow channel to deliver liquid hydrogen through the liquid hydrogen flow channel; the second supply unit 200 is connected to both ends of the coolant flow channel to circulate coolant through the coolant flow channel.

[0030] In practical applications, liquid hydrogen (LH2) is an ideal hydrogen storage method for fuel cell vehicles due to its extremely high energy density. However, liquid hydrogen has an extremely low storage temperature, typically -253°C. Before being used in the fuel cell stack, it must be heated to ambient temperature by a vaporizer to be used by the fuel cell stack (which typically operates at 70-90°C).

[0031] In related technologies, the vaporization process of liquid hydrogen usually utilizes an ambient air vaporizer, which uses the heat of the ambient air to vaporize liquid hydrogen through natural convection or forced ventilation. However, ambient air vaporizers are inefficient, greatly affected by ambient temperature, and have insufficient vaporization capacity in low-temperature environments. In humid environments, the surface of the vaporizer is prone to icing, affecting performance and safety, and completely wasting cold energy.

[0032] Alternatively, coolant can be used as a heat source to vaporize liquid hydrogen, but the huge temperature difference between the coolant and liquid hydrogen will place extremely demanding requirements on the materials of the liquid hydrogen vaporizer.

[0033] The coolant circulation vaporizer can utilize the heat source (coolant) inside the fuel cell system to provide heat for liquid hydrogen vaporization, which effectively solves some of the defects of ambient air vaporizers and achieves stable vaporization.

[0034] However, the coolant circulating vaporizer can only achieve unidirectional energy transfer and conversion, that is, it can only transfer the heat of the coolant to the liquid hydrogen, while the cold energy of the liquid hydrogen is regarded as "harmful" and needs to be eliminated by the cooling system by consuming additional energy.

[0035] However, the fuel cell stack in a vehicle generates a large amount of waste heat during operation, requiring a powerful cooling system (radiator, fan, water pump) for heat dissipation. In traditional liquid hydrogen systems, the fuel cell stack cooling system also needs to bear the additional load of providing heat for liquid hydrogen vaporization, that is, consuming extra energy to dissipate heat from the high-temperature coolant in the fuel cell stack. Especially in high-temperature environments or high-power operation, the heat dissipation pressure is enormous, resulting in high energy consumption and reduced system efficiency.

[0036] This leads to the following situation: the vehicle system needs to consume additional electrical energy to drive a more powerful cooling system to dissipate the cold energy released by the vaporization of liquid hydrogen. However, at the same time, under the condition that the fuel cell stack needs to be cooled powerfully, the cooling system also has to undertake the dual and contradictory tasks of "heating" the liquid hydrogen and "cooling" the fuel cell stack, resulting in extremely low energy efficiency of the vehicle system and a heavy thermal management load.

[0037] Moreover, the enormous amount of cold energy released during the vaporization of liquid hydrogen (approximately 1400 kJ / kg) is simply absorbed by ambient air or coolant in traditional systems and then dissipated, resulting in ineffective utilization of the cold energy and significant waste. However, if a separate liquid hydrogen cold energy recovery device (such as the Rankine cycle) is installed in a vehicle, the system would become extremely complex, bulky, and expensive, making it unsuitable for vehicles with limited space.

[0038] In some embodiments, to address the contradiction between energy waste and high system load, this application designs an energy management system. This system utilizes thermoelectric generators (TEGs) to efficiently convert the temperature difference between cryogenic liquid hydrogen and high-temperature fuel cell stack coolant during the liquid hydrogen vaporization process into electrical energy. Through intelligent control, this energy is deeply integrated into the vehicle's energy flow and thermal management to achieve energy recovery and management, thus resolving the contradiction between energy waste and high system load in related technologies and providing a new technical path for improving the energy efficiency of liquid hydrogen fuel cell vehicles.

[0039] The energy management system 10 includes, but is not limited to, a first supply unit 100 for transmitting liquid hydrogen to the vehicle and a second supply unit 200 for transmitting coolant after cooling the battery stack.

[0040] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the overall architecture of an energy management system according to an embodiment of this application. Figure 2 As shown, the first supply unit 100 can be understood here as a liquid hydrogen storage and supply subsystem for storing liquid hydrogen and supplying liquid hydrogen to other related components in the vehicle, and it is connected to the liquid hydrogen flow channel.

[0041] The first supply component 100 includes, but is not limited to: a liquid hydrogen storage tank (on-board liquid hydrogen storage tank), a cryogenic pump, and a regulating valve.

[0042] Liquid hydrogen storage tanks are used to store liquid hydrogen at -253°C and under high pressure. They typically employ high-vacuum multilayer insulation (VIML) on-board liquid hydrogen storage tanks to minimize evaporation losses.

[0043] The cryogenic pump is mainly used to connect to the liquid hydrogen storage tank and the liquid hydrogen flow channel in the power generation module 300 via hydrogen supply lines, so as to pump liquid hydrogen from the liquid hydrogen storage tank to the liquid hydrogen flow channel. In other words, the cryogenic pump provides power to pump liquid hydrogen out of the liquid hydrogen storage tank.

[0044] Additionally, a regulating valve is installed in the hydrogen supply line. This regulating valve can receive instructions from the vehicle control unit (VCU) or fuel cell control unit (FCU) to precisely regulate the flow rate of liquid hydrogen to match the real-time power requirements of the fuel cell stack.

[0045] It should be noted that all components that come into contact with liquid hydrogen (pipelines, valves, pumps) must be made of special materials suitable for cryogenic environments (such as austenitic stainless steel and aluminum alloys) and be specially designed to prevent brittle failure.

[0046] like Figure 2 As shown, the second supply unit 200 can be understood here as a coolant circulation subsystem mainly used to transport the high-temperature coolant after cooling the battery stack, and it is connected to both ends of the coolant flow channel.

[0047] The power generation module 300, also known as an integrated thermoelectric vaporizer-generator (ITVG), is mainly used to receive cryogenic liquid hydrogen and high-temperature coolant, and to complete the vaporization and power generation there. Its structure adopts a multi-channel plate or shell-and-tube structure.

[0048] The power generation module 300 is adapted to the first supply component 100 and the second supply component 200, respectively, and is connected, for example, through a special pipeline. The first supply component 100 can be connected to the power generation module 300 through a special liquid hydrogen channel (capable of withstanding ultra-low temperature liquid hydrogen), and the second supply component 200 can be connected to the power generation module 300 through a special coolant channel (capable of withstanding high temperature coolant).

[0049] Furthermore, the power generation module 300 in this embodiment can adopt a multi-channel plate or shell-and-tube structure.

[0050] When employing a shell-and-tube structure, the power generation module 300 includes an outer shell body, and components such as a liquid hydrogen flow channel, a first thermally conductive substrate, a thermoelectric component, a second thermally conductive substrate, and a coolant flow channel are all housed within the outer shell body. It should be noted that the outer shell body can be made of insulating material to form an insulating shell, thereby vacuum-insulating the entire power generation module, minimizing heat exchange with the environment, ensuring that the temperature difference primarily affects the thermoelectric material, and improving power generation efficiency.

[0051] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a thermoelectric gasification power generation module according to an embodiment of this application. Figure 3 As shown, the thermoelectric gasification power generation module here adopts a shell-and-tube structure, with the first heat-conducting substrate (and) inside the insulated outer shell Figure 3 The function of the high thermal conductivity substrate connected to the liquid hydrogen flow channel is the same as that of the substrate connected to the liquid hydrogen flow channel (e.g., Figure 3 The outer wall of the pipe between the liquid hydrogen inlet and the gaseous hydrogen outlet and one side of the thermoelectric assembly; the second thermally conductive substrate (with Figure 3 (The function of the high thermal conductivity substrate connected to the coolant flow channel side is the same) Connecting the coolant flow channel (such as...) Figure 3 The outer wall of the pipe between the high-temperature coolant inlet and the low-temperature coolant outlet and the other side of the thermoelectric assembly.

[0052] In this context, the liquid hydrogen flow channel (cold side) can be understood as the channel through which cryogenic liquid hydrogen enters and flows, making close contact with the cold-end thermally conductive substrate. Here, the cryogenic liquid hydrogen absorbs heat from the opposite coolant flow channel and the hot end of the thermoelectric chip, causing its temperature to rise rapidly and completing the phase change from liquid to gas. When the gaseous hydrogen flows out from the gaseous hydrogen outlet, its temperature has risen to a temperature range suitable for the use of the fuel cell stack (approximately 0-20°C).

[0053] The coolant flow channel (hot side) can be understood here as the channel through which the high-temperature coolant (typically >80°C) from the fuel cell stack enters and flows, and is in close contact with the thermally conductive substrate at the hot end. The coolant transfers its heat to the hot end of the thermoelectric chip and acts as a heat source for heating liquid hydrogen, while its own temperature is significantly cooled (e.g., from 85°C to 35-50°C), and then flows out from the cryogenic coolant outlet, returning to the fuel cell stack or heading to the heat sink.

[0054] Therefore, after the liquid hydrogen channel in the power generation module 300 receives the cryogenic liquid hydrogen delivered by the first supply component 100, and the coolant channel receives the high-temperature coolant delivered by the first supply component 200, the thermoelectric component in the power generation module 300 can generate the first electrical energy by utilizing the temperature difference between the cryogenic liquid hydrogen in the liquid hydrogen channel and the high-temperature coolant in the coolant channel after cooling the battery stack.

[0055] The liquid hydrogen flow channel and the coolant flow channel can flow in the same or different directions. It is preferred that they flow in the same direction. When they flow in the same direction, the temperature difference between the liquid hydrogen flow channel and the coolant flow channel can be kept at its maximum from the inlet until the liquid hydrogen becomes gaseous hydrogen and the high-temperature coolant becomes low-temperature coolant (e.g., from 85°C to 35-50°C).

[0056] It should be noted that the cold-side flow channel (liquid hydrogen flow channel) and the hot-side flow channel (coolant flow channel) need to use different sealing materials and structures to withstand cryogenic liquid hydrogen and high-temperature coolant, respectively.

[0057] The thermoelectric component transfers heat between the liquid hydrogen channel and the coolant channel to generate electricity based on the temperature difference between the low-temperature liquid hydrogen in the liquid hydrogen channel and the high-temperature coolant in the coolant channel, thus producing the first electrical energy.

[0058] The first thermally conductive substrate and / or the second thermally conductive substrate can be made of thermally conductive ceramic, thermally conductive silicone grease or metal material. The materials used to make the first thermally conductive substrate and the second thermally conductive substrate can be the same (both are made of thermally conductive ceramic, thermally conductive silicone grease or metal material) or different (e.g. one is made of thermally conductive ceramic and the other is made of thermally conductive silicone grease, one is made of thermally conductive silicone grease and the other is made of metal material, etc.).

[0059] In simple terms, the first and second thermally conductive substrates are mainly used to isolate the flow channels from the thermoelectric chip, while ensuring efficient heat conduction.

[0060] And, thermoelectric components (and) Figure 3 (The hotspot component array in the middle has the same function) and has multiple thermoelectric chips, such as Figure 3 As shown, one end of the thermoelectric chip is connected to the outer wall of the liquid hydrogen flow channel, and the other end of the thermoelectric chip is connected to the outer wall of the coolant flow channel; and two adjacent thermoelectric chips can be connected by a flow guide plate.

[0061] Specifically, a large number of high-performance thermoelectric power generation chips (such as Bi2Te3-based materials) are densely deposited on the partition (first thermally conductive substrate and second thermally conductive substrate) between the liquid hydrogen flow channel and the coolant flow channel, thereby forming a thermoelectric component. The cold end of the thermoelectric chip is connected to the wall of the liquid hydrogen flow channel through a highly thermally conductive material (such as thermal grease or a metal substrate); the hot end is also connected to the wall of the high-temperature coolant flow channel.

[0062] For example, the thermoelectric component array (core conversion layer) can be composed of multiple pairs of P-type and N-type semiconductor thermoelectric material chips (such as bismuth telluride-based materials), which can be connected in series / parallel via metal conductors. When a large temperature difference (typically >300°C) is established between the cold and hot channels, charge carriers move directionally inside the thermoelectric material, and low-voltage DC current is directly output at both ends of the array based on the Seebeck effect.

[0063] In actual implementation, in order to improve the power generation efficiency of the thermoelectric component array, the arrangement density of thermoelectric chips near the first end (inlet) of the liquid cooling channel / coolant channel can be greater than or equal to the arrangement density of thermoelectric chips near the second end (outlet) of the liquid cooling channel / coolant channel.

[0064] Those skilled in the art can arrange the thermoelectric chips closer together on the side near the liquid cooling channel or coolant channel inlet, and more sparsely on the side near the liquid cooling channel or coolant channel outlet. In this arrangement, if the liquid cooling channel and coolant channel flow in the same direction, the thermoelectric chips are most densely packed and efficient when the temperature difference at their inlets is greatest. As the liquid hydrogen and coolant flow towards the outlet, the temperature difference gradually decreases, and such high efficiency is no longer required. The thermoelectric chips then become sparse, effectively maintaining a balance between power and cost.

[0065] Furthermore, the thermoelectric chips in the thermoelectric assembly can also be arranged evenly.

[0066] In practical applications, the specific arrangement of thermoelectric chips can be set and adjusted by professionals in this field according to actual conditions and needs. The embodiments in this application are only illustrative and do not impose specific limitations.

[0067] Furthermore, the extension length of the thermoelectric component can be determined based on the inlet and outlet temperatures of the liquid hydrogen channel or the coolant channel. In other words, the number of thermoelectric chips required and the overall length of the thermoelectric component can be determined based on the inlet and outlet temperatures of the liquid hydrogen channel or the coolant channel.

[0068] Specifically, those skilled in the art can determine the final thermoelectric chips to be laid based on the temperature at which cryogenic liquid hydrogen enters the liquid hydrogen channel and the temperature at which it vaporizes into the desired gaseous hydrogen. These thermoelectric chips determine the length of the thermoelectric assembly.

[0069] Similarly, those skilled in the art can determine the final thermoelectric chips to be laid based on the temperature of the high-temperature coolant entering the coolant channel inlet and the temperature corresponding to the desired low-temperature coolant. These thermoelectric chips determine the length of the thermoelectric assembly.

[0070] In summary, the specific number of thermoelectric chips and the length of the thermoelectric components can be set and adjusted by those skilled in the art according to actual conditions and needs. The embodiments in this application are only illustrative and do not impose specific limitations.

[0071] After generating first electrical energy through the temperature difference between cryogenic liquid hydrogen and high-temperature coolant via the power generation module 300, this embodiment of the application can further convert the first electrical energy into direct current that meets preset standard conditions via the management module 400, so as to use the direct current to power devices in the vehicle that meet the target power conditions, and store the direct current that the devices that meet the target power conditions cannot use in the converted direct current into the vehicle's power battery.

[0072] Here, the preset standard conditions can be understood as the DC power supply needing to meet the general voltage level and power quality requirements of the vehicle's electrical system. For example, the voltage specifications predefined in vehicle engineering that allow DC power to be normally connected to the vehicle's power supply system.

[0073] The target power requirements here can be understood as the electrical energy requirements needed for specific electrical components (loads) in a vehicle to operate normally. Components that meet certain power requirements each have standards such as rated voltage, allowable voltage fluctuation range, and required power. For example, various auxiliary systems in a vehicle (such as air conditioning electric compressors, cooling fans, lights, controllers, etc.)

[0074] It should be noted that the specific preset standard conditions and target power conditions can be set and adjusted by professionals in this field according to actual conditions and needs. The embodiments in this application are only illustrative and do not impose specific limitations.

[0075] That is, the first electrical energy generated by the thermoelectric component array is not standard voltage DC power that can be directly used, but low-voltage DC power. Based on this, embodiments of this application can include a management module 400 (and...). Figure 2 (The function of the intermediate cooling energy generation and power management unit is the same), and this management module 400 is connected to the output terminals of all thermoelectric chips.

[0076] Because the output voltage of a single chip is low, the power management unit (PMU) in the management module 400 is responsible for maximum power point tracking (MPPT) and DC-DC boost conversion, integrating and boosting the unstable low-voltage DC power generated by the thermoelectric component array into a stable standard voltage level (such as 12V / 24V / 400V) that can be used in vehicles.

[0077] After converting the initial electrical energy generated by the thermoelectric component array into a stable standard voltage DC power that can be used by the vehicle, the management module 400 can directly supply the standard voltage DC power output by the PMU to the vehicle auxiliary systems, such as the air conditioning electric compressor, cooling fan, electric water pump, PTC heater, lights, controllers, etc., thereby effectively reducing the power demand of these devices on the main power source (power battery or fuel cell).

[0078] When the electrical power generated by the ITVG exceeds the immediate consumption of the auxiliary system (such as when the vehicle is operating at low power), the surplus electrical energy (converted standard voltage DC power) can be delivered to the vehicle's power battery for storage, thereby enabling the battery to be recharged for free during driving, thus directly increasing the vehicle's driving range.

[0079] This application embodiment can utilize thermoelectric materials to efficiently convert the temperature difference between the ultra-low temperature of liquid hydrogen and the high temperature of the fuel cell stack coolant into electrical energy during the vaporization path of liquid hydrogen. This electrical energy can then be used for vehicle auxiliary systems or to charge the power battery. On the one hand, energy is directly recovered through power generation; on the other hand, energy is indirectly saved by reducing the energy consumption of the cooling system, thus doubly improving the overall vehicle energy efficiency, increasing the vehicle's driving range, and also assisting in adjusting the thermal management load of the fuel cell stack.

[0080] Optionally, in one embodiment of this application, the second supply component includes: a coolant circulation pipeline connected to a coolant flow channel and a fuel cell stack; a coolant pump disposed in the coolant circulation pipeline for pumping coolant; and a front-end radiator connected to the coolant circulation pipeline and located upstream of the fuel cell stack for replenishing and cooling the coolant.

[0081] Based on the descriptions of other embodiments, it can be understood that the first supply component 100 in this application can deliver cryogenic liquid hydrogen to the power generation module 300 through the liquid hydrogen channel, that is, the first supply component 100 is connected to the liquid hydrogen channel in the power generation module 300, and the second supply component 200 can deliver high-temperature coolant to the power generation module 300 through the coolant channel, that is, the second supply component 200 is connected to the coolant channel in the power generation module 300.

[0082] The second supply unit 200 is connected to both ends of the coolant flow channel to circulate and deliver coolant through the channel. For example... Figure 2 As shown, the second supply component 200 (with) Figure 2 The coolant circulation subsystem in the middle has the same function (including but not limited to): Coolant circulation piping connecting the coolant flow channel and the fuel cell stack; A coolant pump installed in the coolant circulation line for pumping coolant; Connected to the coolant circulation line and located upstream of the fuel cell stack, it is a front-end radiator used to replenish and cool the coolant.

[0083] Specifically, the second supply unit 200 can deliver high-temperature coolant carrying waste heat (approximately 85°C) from the fuel cell coolant outlet into the power generation module 300 under the drive of a coolant pump.

[0084] Subsequently, the coolant that has released heat and whose temperature has dropped significantly in the power generation module 300 can flow out from the low-temperature coolant outlet in the coolant flow channel of the power generation module 300. This cooled coolant will flow through the coolant circulation pipeline to the front-end radiator for replenishment and cooling.

[0085] At this point, since the power generation module 300 has pre-cooled the fuel cell stack's coolant using the cold energy of liquid hydrogen, the heat load on the front-end radiator will be greatly reduced, thereby reducing the overall vehicle's thermal management load and the energy consumption of the cooling fan.

[0086] After being cooled by the front-end radiator, the low-temperature coolant is sent to the fuel cell stack through the coolant circulation pipeline driven by the coolant pump. There, it undergoes final heat exchange with the air. The high-temperature coolant that has flowed through the fuel cell stack will flow back into the power generation module 300 under the drive of the coolant pump, thus completing the coolant cooling cycle.

[0087] It should be noted that this process is a cyclical process, using a circulation pipeline. Therefore, the coolant pump can both drive the cryogenic coolant through the coolant circulation pipeline to the fuel cell stack, and drive the high-temperature coolant after passing through the fuel cell stack into the power generation module 300.

[0088] The embodiments of this application can form a coolant circulation loop through the second supply component 200, utilizing the existing high-temperature coolant in the fuel cell stack to provide a heat source for establishing a temperature difference and generating electricity. The system has a fast dynamic response and can significantly reduce the peak heat dissipation demand of the front-end radiator, making the vehicle's thermal management system design margin larger, and the operation more stable and efficient, especially suitable for high-temperature areas and heavy-load conditions.

[0089] Optionally, in one embodiment of this application, it further includes: a power generation system for receiving hydrogen gas that meets preset temperature conditions generated by the power generation module using the temperature difference between the liquid hydrogen in the vehicle and the coolant after cooling the battery stack, and using the hydrogen gas and oxygen that meet the preset temperature conditions to generate second electrical energy, so as to use the second electrical energy to power the vehicle's drive motor and / or power battery.

[0090] In some embodiments, the energy management system of this application further includes a power generation system (and...) Figure 2 The fuel cell power generation system in this system has the same function as the power generation module 300. Unlike the power generation module 300, this power generation system is mainly used to reuse gaseous hydrogen that meets the preset temperature conditions flowing out of the liquid hydrogen channel to generate a second electrical energy.

[0091] Here, the preset temperature condition can be understood as the temperature requirement that the gaseous hydrogen produced after flowing through the liquid hydrogen channel must meet. Generally, the gaseous hydrogen is within the temperature range suitable for the use of the fuel cell stack, approximately 0-20°C, which is considered room temperature hydrogen. The specific preset temperature condition can be set and adjusted by those skilled in the art according to actual conditions and needs. The embodiments in this application are only illustrative and do not impose specific limitations.

[0092] Additionally, to ensure that the generated hydrogen meets the preset temperature conditions, this embodiment of the application may include a first acquisition component in the power generation module 300. This first acquisition component may be connected to the liquid hydrogen channel (at the gaseous hydrogen outlet end) to acquire the actual temperature at the outlet of the liquid hydrogen channel, so as to determine whether the generated hydrogen meets the preset temperature conditions.

[0093] Specifically, after generating the first electrical energy using the temperature difference between cryogenic liquid hydrogen and high-temperature coolant, the power generation module 300 will release vaporized hydrogen that meets certain temperature conditions from the gaseous hydrogen outlet of the power generation module 300. This hydrogen will then be transported to the fuel cell stack.

[0094] Subsequently, the fuel cell stack consumes the hydrogen and reacts electrochemically with oxygen in the air to produce secondary electrical energy, water, and heat. The secondary electrical energy generated by the fuel cell is still low-voltage direct current (DC), so it also needs to be converted by DC-DC converter to a standard voltage DC current that meets certain standard conditions before it can power the vehicle's drive motor and / or charge the vehicle's battery.

[0095] This application embodiment can generate a first electrical energy by utilizing the temperature difference between cryogenic liquid hydrogen and high-temperature coolant, and then recycle the gaseous hydrogen generated during the generation of the first electrical energy to generate a second electrical energy to power the vehicle's drive motor and / or charge the vehicle's power battery. Thus, it achieves considerable energy recovery and system performance optimization with limited increase in cost and complexity, significantly improving the return on investment and practical application capability of this application.

[0096] Optionally, in one embodiment of this application, the management module 400 includes: a controller for dynamically adjusting the input impedance to maintain the maximum power output of the power generation module; and a converter for converting the first electrical energy into direct current that meets preset standard conditions.

[0097] Based on the descriptions of other embodiments, it will be understood that the power management unit (PMU) in the management module 400 of this application is responsible for maximum power point tracking (MPPT) and DC-DC boost conversion, integrating and boosting the unstable low-voltage DC power generated by the thermoelectric component array into a stable standard voltage level that can be used by the vehicle.

[0098] In some embodiments, the power management unit (PMU) is responsible for maximum power point tracking (MPPT) and DC-DC boost conversion, and requires the use of controllers and converters.

[0099] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the internal circuit principle of a power management unit according to an embodiment of this application. Figure 4 As shown, the controller in this embodiment may be, but is not limited to, an MPPT controller, and the converter may be, but is not limited to, a DC-DC Boost converter.

[0100] The controller is mainly used to monitor the output voltage and current of the generator module 300 in real time, so as to dynamically adjust the input impedance of the PMU and ensure that the generator module 300 always works at the maximum power output point to cope with temperature fluctuations caused by changes in vehicle operating conditions.

[0101] The converter is mainly used to boost the DC power that has been optimized by MPPT but is still at a low voltage level to the standard voltage level required by the vehicle (such as 24V for the auxiliary power system or 400V for the high voltage platform).

[0102] It should be noted that in practical applications, those skilled in the art can select the appropriate converter and controller according to the actual situation, as long as they can achieve the corresponding functions. The embodiments in this application are only illustrative and do not impose specific limitations.

[0103] According to the energy management system proposed in this application, cryogenic liquid hydrogen and high-temperature coolant can be transported to the power generation module. The thermoelectric components in the power generation module utilize the temperature difference between the cryogenic liquid hydrogen in the liquid hydrogen channel and the high-temperature coolant in the coolant channel to generate electricity. Furthermore, the hydrogen produced after the cryogenic liquid hydrogen is vaporized is reused to generate electricity, ultimately powering the vehicle's drive motor, power battery, and electric auxiliary systems. This achieves indirect energy savings through cold energy recovery and reduced cooling system energy consumption, doubly improving the overall vehicle energy efficiency. It transforms the traditional passive dissipation process into an active energy recovery and thermal management optimization process, effectively increasing the vehicle's driving range and assisting in adjusting the thermal management load of the battery stack. Moreover, this application integrates the vaporization, power generation, and thermal management modules into a single unit, with a compact structure between the modules and subsystems. This solid-state power generation mode eliminates the need for moving parts, and the highly integrated design effectively saves valuable chassis space, effectively meeting the vehicle environment's requirements for space, weight, dynamic response, and cost control. This solves the problems in related technologies, such as the limited operating environment of liquid hydrogen cold energy utilization devices, the complexity and limited efficiency improvement of stand-alone liquid hydrogen cold energy recovery devices, the inability to achieve deep and compact integration with the vehicle's thermal management system, the difficulty in meeting the control requirements of the vehicle environment on space, weight, dynamic response and cost, and the difficulty in recovering and utilizing liquid hydrogen cold energy in vehicles, resulting in cold energy waste.

[0104] Next, the energy management method proposed according to the embodiments of this application is described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0105] Specifically, Figure 5 This is a flowchart illustrating an energy management method provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0106] like Figure 5 As shown, this energy management method employs the aforementioned energy management system, and the method includes the following steps: Step S501: Based on the temperature difference between the liquid hydrogen in the liquid hydrogen channel and the coolant from the fuel cell stack in the coolant channel, a first electrical energy and hydrogen gas that meets the preset temperature conditions are obtained, and a second electrical energy is obtained based on the hydrogen and oxygen.

[0107] Step S502: Convert the first electrical energy and the second electrical energy into direct current that meets preset standard conditions, so as to use the direct current to power the vehicle's drive motor, power battery and devices that meet the target power conditions.

[0108] As one possible implementation method, corresponding to the energy management system, this application can utilize the liquid hydrogen flow channel in the power generation module 300 of the energy management system to receive cryogenic liquid hydrogen from the first supply unit 100, and utilize the coolant flow channel in the power generation module 300 to receive high-temperature coolant from the second supply unit 200.

[0109] Subsequently, the thermoelectric component array in the power generation module 300 can generate the first electrical energy based on the temperature difference between the low-temperature liquid hydrogen in the liquid hydrogen flow channel and the high-temperature coolant in the coolant flow channel, as well as hydrogen gas that meets certain temperature conditions after the low-temperature liquid hydrogen is vaporized, namely room temperature hydrogen gas.

[0110] The room-temperature hydrogen is sent to the power generation system by the power generation module 300. The fuel cell stack in the power generation system consumes the hydrogen and reacts with oxygen in the air to generate a second electrical energy.

[0111] Both the first and second electrical energy are low-voltage DC. Therefore, the first electrical energy will be converted into standard voltage DC that meets the preset standard conditions by the PMU in the management module 400, and the second electrical energy will be converted into standard voltage DC that meets the preset standard conditions by the DC-DC converter.

[0112] The explanations of the preset standard conditions and target power conditions are the same as those in the aforementioned embodiments, and will not be repeated here.

[0113] The standard voltage DC power converted from the primary electrical energy can be directly supplied to vehicle auxiliary systems, such as air conditioning electric compressors, cooling fans, electric water pumps, PTC heaters, lights, controllers, etc., thereby effectively reducing the power requirements of these devices on the main power source (power battery or fuel cell).

[0114] When the electrical power generated by the ITVG exceeds the immediate consumption of the auxiliary system, the surplus electrical energy (converted standard voltage DC power) can be delivered to the vehicle's power battery for storage, thereby enabling free replenishment of the battery during driving and directly increasing the vehicle's driving range.

[0115] Furthermore, the second electrical energy is converted into standard voltage DC power to supply the vehicle's drive motor and / or battery.

[0116] This application embodiment can generate electricity by utilizing the temperature difference between cryogenic liquid hydrogen and high-temperature coolant, and reuse the hydrogen produced after the cryogenic liquid hydrogen is vaporized to generate electricity, ultimately powering the vehicle's drive motor, power battery, and electric auxiliary system. It can effectively recover the cold energy in the liquid hydrogen vaporization process and reduce the energy consumption of the cooling system, thereby doubly improving the overall vehicle energy efficiency. It can effectively increase the vehicle's driving range while also assisting in adjusting the thermal management load of the battery stack.

[0117] Optionally, in one embodiment of this application, the method further includes: detecting the real-time temperature at the outlet of the coolant channel; reducing the flow rate of the coolant to meet the first target flow rate when the real-time temperature is less than or equal to a first preset safety threshold; increasing the flow rate of the coolant to meet the second target flow rate when the real-time temperature is greater than the first preset safety threshold and the temperature difference between the liquid hydrogen and the coolant is less than a preset temperature difference threshold; and adjusting the flow rate of the coolant until the power generation reaches the target peak when the real-time temperature is greater than the second preset safety threshold and the power generation when generating the first electrical energy is lower than the target peak value, wherein the second preset safety threshold is greater than the first preset safety threshold.

[0118] As one possible approach, in order to achieve more optimized control of the energy management system, the energy management method in this application also designs a three-level dedicated parallel control architecture. Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the control logic of an energy management system according to an embodiment of this application. Figure 6 As shown in the embodiment of this application, the core control task of the liquid hydrogen cold energy recovery system can be decomposed into three independent, hierarchical, and collaborative dedicated control loops, namely: anti-icing and temperature difference optimization control loop, hydrogen flow rate matching control loop, and maximum power point tracking control loop.

[0119] Among them, the three loops—anti-icing and temperature difference optimization control loop, hydrogen flow rate matching control loop, and maximum power point tracking control loop—correspond to the three major control objectives of safe anti-icing, hydrogen supply matching, and power generation efficiency optimization, respectively. The three loops are authorized in a hierarchical and parallel manner according to the priority order of safety > hydrogen supply > power generation.

[0120] Specifically, the controlled object in the temperature difference optimization loop is the coolant pump (speed / flow rate). The control objective is to adjust the outlet position of the coolant flow path in the ITVG (e.g., ...). Figure 3 The temperature (T4) at the cryogenic coolant outlet is maintained above a safe threshold (e.g., 5°C) while maximizing the actual temperature difference between the coolant and liquid hydrogen. The control logic is either regular PID or fuzzy control.

[0121] For example, this application can first detect the real-time temperature at the outlet of the coolant channel, and then perform different anti-icing and temperature difference optimization controls at the outlet of the coolant channel based on the comparison results of the real-time temperature at the outlet of the coolant channel with different temperature thresholds.

[0122] In this embodiment of the application, at least one second acquisition component can be set in the energy management system to collect the real-time temperature of the coolant outlet. The second acquisition component can be various temperature sensors connected to the coolant outlet end of the coolant channel.

[0123] If the real-time temperature at the coolant outlet is less than or equal to a first preset safety threshold, this embodiment can reduce the speed of the coolant pump by controlling the vehicle's ECU, thereby reducing the flow rate of the high-temperature coolant until the flow rate meets the first target flow rate. Thus, by reducing the input of the heat source, this embodiment can effectively prevent ice formation at the coolant outlet. This is a protective action with the highest priority.

[0124] Here, the first preset safety threshold can be understood as the minimum temperature limit of the cryogenic coolant outlet of the liquid hydrogen flow channel, which is a minimum safety threshold, for example, 5°C.

[0125] The first target flow rate can be understood here as a flow rate that can keep the real-time temperature at the outlet of the coolant channel above 5°C.

[0126] If the real-time temperature at the coolant outlet is greater than the first preset safety threshold, and the temperature difference between the low-temperature liquid hydrogen in the liquid hydrogen flow channel and the high-temperature coolant in the coolant flow channel is less than the preset temperature difference threshold, the embodiments of this application can increase the speed of the coolant pump by controlling the vehicle's ECU, thereby increasing the flow rate of the high-temperature coolant until the flow rate of the high-temperature coolant meets the second target flow rate.

[0127] Here, the preset temperature difference threshold can be understood as a pre-defined fixed temperature difference boundary between the cryogenic liquid hydrogen in the liquid hydrogen channel and the high-temperature coolant in the coolant channel, representing the optimal power generation temperature difference. When the temperature difference between the cryogenic liquid hydrogen in the liquid hydrogen channel and the high-temperature coolant in the coolant channel is less than this optimal power generation temperature difference, this embodiment of the application can increase the flow rate of the high-temperature coolant to increase heat input, so that the temperature difference between the cryogenic liquid hydrogen in the liquid hydrogen channel and the high-temperature coolant in the coolant channel reaches the optimal power generation temperature difference, ensuring the power generation capacity of the thermoelectric component array.

[0128] Here, the second target flow rate can be understood as a certain flow rate that enables the temperature difference between the low-temperature liquid hydrogen in the liquid hydrogen channel and the high-temperature coolant in the coolant channel to reach the optimal power generation temperature difference (preset temperature difference threshold).

[0129] Furthermore, if the real-time temperature at the coolant outlet is greater than the second preset safety threshold, and the power generation (P_gen) of the thermoelectric component array when generating the first electrical energy is lower than the target peak value, the embodiments of this application can adjust the speed of the coolant pump by controlling the ECU (it may increase or decrease), thereby adjusting the flow rate of the coolant until the power generation of the thermoelectric component reaches the target peak value.

[0130] Here, the second preset safety threshold can be understood as a fixed temperature value of the low-temperature coolant outlet of the coolant flow channel, based on the first preset safety threshold. The second preset safety threshold should be significantly larger than the first preset safety threshold.

[0131] The target peak value can be understood here as the highest power output that the thermoelectric component array can achieve when it generates the first electrical energy based on the temperature difference between the low-temperature liquid hydrogen in the liquid hydrogen channel and the high-temperature coolant in the coolant channel.

[0132] That is, when the real-time temperature of the low-temperature coolant outlet is much greater than the first preset safety threshold (minimum temperature limit), it proves that the flow rate of the high-temperature coolant is fast enough. At this time, the pumping speed of the coolant pump can be adaptively optimized to find the optimal coolant flow rate point that enables the thermoelectric component array to achieve the maximum peak power generation.

[0133] The first preset safety threshold, the first target flow rate, the preset temperature difference threshold, the second target flow rate, the second preset safety threshold, and the target peak value can all be calibrated by professionals in this field based on bench tests or set and adjusted according to actual needs. The embodiments in this application are only illustrative and do not impose specific limitations.

[0134] Optionally, in one embodiment of this application, the method further includes: calculating the target flow rate of hydrogen and its corresponding target hydrogen flow rate based on the actual power demand of the power battery; and adjusting the actual flow rate of liquid hydrogen according to the target hydrogen flow rate until the actual flow rate of hydrogen reaches the target flow rate.

[0135] In other embodiments, for the hydrogen flow rate matching control loop, the controlled object of the loop is the hydrogen pipeline regulating valve (opening degree), i.e., the regulating valve (opening degree) in the first supply component 100. Furthermore, the control objective of this loop is to precisely control the liquid hydrogen supply according to the power requirements of the vehicle's fuel cell, ensuring that the actual hydrogen mass flow rate Q_actual accurately tracks the target flow rate Q_target, achieving a steady-state error ≤ ±2%FS. The control logic is feedforward + feedback.

[0136] Specifically, in this embodiment, the target flow rate and target hydrogen flow rate of liquid hydrogen can be calculated first based on the actual power demand of the power battery. Here, the target flow rate of hydrogen can be understood as the desired flow rate of hydrogen at room temperature currently required by the vehicle, calculated according to certain rules based on the actual power demand of the power battery; the target hydrogen flow rate can be understood as the desired hydrogen flow rate calculated based on the target flow rate of hydrogen.

[0137] It should be noted that the specific calculation rules for the target flow rate and the target hydrogen flow rate can be calibrated by professionals in this field based on bench tests or set and adjusted according to actual needs. The embodiments in this application are only illustrative and do not impose specific limitations.

[0138] Subsequently, based on the target hydrogen flow rate, the regulating valve in the first supply component 100 can be adjusted in this embodiment so that the actual flow rate of liquid hydrogen can just meet the target hydrogen flow rate, thereby achieving the target flow rate of hydrogen.

[0139] For example, in the feedforward control process, this application can receive the fuel cell demand power signal from the vehicle controller through the vehicle's ECU, directly calculate the target hydrogen flow rate through a pre-calibrated MAP, and give the basic opening degree of the regulating valve.

[0140] During the feedback control process, this application can monitor the actual hydrogen flow rate (actual hydrogen flow rate) output from the liquid hydrogen channel by setting a third acquisition component in the energy management system, and compare the actual flow rate with the target flow rate value for fine-tuning, so as to ensure that the hydrogen flow rate is accurate and stable and maintained at the target flow rate.

[0141] The third acquisition component may, but is not limited to, use F_h2 (hydrogen mass flow sensor) and be configured to be connected to the liquid hydrogen channel (at the gaseous hydrogen outlet end).

[0142] Optionally, in one embodiment of this application, the method further includes: detecting instantaneous voltage and instantaneous current during the first power generation process; calculating instantaneous power during the first power generation process based on the instantaneous voltage and instantaneous current; and applying a target perturbation to the first power generation process according to the direction of increase of the instantaneous power, so as to control the instantaneous power to be at the target peak value.

[0143] In some embodiments, for the maximum power point tracking control loop, the controlled object is the duty cycle of the DC-DC converter inside the power management unit (PMU). The control objective is to make the thermoelectric array operate at its maximum power output point. The control logic is a perturbation-observation method.

[0144] Specifically, in this embodiment of the application, the PMU can be used to continuously detect the instantaneous voltage and instantaneous current during the first power generation process, that is, the PMU can be used to continuously monitor the output voltage and output current of the thermoelectric array.

[0145] Based on the instantaneous voltage and instantaneous current, embodiments of this application can calculate the instantaneous (power generation) power during the first power generation process, i.e., the instantaneous (power generation) power of the thermoelectric array.

[0146] Furthermore, based on the direction of the instantaneous power increase, embodiments of this application can apply a target perturbation to the first electrical energy generation process to control the power generation of the thermoelectric component to be at a target peak value.

[0147] The process of applying a target disturbance to the generation of the first electrical energy can be achieved by applying a small periodic disturbance (ΔD) to the duty cycle of the DC-DC circuit in the management module 400: if the disturbance applied to the duty cycle of the DC-DC circuit causes the power output of the thermoelectric component to increase (ΔP>0), the disturbance continues in the same direction; if the disturbance applied to the duty cycle of the DC-DC circuit causes the power output of the thermoelectric component to decrease (ΔP<0), the disturbance is then carried out in the opposite direction.

[0148] Through this cycle, the embodiments of this application can make the operating point of the thermoelectric component always dynamically hover around the maximum power point, that is, the power output of the thermoelectric component always dynamically hovers around the target peak value.

[0149] Furthermore, it should be noted that the three-level coordination and conflict arbitration mechanism of the three loops—anti-icing and temperature difference optimization control loop, hydrogen flow rate matching control loop, and maximum power point tracking control loop—can be represented, but is not limited to, as follows: Rule 1 (Absolute Priority): The instructions for the anti-icing and temperature difference optimization control loop unconditionally override the instructions for the hydrogen flow rate matching control loop and the maximum power point tracking control loop; Rule 2 (relative priority): Hydrogen flow rate matching control loop commands have higher priority than maximum power point tracking control loop commands; Rule 3 (Residual Principle): The maximum power point tracking control loop shall be executed only when there are no conflicting requests from the anti-icing and temperature difference optimization control loop and the hydrogen flow rate matching control loop.

[0150] Although the anti-icing and temperature difference optimization control loop, the hydrogen flow rate matching control loop, and the maximum power point tracking control loop share the same set of sensor data sources, they calculate independently and output in parallel. The controller can arbitrate commands every 100ms synchronization period and ensure that the final command received by the actuator conforms to the above priority rules.

[0151] According to the energy management method proposed in this application, electrical energy can be generated by the temperature difference between the cryogenic liquid hydrogen in the liquid hydrogen channel and the high-temperature coolant in the coolant channel, as well as the hydrogen produced after the cryogenic liquid hydrogen is vaporized. A three-level dedicated parallel control architecture is used to control the energy generation process, ultimately supplying power to the vehicle's drive motor, power battery, and electric auxiliary systems. This achieves indirect energy savings through cold energy recovery and reduced cooling system energy consumption, doubly improving the overall vehicle energy efficiency. It transforms the traditional passive dissipation process into an active energy recovery and thermal management optimization process, effectively increasing the vehicle's driving range. Simultaneously, it can assist in adjusting the thermal management load of the battery stack and effectively meet the vehicle environment's requirements for space, weight, dynamic response, and cost control. Furthermore, based on sensor feedback, this application embodiment can also coordinate the control of the coolant pump and hydrogen pipeline regulating valve through ECU to maintain the optimal temperature difference between the cryogenic liquid hydrogen in the liquid hydrogen channel and the high-temperature coolant in the coolant channel, preventing icing in the channels. This achieves excellent control results through extremely simple logic. This solves the problems in related technologies, such as the limited operating environment of liquid hydrogen cold energy utilization devices, the complexity and limited efficiency improvement of stand-alone liquid hydrogen cold energy recovery devices, the inability to achieve deep and compact integration with the vehicle's thermal management system, the difficulty in meeting the control requirements of the vehicle environment on space, weight, dynamic response and cost, and the difficulty in recovering and utilizing liquid hydrogen cold energy in vehicles, resulting in cold energy waste.

[0152] Next, the energy management device proposed according to the embodiments of this application is described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0153] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the energy management device according to an embodiment of this application.

[0154] like Figure 7 As shown, the energy management device 20 includes a processing module 500 and a conversion module 600.

[0155] The processing module 500 is used to obtain first electrical energy and hydrogen gas that meets preset temperature conditions based on the temperature difference between liquid hydrogen in the liquid hydrogen channel and coolant from the fuel cell stack in the coolant channel, and to obtain second electrical energy based on hydrogen and oxygen. The conversion module 600 is used to convert the first electrical energy and the second electrical energy into direct current that meets preset standard conditions, so as to use direct current to power the vehicle's drive motor, power battery and devices that meet the target power conditions.

[0156] Optionally, in one embodiment of this application, it further includes: a first detection module for detecting the real-time temperature at the outlet of the coolant channel; a first adjustment module for reducing the flow rate of the coolant to meet a first target flow rate when the real-time temperature is less than or equal to a first preset safety threshold; a second adjustment module for increasing the flow rate of the coolant to meet a second target flow rate when the real-time temperature is greater than the first preset safety threshold and the temperature difference between the liquid hydrogen and the coolant is less than a preset temperature difference threshold; and a third adjustment module for adjusting the flow rate of the coolant until the power generation reaches the target peak when the real-time temperature is greater than the second preset safety threshold and the power generation when generating the first electrical energy is lower than the target peak value, wherein the second preset safety threshold is greater than the first preset safety threshold.

[0157] Optionally, in one embodiment of this application, it further includes: a first calculation module, used to calculate the target flow rate of hydrogen and its corresponding target hydrogen flow rate according to the actual power demand of the power battery; and an adjustment module, used to adjust the actual flow rate of liquid hydrogen according to the target hydrogen flow rate until the actual flow rate of hydrogen reaches the target flow rate.

[0158] Optionally, in one embodiment of this application, it further includes: a second detection module, configured to detect instantaneous voltage and instantaneous current during the first energy generation process; a second calculation module, configured to calculate instantaneous power during the first energy generation process based on the instantaneous voltage and instantaneous current; and a control module, configured to apply a target perturbation to the first energy generation process according to the increasing direction of the instantaneous power, so as to control the instantaneous power to be at the target peak value. It should be noted that the foregoing explanation of the energy management method embodiment also applies to the energy management device of this embodiment, and will not be repeated here.

[0159] The energy management device proposed in this application can generate electricity by utilizing the temperature difference between the cryogenic liquid hydrogen in the liquid hydrogen channel and the high-temperature coolant in the coolant channel, as well as the hydrogen produced after the cryogenic liquid hydrogen vaporizes. A three-level dedicated parallel control architecture is used to control the electricity generation process, ultimately supplying power to the vehicle's drive motor, power battery, and electric auxiliary systems. This achieves indirect energy savings through cold energy recovery and reduced cooling system energy consumption, doubly improving overall vehicle energy efficiency. It transforms the traditional passive dissipation process into an active energy recovery and thermal management optimization process, effectively increasing the vehicle's driving range. Simultaneously, it can assist in adjusting the thermal management load of the battery stack and effectively meet the vehicle environment's requirements for space, weight, dynamic response, and cost control. Furthermore, based on sensor feedback, this application embodiment can also coordinate with the ECU to control the coolant pump and hydrogen pipeline regulating valve, maintaining the optimal temperature difference between the cryogenic liquid hydrogen in the liquid hydrogen channel and the high-temperature coolant in the coolant channel and preventing icing in the channels. This achieves excellent control performance through extremely simple logic. This solves the problems in related technologies, such as the limited operating environment of liquid hydrogen cold energy utilization devices, the complexity and limited efficiency improvement of stand-alone liquid hydrogen cold energy recovery devices, the inability to achieve deep and compact integration with the vehicle's thermal management system, the difficulty in meeting the control requirements of the vehicle environment on space, weight, dynamic response and cost, and the difficulty in recovering and utilizing liquid hydrogen cold energy in vehicles, resulting in cold energy waste.

[0160] Figure 8 A schematic diagram of the structure of a vehicle provided in an embodiment of this application. The vehicle may include: The memory 801, the processor 802, and the computer program stored on the memory 801 and capable of running on the processor 802.

[0161] When the processor 802 executes the program, it implements the energy management method provided in the above embodiments.

[0162] Furthermore, the vehicle also includes: Communication interface 803 is used for communication between memory 801 and processor 802.

[0163] The memory 801 is used to store computer programs that can run on the processor 802.

[0164] The memory 801 may include high-speed RAM memory, and may also include non-volatile memory, such as at least one disk storage device.

[0165] If the memory 801, processor 802, and communication interface 803 are implemented independently, then the communication interface 803, memory 801, and processor 802 can be interconnected via a bus to complete communication between them. The bus can be an Industry Standard Architecture (ISA) bus, a Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) bus, or an Extended Industry Standard Architecture (EISA) bus, etc. Buses can be categorized into address buses, data buses, control buses, etc. For ease of representation, Figure 8 The bus is represented by a single thick line, but this does not mean that there is only one bus or one type of bus.

[0166] Optionally, in a specific implementation, if the memory 801, processor 802, and communication interface 803 are integrated on a single chip, then the memory 801, processor 802, and communication interface 803 can communicate with each other through an internal interface.

[0167] The processor 802 may be a central processing unit (CPU), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or one or more integrated circuits configured to implement the embodiments of this application.

[0168] This application also provides a computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program thereon, which, when executed by a processor, implements the energy management method described above.

[0169] This application also provides a computer program product, including a computer program that can run computer instructions. When the computer instructions are executed by a processor, they implement the energy management method provided in this application.

[0170] In the description of this specification, the references to terms such as "one embodiment," "some embodiments," "example," "specific example," or "some examples," etc., indicate that a specific feature, structure, material, or characteristic described in connection with that embodiment or example is included in at least one embodiment or example of this application. In this specification, the illustrative expressions of the above terms do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment or example. Furthermore, the specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics described may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments or examples. Moreover, without contradiction, those skilled in the art can combine and integrate the different embodiments or examples described in this specification, as well as the features of different embodiments or examples.

[0171] Furthermore, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of technical features indicated. Thus, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one of that feature. In the description of this application, "N" means at least two, such as two, three, etc., unless otherwise explicitly specified.

[0172] Any process or method described in the flowchart or otherwise herein can be understood as representing a module, segment, or portion of code comprising one or N executable instructions for implementing custom logic functions or processes, and the scope of the preferred embodiments of this application includes additional implementations in which functions may be performed not in the order shown or discussed, including substantially simultaneously or in reverse order depending on the functions involved, as should be understood by those skilled in the art to which embodiments of this application pertain.

[0173] The logic and / or steps represented in the flowchart or otherwise described herein, for example, can be considered as a sequenced list of executable instructions for implementing logical functions, and can be embodied in any computer-readable medium for use by, or in conjunction with, an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device (such as a computer-based system, a processor-included system, or other system that can fetch and execute instructions from, an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device). For the purposes of this specification, "computer-readable medium" can be any means that can contain, store, communicate, propagate, or transmit programs for use by, or in conjunction with, an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device. More specific examples (a non-exhaustive list) of computer-readable media include: an electrical connection having one or more wires (electronic device), a portable computer disk drive (magnetic device), random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), erasable and editable read-only memory (EPROM or flash memory), fiber optic devices, and portable optical disc read-only memory (CDROM). Alternatively, the computer-readable medium may be paper or other suitable media on which the program can be printed, since the program can be obtained electronically by optically scanning the paper or other medium, followed by editing, interpreting, or otherwise processing as necessary, and then stored in a computer memory.

[0174] It should be understood that the various parts of this application can be implemented using hardware, software, firmware, or a combination thereof. In the above embodiments, the N steps or methods can be implemented using software or firmware stored in memory and executed by a suitable instruction execution system. If implemented in hardware, as in another embodiment, it can be implemented using any one or more of the following techniques known in the art: discrete logic circuits having logic gates for implementing logical functions on data signals, application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs) having suitable combinational logic gates, programmable gate arrays (PGAs), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), etc.

[0175] Those skilled in the art will understand that all or part of the steps of the methods in the above embodiments can be implemented by a program instructing related hardware. The program can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium, and when executed, the program includes one or a combination of the steps of the method embodiments.

[0176] Furthermore, the functional units in the various embodiments of this application can be integrated into a processing module, or each unit can exist physically separately, or two or more units can be integrated into a module. The integrated module can be implemented in hardware or as a software functional module. If the integrated module is implemented as a software functional module and sold or used as an independent product, it can also be stored in a computer-readable storage medium.

[0177] The storage medium mentioned above can be a read-only memory, a disk, or an optical disk, etc. Although embodiments of this application have been shown and described above, it is understood that the above embodiments are exemplary and should not be construed as limiting this application. Those skilled in the art can make changes, modifications, substitutions, and variations to the above embodiments within the scope of this application.

Claims

1. An energy management system, characterized in that, include: A first supply unit for transferring liquid hydrogen to the vehicle and a second supply unit for transferring coolant after cooling the battery stack; as well as A power generation module is adapted to the first supply component and the second supply component respectively. The power generation module generates first electrical energy by utilizing the temperature difference between the liquid hydrogen in the vehicle and the coolant after cooling the battery stack. The management module is used to convert the first electrical energy into direct current that meets preset standard conditions, so as to use the direct current to power devices in the vehicle that meet the target power conditions, and to store the electrical energy in the direct current that does not power the devices that meet the target power conditions into the vehicle's power battery.

2. The energy management system according to claim 1, characterized in that, Also includes: The electronic system is used to receive hydrogen gas that meets preset temperature conditions generated by the power generation module using the temperature difference between the liquid hydrogen in the vehicle and the coolant after cooling the battery stack, and to generate second electrical energy using the hydrogen gas and oxygen that meet the preset temperature conditions, so as to use the second electrical energy to power the drive motor and / or power battery of the vehicle.

3. The energy management system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The power generation module includes a housing body, and liquid hydrogen flow channels and coolant flow channels disposed within the housing body, wherein, The first supply unit is connected to the liquid hydrogen channel to deliver liquid hydrogen through the liquid hydrogen channel; The second supply component is connected to both ends of the coolant flow channel to circulate and deliver the coolant through the coolant flow channel.

4. The energy management system according to claim 3, characterized in that, The second supply component includes: A coolant circulation pipeline, wherein the coolant circulation pipeline is connected to the coolant flow channel and the fuel cell stack; A coolant pump is provided in the coolant circulation pipeline for pumping the coolant. A front-end radiator is connected to the coolant circulation pipeline and located upstream of the fuel cell stack to replenish and cool the coolant.

5. The energy management system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The management module includes: A controller is used to dynamically adjust the input impedance so that the power generation module maintains maximum power output. A converter, wherein the converter is used to convert the first electrical energy into direct current that meets preset standard conditions.

6. An energy management method, characterized in that, The energy management system described in any one of claims 1-5 is used, wherein the method includes the following steps: Based on the temperature difference between the liquid hydrogen in the liquid hydrogen channel and the coolant from the fuel cell stack in the coolant channel, a first electrical energy and hydrogen gas that meets the preset temperature conditions are obtained, and a second electrical energy is obtained based on the hydrogen gas and oxygen gas. The first electrical energy and the second electrical energy are converted into direct current that meets preset standard conditions, so as to use the direct current to power the vehicle's drive motor, power battery and devices that meet the target power conditions.

7. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that, Also includes: Detect the real-time temperature at the outlet of the coolant flow channel; When the real-time temperature is less than or equal to a first preset safety threshold, the flow rate of the coolant is reduced to meet the first target flow rate; When the real-time temperature is greater than the first preset safety threshold and the temperature difference between the liquid hydrogen and the coolant is less than the preset temperature difference threshold, the flow rate of the coolant is increased to meet the second target flow rate. When the real-time temperature is greater than the second preset safety threshold and the power generation when generating the first electrical energy is lower than the target peak value, the flow rate of the coolant is adjusted until the power generation reaches the target peak value, wherein the second preset safety threshold is greater than the first preset safety threshold.

8. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that, Also includes: The target flow rate of hydrogen and its corresponding target hydrogen flow rate are calculated based on the actual power demand of the power battery. Adjust the actual flow rate of the liquid hydrogen according to the target hydrogen flow rate until the actual flow rate of the hydrogen reaches the target flow rate.

9. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that, Also includes: Detect the instantaneous voltage and instantaneous current during the first electrical energy generation process; Calculate the instantaneous power during the first energy generation process based on the instantaneous voltage and the instantaneous current; Based on the direction of increase of the instantaneous power, a target perturbation is applied to the generation process of the first electrical energy to control the instantaneous power to be at a target peak value.

10. An electronic device, characterized in that, include: A memory, a processor, and a computer program stored in the memory and executable on the processor, the processor executing the program to implement the energy management method as described in any one of claims 6-9.

Images