Cold start heating loop of vehicle, fuel cell thermal management system and vehicle

Abstract

The utility model provides a cold start heating loop of a vehicle, a fuel cell thermal management system and the vehicle. The cold start heating loop comprises an electric pile, a water pump, a heater and a warm air core body, the output end of the electric pile communicates with the input end of the water pump, the output end of the water pump communicates with the input end of the heater, the output end of the heater communicates with the input end of the warm air core, and the output end of the warm air core communicates with the input end of the electric pile. The water pump is used for driving cooling liquid in the heater loop to flow; the cooling liquid is used for absorbing heat generated by the electric pile and transmitting the heat generated by the electric pile into the warm air core body through the cold start heating loop; the heater is used for heating the cooling liquid, and the heated cooling liquid is used for providing heat for the warm air core body; the warm air core body is used for supplying heat to a cab of the vehicle; the problems that in the prior art, a vehicle needs to be additionally provided with a heater, and heat of an electric pile is wasted are solved, and manufacturing cost is reduced.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to the field of fuel cells, and in particular to a cold start heating circuit for a vehicle, a fuel cell thermal management system, and a vehicle. Background Art

[0002] In existing technology, pure electric vehicles or fuel cell commercial vehicles typically install a PTC heater to heat the cabin in winter. This heater heats the antifreeze solution, which is then blown into the cab by a heating system to provide a comfortable temperature. However, PTC heating requires continuous power consumption, resulting in high energy consumption for the entire vehicle.

[0003] In addition, to solve the problem of low-temperature startup of the fuel cell itself, the fuel cell usually has its own PTC heater. When the fuel cell system is working normally, part of the heat generated is carried to the air through the radiator, resulting in waste. Utility Model Content

[0004] The technical problem to be solved by the present disclosure is to overcome the defects in the prior art of needing to install an additional heater and wasting heat generated by the fuel cell stack, and to provide a vehicle cold start heating circuit, a fuel cell thermal management system and a vehicle.

[0005] The present disclosure solves the above technical problems through the following technical solutions:

[0006] In a first aspect, a cold start heating circuit for a vehicle is provided, the cold start heating circuit comprising a fuel cell stack, a water pump, a heater, and a heater core;

[0007] The output end of the fuel cell stack is connected to the input end of the water pump, the output end of the water pump is connected to the input end of the heater, the output end of the heater is connected to the input end of the heater core, and the output end of the heater core is connected to the input end of the fuel cell stack;

[0008] The water pump is used to drive the flow of coolant in the heater circuit;

[0009] The coolant is used to absorb the heat generated by the battery stack and transfer the heat generated by the battery stack to the heater core through the cold start heating circuit;

[0010] The heater is used to heat the coolant, and the heated coolant is used to provide heat to the heater core;

[0011] The heater core is used to heat the vehicle's cockpit.

[0012] Optionally, the heater is a PTC heater.

[0013] Optionally, the cold start heating circuit further includes a controller, and the controller is electrically connected to the water pump, the heater, and the heater core respectively;

[0014] The controller is used to control the operating status of the water pump, the heater and the heater core;

[0015] The water pump is also used to adjust the flow rate of the coolant.

[0016] Optionally, the heater core includes a heat sink and a fan;

[0017] The heat sink is used to transfer heat in the coolant to the air, and the fan is used to blow air toward the heat sink and into the cockpit.

[0018] In a second aspect, a fuel cell thermal management system for a vehicle is provided, the fuel cell thermal management system comprising a heat dissipation circuit and a cold start heating circuit as described in the first aspect;

[0019] The heat dissipation circuit includes a radiator, the water pump and the fuel cell stack;

[0020] The output end of the water pump is also connected to the input end of the radiator, and the output end of the radiator is connected to the input end of the fuel cell stack; the radiator is used to reduce the temperature of the coolant.

[0021] Optionally, the fuel cell thermal management system further includes a power conversion module and a vehicle power supply module;

[0022] The power conversion module is used to convert the direct current generated by the battery stack into a target voltage, and the target voltage is used to power the water pump, the radiator and the heater;

[0023] The vehicle power supply module is used to supply power to the heater core.

[0024] Optionally, the fuel cell thermal management system further includes a hydrogen supply module and an oxygen supply module;

[0025] The hydrogen supply module is used to provide hydrogen to the fuel cell stack, and the oxygen supply module is used to provide oxygen to the fuel cell stack.

[0026] Optionally, the fuel cell thermal management system further includes a hydrogen circulation module;

[0027] The input end of the hydrogen circulation module is connected to the hydrogen output end of the fuel cell stack, and the output end of the hydrogen circulation module is connected to the hydrogen input end of the fuel cell stack; the hydrogen circulation module is used to re-transmit excess unreacted hydrogen in the fuel cell stack to the fuel cell stack.

[0028] Optionally, the fuel cell thermal management system further includes an air compressor, an intercooler and a humidifier;

[0029] The air compressor is used to compress the air;

[0030] The intercooler is used to cool the air compressed by the air compressor;

[0031] The humidifier is used to humidify the air that has been cooled by the intercooler;

[0032] The oxygen supply module is used to provide oxygen to the fuel cell stack through the air compressor, the intercooler and the humidifier.

[0033] In a third aspect, a vehicle is provided, comprising a cockpit and the fuel cell thermal management system according to the second aspect;

[0034] The heater core in the fuel cell thermal management system is in communication with the cockpit, and the heater core is used to heat the cockpit.

[0035] On the basis of conforming to the common sense in this field, the above-mentioned preferred conditions can be arbitrarily combined to obtain the preferred embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0036] The positive progressive effect of the present disclosure is that: in order to solve the problem in the prior art that the vehicle needs to install an additional heater and the heat waste of the battery stack, the present disclosure integrates the heater core into the vehicle's cold start heating circuit. The heater in the cold start heating circuit can heat the coolant when the temperature of the cockpit does not reach the required temperature. Therefore, by sharing a heater, the production cost is reduced; and the coolant in the cold start heating circuit will absorb the heat generated by the battery stack, and transfer the heat generated by the battery stack to the heater core through the cold start heating circuit, so that the heater core heats the cockpit through the cold start heating circuit; this process utilizes the waste heat generated by the battery stack to reduce the waste of heat generated by the battery stack in the vehicle, thereby reducing the hydrogen consumption of the entire vehicle. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0037] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of a fuel cell thermal management system for a vehicle provided by the prior art;

[0038] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of a water circuit of a vehicle heating system provided by the prior art;

[0039] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of a cold start heating circuit for a vehicle provided in Example 1 of the present disclosure;

[0040] Figure 4A schematic diagram of a fuel cell thermal management system for a vehicle provided in Example 2 of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0041] The present disclosure is further illustrated below by way of examples, but the present disclosure is not limited to the scope of the examples.

[0042] In the embodiments of the present disclosure, prefixes such as "first" and "second" are used only to distinguish different description objects, and have no limiting effect on the position, order, priority, quantity or content of the described objects. In the embodiments of the present disclosure, the use of prefixes such as ordinal numbers to distinguish description objects does not constitute a limitation on the described objects. For the statement of the described objects, please refer to the description in the context of the claims or embodiments, and no unnecessary limitations should be constituted due to the use of such prefixes. In addition, in the description of this embodiment, unless otherwise specified, the meaning of "plurality" is two or more.

[0043] In the prior art, the fuel cell thermal management system of a vehicle is usually as follows Figure 1 As shown, the fuel cell stack 11, water pump 12 and heater 13 constitute a cold start heating circuit, which is usually referred to as a small circuit in a fuel cell thermal management system; the fuel cell stack 11, water pump 12 and radiator 14 constitute a heat dissipation circuit, which is usually referred to as a large circuit in a fuel cell thermal management system. The heater is used to heat the coolant in the cold start heating circuit when the fuel cell stack is cold started in a low temperature environment. Usually, the fuel cell thermal management system also includes a thermostat ( Figure 1 (not shown), the thermostat is used to adjust the flow direction of the coolant according to the temperature of the coolant and control the switching of the large circulation and the small circulation.

[0044] In the prior art, the water circuit of the vehicle's heating system is as follows Figure 2 As shown, the heater core 15, heater water pump 16, and first heater 17 constitute the water circuit of the heater system. The heater water pump is used to drive the water circuit and adjust the flow rate of the liquid in the water circuit. The first heater is used to heat the liquid in the water circuit. The heater core is used to heat the vehicle's cockpit 18.

[0045] Therefore, in the prior art, the vehicle's cold start heating circuit and the vehicle's warm air system's water circuit are two different circulation circuits. The cold start heating circuit can only be used to preheat the fuel cell stack during a cold start in a low-temperature environment to improve the efficiency of the fuel cell system, and its function is relatively simple. Secondly, the heat generated by the normal operation of the fuel cell stack is only dissipated through the heat dissipation circuit and is not well utilized, resulting in heat waste. The warm air system's water circuit is equipped with an additional first heater and a warm air water circuit pump, which increases material costs. Furthermore, when the user has heating needs, the heating of the first heater requires continuous consumption of electricity, resulting in higher energy consumption for the entire vehicle.

[0046] Example 1

[0047] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of a cold start heating circuit for a vehicle provided in this embodiment. The cold start heating circuit includes a fuel cell stack 11 , a water pump 12 , a heater 13 and a heater core 15 .

[0048] The output end of the fuel cell stack 11 is connected to the input end of the water pump 12 , the output end of the water pump 12 is connected to the input end of the heater 13 , the output end of the heater 13 is connected to the input end of the heater core 15 , and the output end of the heater core 15 is connected to the input end of the fuel cell stack 11 .

[0049] The water pump is used to drive the flow of coolant in the heater circuit. The coolant is used to absorb the heat generated by the battery stack and transfer the heat generated by the battery stack to the heater core through the cold start heating circuit; the heater is used to heat the coolant, and the heated coolant is used to provide heat to the heater core; the heater core is used to heat the vehicle's cockpit 18.

[0050] In this embodiment, since the stack generates a large amount of heat during normal operation, the coolant flowing through the stack absorbs the heat generated by the stack. The coolant then transfers the heat generated by the stack to the heater core through the cold start heating circuit. The heater in this case is equivalent to a pipeline.

[0051] When the battery stack is not working or the heat generated by the battery stack is not enough to meet the heating needs of the heater core for heating the vehicle cockpit, the heater is used to heat the coolant. The heated coolant provides sufficient heat to the heater core to support the heater core in providing heating for the vehicle cockpit.

[0052] The present disclosure integrates a heater core into a cold start heating circuit of a vehicle. The heater in the cold start heating circuit can heat the coolant when the temperature of the cockpit does not reach the required temperature. Therefore, by sharing a heater, the cost is reduced. Moreover, the coolant in the cold start heating circuit absorbs the heat generated by the battery stack and transfers the heat generated by the battery stack to the heater core through the cold start heating circuit, thereby achieving heating of the cockpit by the heater core through the cold start heating circuit. This process utilizes the waste heat generated by the battery stack and reduces the waste of heat generated by the battery stack in the vehicle.

[0053] In an optional embodiment, the heater is a PTC (Positive Temperature Coefficient, positive temperature coefficient thermistor) heater.

[0054] In this embodiment, the PTC heater offers the advantages of high safety, high energy efficiency, and long life. It utilizes a PTC ceramic heating element and an aluminum tube. This heater offers low thermal resistance and high heat transfer efficiency, making it an automatic, energy-efficient, and constant-temperature electric heater.

[0055] In other embodiments, other types of heaters may also be selected, such as a phase change material heater, a high thermal conductivity composite material heater, etc.

[0056] The cold start heating circuit also includes a controller, which is electrically connected to the water pump, the heater and the heater core respectively; the controller is used to control the operating status of the water pump, the heater and the heater core; the water pump is also used to adjust the flow rate of the coolant.

[0057] In this embodiment, the cold start heating circuit has multiple states:

[0058] State 1, in response to the cockpit heating demand instruction, if the fuel cell stack is in normal working state at this time, the controller controls the operation of the heater core. After the coolant in the cold start heating circuit flows through the fuel cell stack, it absorbs the heat generated by the fuel cell stack and provides the heat generated by the fuel cell stack to the heater core through the cold start heating circuit, so that the heater core can heat the cockpit and avoid the waste of heat generated by the fuel cell stack. At this time, the heater is equivalent to a pipeline. In addition, the controller also controls the operation of the water pump to drive the circulation of the coolant in the cold start heating circuit; according to actual needs, the controller can also control the water pump to adjust the flow rate of the coolant.

[0059] State two: under the precondition of state one, if it is detected that the temperature in the cockpit has not reached the preset temperature set by the user, the controller controls the operation of the heater so that the coolant is heated by the heater and then flows into the heater core, thereby ensuring that the temperature of the cockpit reaches the preset temperature; it also allows the heater core to share a heater with the fuel cell stack, eliminating the need for an additional heater and reducing costs.

[0060] State three, when the fuel cell stack is not working, in response to the heating demand instruction of the cockpit, the controller controls the heater core and the heater to operate simultaneously, thereby realizing the heating demand of the cockpit.

[0061] State four is to realize the function of the cold start heating circuit itself in the prior art. The controller controls the operation of the heater, and the heater is used to heat the coolant in the cold start heating circuit when the fuel cell stack is cold started in a low-temperature environment, thereby realizing preheating of the fuel cell stack and improving the efficiency of the fuel cell system operation.

[0062] In addition, the technology for realizing temperature detection in the cockpit through circuits and related programs is already mature and is not within the scope of protection of the present utility model, so it will not be elaborated in detail.

[0063] In an optional embodiment, the heater core includes a heat sink and a fan; the heat sink is used to transfer heat in the coolant to the air, and the fan is used to blow air toward the heat sink and into the cockpit.

[0064] In this embodiment, the heater core utilizes the heat in the coolant to heat the cockpit. Specifically, the heat sink is usually made of aluminum or copper and has good thermal conductivity. The fan is used to blow air toward the heat sink to increase the air flow and improve the heat dissipation efficiency.

[0065] Example 2

[0066] Figure 4 A schematic diagram of a fuel cell thermal management system for a vehicle provided in this embodiment, wherein the fuel cell thermal management system includes a heat dissipation circuit and a cold start heating circuit as described in Example 1; the heat dissipation circuit includes a radiator 14, a water pump 12 and a fuel cell stack 11; the output end of the water pump 12 is also connected to the input end of the radiator 14, and the output end of the radiator 14 is connected to the input end of the fuel cell stack 11; the radiator is used to reduce the temperature of the coolant.

[0067] In this embodiment, the heat dissipation circuit is used to dissipate heat for the fuel cell stack when the fuel cell stack is working.

[0068] In an optional embodiment, the fuel cell thermal management system also includes a power conversion module and a vehicle power supply module; the power conversion module is used to convert the direct current generated by the fuel cell stack into a target voltage, and the target voltage is used to power the water pump, the radiator and the heater; the vehicle power supply module is used to power the heater core.

[0069] In another optional implementation, a vehicle power supply module may also be used to power the radiator.

[0070] In an optional embodiment, the fuel cell thermal management system further includes a hydrogen supply module and an oxygen supply module; the hydrogen supply module is used to provide hydrogen to the fuel cell stack, and the oxygen supply module is used to provide oxygen to the fuel cell stack.

[0071] In an optional embodiment, the fuel cell thermal management system also includes a hydrogen circulation module; the input end of the hydrogen circulation module is connected to the hydrogen output end of the fuel cell stack, and the output end of the hydrogen circulation module is connected to the hydrogen input end of the fuel cell stack; the hydrogen circulation module is used to re-transfer excess unreacted hydrogen in the fuel cell stack to the fuel cell stack.

[0072] In this embodiment, the hydrogen circulation module can improve hydrogen utilization and hydrogen safety, improve the humidity of the fuel cell's proton exchange membrane, and help streamline the fuel cell system structure. Because the hydrogen supply of the fuel cell system exceeds the theoretical hydrogen consumption, the hydrogen circulation module improves hydrogen utilization by circulating excess unreacted hydrogen, thereby increasing the reaction efficiency of the fuel cell system. In one specific example, the hydrogen circulation module can be a hydrogen circulation pump.

[0073] In an optional embodiment, the fuel cell thermal management system also includes an air compressor, an intercooler and a humidifier; the air compressor is used to compress the air; the intercooler is used to cool the air compressed by the air compressor; and the humidifier is used to humidify the air cooled by the intercooler.

[0074] The oxygen supply module is used to provide oxygen to the fuel cell stack through the air compressor, the intercooler and the humidifier.

[0075] In this embodiment, the DC power generated by the stack is converted to a target voltage by the power conversion module and is also used to power the air compressor. The air compressor is responsible for delivering a specific pressure and flow rate to the stack. To provide the necessary oxygen. After air is compressed by the air compressor, its pressure and temperature increase. The optimal operating temperature for the fuel cell stack is typically around 80°C. Without cooling, high-temperature air entering the stack can degrade performance and, in severe cases, damage the proton exchange membrane within the stack. Therefore, an intercooler is required to cool the air. A humidifier humidifies the cooled air, further improving fuel cell performance.

[0076] Example 3

[0077] The present disclosure provides a vehicle, comprising a cockpit and the fuel cell thermal management system described in Example 2; a heater core in the fuel cell thermal management system is connected to the cockpit, and the heater core is used to heat the cockpit.

[0078] In this embodiment, the heater core is integrated into the cold start heating circuit in the vehicle's fuel cell thermal management system. The heater in the cold start heating circuit can heat the coolant when the temperature of the cockpit does not reach the required temperature. Therefore, by sharing a heater, the production cost is reduced; and the coolant in the cold start heating circuit will absorb the heat generated by the battery stack, and transfer the heat generated by the battery stack to the heater core through the cold start heating circuit, thereby realizing the heating of the cockpit by the heater core through the cold start heating circuit; this process utilizes the waste heat generated by the battery stack and reduces the waste of heat generated by the battery stack in the vehicle.

[0079] While specific embodiments of the present disclosure have been described above, those skilled in the art will appreciate that these are merely illustrative and that the scope of protection of the present disclosure is defined by the appended claims. Those skilled in the art may make various changes or modifications to these embodiments without departing from the principles and essence of the present disclosure, and such changes and modifications are intended to fall within the scope of protection of the present disclosure.

Claims

1. A cold start heating circuit for a vehicle, characterized in that: The cold start heating circuit includes a fuel cell stack, a water pump, a heater and a heater core; The output end of the fuel cell stack is connected to the input end of the water pump, the output end of the water pump is connected to the input end of the heater, the output end of the heater is connected to the input end of the heater core, and the output end of the heater core is connected to the input end of the fuel cell stack; The water pump is used to drive the flow of coolant in the heater circuit; The coolant is used to absorb the heat generated by the battery stack and transfer the heat generated by the battery stack to the heater core through the cold start heating circuit; The heater is used to heat the coolant, and the heated coolant is used to provide heat to the heater core; The heater core is used to heat the vehicle's cockpit.

2. The cold start heating circuit according to claim 1, characterized in that: The heater is a PTC heater.

3. The cold start heating circuit according to claim 1, characterized in that: The cold start heating circuit further includes a controller, which is electrically connected to the water pump, the heater, and the heater core respectively; The controller is used to control the operating status of the water pump, the heater and the heater core; The water pump is also used to adjust the flow rate of the coolant.

4. The cold start heating circuit according to claim 1, characterized in that: The heater core includes a heat sink and a fan; The heat sink is used to transfer heat in the coolant to the air, and the fan is used to blow air toward the heat sink and into the cockpit.

5. A fuel cell thermal management system for a vehicle, characterized in that: The fuel cell thermal management system comprises a heat dissipation circuit and a cold start heating circuit according to any one of claims 1 to 4; The heat dissipation circuit includes a radiator, the water pump and the fuel cell stack; The output end of the water pump is also connected to the input end of the radiator, and the output end of the radiator is connected to the input end of the fuel cell stack; the radiator is used to reduce the temperature of the coolant.

6. The fuel cell thermal management system according to claim 5, wherein: The fuel cell thermal management system also includes a power conversion module and a vehicle power supply module; The power conversion module is used to convert the direct current generated by the battery stack into a target voltage, and the target voltage is used to power the water pump, the radiator and the heater; The vehicle power supply module is used to supply power to the heater core.

7. The fuel cell thermal management system according to claim 5, wherein: The fuel cell thermal management system further includes a hydrogen supply module and an oxygen supply module; The hydrogen supply module is used to provide hydrogen to the fuel cell stack, and the oxygen supply module is used to provide oxygen to the fuel cell stack.

8. The fuel cell thermal management system according to claim 7, wherein: The fuel cell thermal management system further includes a hydrogen circulation module; The input end of the hydrogen circulation module is connected to the hydrogen output end of the fuel cell stack, and the output end of the hydrogen circulation module is connected to the hydrogen input end of the fuel cell stack; The hydrogen circulation module is used to re-transmit excess unreacted hydrogen in the fuel cell stack to the fuel cell stack.

9. The fuel cell thermal management system according to claim 8, wherein: The fuel cell thermal management system also includes an air compressor, an intercooler and a humidifier; The air compressor is used to compress the air; The intercooler is used to cool the air compressed by the air compressor; The humidifier is used to humidify the air that has been cooled by the intercooler; The oxygen supply module is used to provide oxygen to the fuel cell stack through the air compressor, the intercooler and the humidifier.

10. A vehicle, characterized in that: The vehicle comprises a cockpit and a fuel cell thermal management system according to any one of claims 5 to 9; The heater core in the fuel cell thermal management system is in communication with the cockpit, and the heater core is used to heat the cockpit.

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