Multi-fuel cell thermal management system capable of realizing rapid filling

Abstract

The utility model relates to a multi-fuel cell thermal management system capable of realizing rapid filling, which comprises a plurality of sets of fuel cell thermal management systems, and each set of fuel cell thermal management system comprises a fuel cell stack, an intercooler, a heater, a three-way valve, a radiator, a circulating pump and a filter, the inlet end of the circulating pump is respectively connected with the outlet end of the fuel cell stack, the outlet end of the intercooler and the outlet end of the water tank, the outlet end of the circulating pump is connected with the first end of the three-way valve, the second end of the three-way valve is connected with the inlet end of the heater, and the third end of the three-way valve is connected with the inlet end of the radiator; the outlet end of the filter is connected with the inlet end of the fuel cell stack, one of the water tanks of the plurality of sets of fuel cell thermal management systems is a primary water tank for injecting water, the other water tanks are secondary water tanks, the primary water tank is connected with each secondary water tank through a connecting pipeline, a valve is arranged on the connecting pipeline, and the other water tank is connected with the filter. Therefore, the cooling liquid filling efficiency is greatly improved.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] This utility model relates to the field of fuel cells, and in particular to a multi-fuel cell thermal management system that enables rapid refueling. [Background Technology]

[0002] Due to the increasing demand for long-distance and heavy-load applications, the power requirements of fuel cell systems in the fields of ships, energy storage, and rail transportation have reached 400kW, 800kW, or even more than 1MW. Limited by the power of a single fuel cell system (<300kW), multiple fuel cell systems are usually operated in parallel, which has led to the problem of high system maintenance time and cost.

[0003] Taking the thermal management system as an example, when the normal operation of the fuel cell stack is affected by the excessive conductivity of the coolant, it is usually necessary to replace the coolant, that is, to drain the original coolant from the system and then add new coolant to the system. In a multi-fuel cell system, since each fuel cell system is equipped with a separate thermal management system, workers need to add coolant to each thermal management system through a water tank, which greatly reduces work efficiency and increases maintenance costs.

[0004] Therefore, improving the thermal management system of multi-fuel cell systems to enable rapid coolant replenishment will help reduce maintenance costs. [Utility Model Content]

[0005] To address the aforementioned problems, the purpose of this invention is to provide a multi-fuel cell thermal management system that enables rapid refueling.

[0006] To achieve the above objectives, the technical solution adopted by this utility model is as follows: a multi-fuel cell thermal management system capable of rapid refueling, comprising: several sets of fuel cell thermal management systems, each set of fuel cell thermal management system comprising: a fuel cell stack, an intercooler, a heater, a three-way valve, a radiator, a circulation pump, and a filter. The three-way valve includes a first end, a second end, and a third end. The inlet of the circulation pump is connected to the outlet of the fuel cell stack, the outlet of the intercooler, and the outlet of the water tank, respectively. The outlet of the circulation pump is connected to the first end of the three-way valve, the second end of the three-way valve is connected to the inlet of the heater, and the third end of the three-way valve... The heater's outlet is connected to the inlet of the radiator, and the outlet of the heater is connected to the inlet of the intercooler and the inlet of the filter. The outlet of the radiator is connected to the inlet of the intercooler and the inlet of the filter. The outlet of the filter is connected to the inlet of the fuel cell stack. The radiator exhaust port and the fuel cell stack exhaust port are connected to the inlet of the water tank. Among the water tanks of several sets of fuel cell thermal management systems, one water tank is a primary water tank for water filling, and the remaining water tanks are secondary water tanks. The primary water tank and each secondary water tank are connected by a connecting pipe, and the connecting pipe is equipped with a valve.

[0007] Preferably, the multi-fuel cell thermal management system of the present invention that enables rapid refueling is further configured such that the circulation pump is a high-pressure water pump.

[0008] Preferably, the multi-fuel cell thermal management system of the present invention that enables rapid refueling is further configured such that the valve is a manual valve or a solenoid valve.

[0009] Preferably, the multi-fuel cell thermal management system of the present invention that enables rapid refueling is further configured such that the heater is a high-pressure water heater.

[0010] Preferably, the multi-fuel cell thermal management system of the present invention that enables rapid refueling is further configured such that the connecting pipe is located at the bottom of the primary water tank and the secondary water tank.

[0011] Preferably, the multi-fuel cell thermal management system of the present invention that enables rapid refueling is further configured such that the radiator is a high-temperature radiator.

[0012] Preferably, the multi-fuel cell thermal management system of the present invention that enables rapid refueling is further configured such that the radiator exhaust port is located on the top of the radiator.

[0013] Compared with the prior art, the utility model has the following beneficial effects: Compared with the prior art where each fuel cell thermal management system in a multi-fuel cell thermal management system needs to be filled with coolant separately, after the structure of the utility model is improved, only one filling of the primary water tank is required to complete the simultaneous filling of the coolant for multiple fuel cell thermal management systems, greatly shortening the filling time and improving the working efficiency of maintenance and repair.

Description of the Drawings

[0014] Figure 1 It is a schematic structural diagram of the multi-fuel cell thermal management system in the utility model.

Specific Embodiments

[0015] The following further describes in detail a multi-fuel cell thermal management system capable of rapid filling according to the utility model through specific embodiments.

[0016] Refer Figure 1 As shown, a multi-fuel cell thermal management system capable of rapid filling includes: several sets of fuel cell thermal management systems. In this embodiment, the number of sets of the fuel cell thermal management systems is two. Of course, in other embodiments, the number of sets of the fuel cell thermal management systems can also be three, four, five or even more sets. Each set of fuel cell thermal management system includes: a fuel cell stack, an intercooler, a heater, a three-way valve, a radiator, a circulation pump and a filter. The function of the filter is to filter out impurities in the coolant. In this embodiment, the circulation pump is a high-pressure water pump, the heater is a high-pressure water heater, and the radiator is a high-temperature radiator. The three-way valve includes a first end, a second end and a third end. The inlet end of the circulation pump is respectively connected to the outlet end of the fuel cell stack, the outlet end of the intercooler and the outlet end of the water tank. The outlet end of the circulation pump is connected to the first end of the three-way valve. The second end of the three-way valve is connected to the inlet end of the heater. The third end of the three-way valve is connected to the inlet end of the radiator. The outlet end of the heater is respectively connected to the inlet end of the intercooler and the inlet end of the filter. The outlet end of the radiator is respectively connected to the inlet end of the intercooler and the inlet end of the filter. The outlet end of the filter is connected to the inlet end of the fuel cell stack. The radiator exhaust port of the radiator and the stack exhaust port of the fuel cell stack are respectively connected to the inlet end of the water tank. In this embodiment, the radiator exhaust port is arranged at the top of the radiator. During the coolant filling and exhaust process, the air in the radiator mixed with part of the coolant is discharged into the water tank through the radiator exhaust port, and the air in the fuel cell stack mixed with part of the coolant is discharged into the water tank through the stack exhaust port.

[0017] In the two fuel cell thermal management system tanks, one tank is a primary tank for water filling, and the other tank is a secondary tank. The primary tank and the secondary tank are connected by a connecting pipe, and a valve is provided on the connecting pipe. In this embodiment, the connecting pipe is located at the bottom of the primary tank and the secondary tank, and the valve is a manual valve or a solenoid valve.

[0018] The working principle of the multi-fuel cell thermal management system in this invention is as follows: During the fuel cell startup phase, the coolant temperature is low, the third end of the three-way valve is closed, and the first and second ends of the three-way valve are open, allowing the three-way valve to conduct the heater circuit. The coolant, after being heated, enters the fuel cell stack, causing the fuel cell stack to heat up rapidly. Once the fuel cell stack temperature reaches the target temperature, the three-way valve switches to the radiator circuit (i.e., the second end of the three-way valve is closed, and the first and third ends are open), dissipating heat from the system through the radiator, thereby controlling the coolant temperature within the target temperature range. The filling method of the multi-fuel cell thermal management system in this invention is as follows: When a single system needs independent coolant filling and venting, the valve remains closed, allowing for independent filling and venting of that system without affecting the normal operation of the other system. When both systems require coolant filling and venting, the valves are opened to maintain communication between the two system tanks. Coolant is then added to the primary tank, flowing through connecting pipes into the secondary tank. This allows for rapid filling of both fuel cell thermal management systems (i.e., filling the primary tank only once completes the cooling of both systems simultaneously). After filling, the valves are closed, maintaining independent operation of both systems. In this embodiment, because two fuel cell thermal management systems are used, only one connecting pipe and valve are required. However, with multiple systems, multiple valves would be needed; opening multiple valves simultaneously during rapid filling allows coolant from the primary tank to flow into all secondary tanks. During normal system operation, the valves are closed, isolating the coolant in each system and allowing each system to operate independently without interference.

[0019] In summary, compared to existing technologies where multiple fuel cell thermal management systems require separate coolant filling for each system, this invention, through structural improvements, allows for simultaneous coolant filling of multiple fuel cell thermal management systems with a single filling of the primary water tank. This significantly shortens the filling time, enables rapid filling, and improves maintenance efficiency.

[0020] The above embodiments are merely illustrative of the principles and effects of this utility model, as well as some of its applications, and are not intended to limit this utility model. It should be noted that those skilled in the art can make various modifications and improvements without departing from the inventive concept of this utility model, and these modifications and improvements all fall within the protection scope of this utility model.

Claims

1. A multi-fuel cell thermal management system capable of rapid refueling, comprising: A plurality of fuel cell thermal management systems are characterized in that: each fuel cell thermal management system includes: a fuel cell stack, an intercooler, a heater, a three-way valve, a radiator, a circulation pump, and a filter; the three-way valve includes a first end, a second end, and a third end; the inlet of the circulation pump is connected to the outlet of the fuel cell stack, the outlet of the intercooler, and the outlet of the water tank, respectively; the outlet of the circulation pump is connected to the first end of the three-way valve; the second end of the three-way valve is connected to the inlet of the heater; the third end of the three-way valve is connected to the inlet of the radiator; and the outlet of the heater... The radiator is connected to the inlet of the intercooler and the inlet of the filter, respectively. The outlet of the radiator is connected to the inlet of the intercooler and the inlet of the filter, respectively. The outlet of the filter is connected to the inlet of the fuel cell stack. The radiator exhaust port and the fuel cell stack exhaust port are connected to the inlet of the water tank, respectively. Among the water tanks of several sets of fuel cell thermal management systems, one water tank is a primary water tank for water filling, and the remaining water tanks are secondary water tanks. The primary water tank and each secondary water tank are connected by connecting pipes, and valves are provided on the connecting pipes.

2. The multi-fuel cell thermal management system capable of rapid refueling as described in claim 1, characterized in that: The circulating pump is a high-pressure water pump.

3. A multi-fuel cell thermal management system capable of rapid refueling as described in claim 1, characterized in that: The valve is either a manual valve or a solenoid valve.

4. A multi-fuel cell thermal management system capable of rapid refueling as described in claim 1, characterized in that: The heater is a high-pressure water heater.

5. A multi-fuel cell thermal management system capable of rapid refueling as described in claim 1, characterized in that: The connecting pipe is located at the bottom of the primary water tank and the secondary water tank.

6. A multi-fuel cell thermal management system capable of rapid refueling as described in claim 1, characterized in that: The radiator is a high-temperature radiator.

7. A multi-fuel cell thermal management system capable of rapid refueling as described in claim 1, characterized in that: The radiator exhaust port is located at the top of the radiator.

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