Fuel cell engine cooling system and tractor

Abstract

This application provides a fuel cell engine cooling system and a tractor. The cooling system includes a fuel cell cooling circuit, a sensor assembly, a thermal management controller, and multiple heat dissipation modules. The fuel cell cooling circuit includes a water pump. Each heat dissipation module includes a corresponding radiator and a fan. The outlet of the fuel cell cooling circuit is connected to multiple branch pipes via a branch valve, and each branch pipe is connected to the inlet of a corresponding radiator. The outlets of all radiators are connected to the inlet of the fuel cell cooling circuit via a manifold. The sensor assembly includes an outlet sensor, an inlet sensor, and multiple branch sensors. The outlet sensor is located at the outlet of the fuel cell cooling circuit, the inlet sensor is located in the manifold, and each branch sensor is located at the outlet of a corresponding radiator. The thermal management controller is electrically connected to the water pump, the branch valve, the inlet sensor, the outlet sensor, all branch sensors, and the fan.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of fuel cell engine cooling technology, and more specifically, to a fuel cell engine cooling system and a tractor. Background Technology

[0002] In the field of new energy commercial vehicles, fuel cell tractors have become a core direction for promoting the "dual-carbon" goal of transportation due to their advantages such as zero emissions and long range. As the industry's demand for power and range increases, the power of fuel cell stacks has exceeded 240kW, and some high-end models are moving towards the 300kW level.

[0003] When a fuel cell stack generates electricity, over 95% of the heat needs to be released through the cooling system. If heat dissipation is not timely, the operating temperature of the fuel cell stack will exceed the optimal range of 70-85℃, leading to power degradation, shortened lifespan, or even irreversible failures. Therefore, an efficient and stable thermal management system is a key bottleneck for the deployment of high-power fuel cell tractors. Existing commercial vehicles generally adopt a "centralized front-end cooling" solution, where a single radiator is placed at the front of the vehicle frame. However, once the power of the fuel cell stack exceeds 240kW, the cooling capacity of a single radiator is insufficient, and the coolant cooling effect is inadequate. This results in a high inlet temperature of the fuel cell engine, triggering power reduction protection and affecting the overall vehicle performance.

[0004] To address this issue, the industry has explored a "dual radiator parallel" architecture, adding an extra radiator to the chassis and using a three-way pipe to distribute the coolant. However, this passive parallel approach has significant drawbacks: uncontrollable flow distribution: flow depends on passive distribution via pipe resistance and cannot be adjusted according to the actual load of the radiators, resulting in some radiators not performing at their full potential; large inlet temperature fluctuations: the large temperature difference between the outlets of the two radiators leads to temperature fluctuations exceeding the ±2℃ stability requirement of the fuel cell engine after merging, accelerating fuel cell stack aging and causing energy waste; insufficient heat dissipation redundancy: under extreme conditions, when the heat exchange efficiency of a single radiator decreases, the system cannot adjust and compensate, easily triggering the high-temperature protection of the fuel cell stack. These significant defects in existing technologies have become key bottlenecks restricting the performance improvement of thermal management systems for high-power fuel cell tractors. They not only fail to meet the heat dissipation requirements of vehicles under complex operating conditions but also severely limit the long-term stable operation of the fuel cell stack and the optimization of overall vehicle energy consumption. Utility Model Content

[0005] In view of this, this application provides a fuel cell engine cooling system and a tractor vehicle, which aims to improve the problems of large temperature fluctuations at the engine inlet, poor adaptability of heat dissipation efficiency, and insufficient system reliability in the prior art.

[0006] In a first aspect, this application provides a fuel cell engine cooling system, including a fuel cell cooling circuit, sensor components, a thermal management controller, and multiple heat dissipation modules;

[0007] The fuel cell cooling circuit is equipped with a water pump, which is used to drive the coolant to circulate in the fuel cell cooling circuit.

[0008] Each of the heat dissipation modules includes a corresponding radiator and a fan. The outlet end of the fuel cell cooling circuit is connected to multiple branch pipes through a branch valve, and each branch pipe is connected to the inlet end of one of the radiators. The outlet ends of all the radiators are connected to the inlet end of the fuel cell cooling circuit through a manifold.

[0009] The sensor assembly includes an outlet sensor, an inlet sensor, and multiple shunt sensors. The outlet sensor is located at the outlet end of the fuel cell cooling circuit, the inlet sensor is located in the manifold, and each shunt sensor is located at the outlet end of one of the radiators.

[0010] The thermal management controller is electrically connected to the water pump, the diversion valve, the inlet sensor, the outlet sensor, all the diversion sensors, and the fan.

[0011] Preferably, the fuel cell engine cooling system further includes an expansion tank, which is located at the highest point of the fuel cell engine cooling system and is connected to the fuel cell cooling circuit and the manifold.

[0012] Preferably, the number of heat dissipation modules is two.

[0013] Secondly, this application provides a tractor unit that includes the fuel cell engine cooling system provided in the first aspect of this application.

[0014] Compared with the prior art, the fuel cell engine cooling system and tractor provided in this application achieve at least the following beneficial effects:

[0015] The fuel cell engine cooling system and tractor provided in this application distribute the coolant flow in the main pipeline through a diversion valve, diverting it to various branch pipelines. Combined with the analysis of temperature detected by the diversion sensors by the thermal management controller, the coolant flow through different heat dissipation modules can be actively adjusted. This solves the problems of flow resistance dependence and uncontrollable distribution in traditional three-way passive parallel solutions, ensuring that the heat exchange capacity of each heat dissipation module is fully utilized and avoiding the idle performance of some heat dissipation modules due to flow deviations. Based on the temperature data from the outlet sensor, inlet sensor, and diversion sensor, the thermal management controller dynamically adjusts the opening of the diversion valve, fan speed, and water pump speed. It can ensure stable combined coolant temperature by balancing the temperature difference between each branch (controlled within a set value a), and control the inlet temperature fluctuation of the fuel cell engine within a reasonable range by adjusting the inlet and outlet temperature difference of the fuel cell engine (controlled within a set value b) and the coolant temperature at the fuel cell engine outlet (below a set value c). This avoids fuel cell stack aging and power decay caused by temperature fluctuations, improving the operational stability and lifespan of the fuel cell engine. By employing multiple parallel heat dissipation modules, combined with actively controlled diversion valves, adjustable-speed fans, and water pumps, the heat dissipation capacity can be dynamically matched according to the actual heat generation of the fuel cell stack (reflected by T0). Increasing the water pump speed can increase the coolant circulation volume, increasing the fan speed can increase the heat exchange of the radiator, and adjusting the diversion valve can optimize the load distribution among the heat dissipation modules. This ensures that the total heat dissipation power of the cooling system can meet the heat dissipation requirements of high-power fuel cell stacks of 240kW and above, avoiding the problem of insufficient heat dissipation in single-module or passive parallel solutions.

[0016] Of course, any product implementing this application need not specifically need to achieve all of the technical effects described above at the same time.

[0017] Other features and advantages of this application will become clear from the following detailed description of exemplary embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings. Attached Figure Description

[0018] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and form part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the present application and, together with their description, serve to explain the principles of the present application.

[0019] Figure 1 The diagram shown is of a fuel cell engine cooling system provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0020] Figure 2 The image shows a control method for a fuel cell engine cooling system provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0021] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures:

[0022] 100-Fuel cell engine, 210-First heat dissipation module, 220-Second heat dissipation module, 300-Diverter valve, 400-Expansion tank, 500-Water pump, 601-Main flow line, 602-Diverter flow line, 603-Combiner flow line. Detailed Implementation

[0023] Various exemplary embodiments of the present application will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be noted that, unless otherwise specifically stated, the relative arrangement, numerical expressions, and values ​​of the components and steps set forth in these embodiments do not limit the scope of the present application.

[0024] The following description of at least one exemplary embodiment is merely illustrative and is in no way intended to limit the scope of this application and its application or use.

[0025] Techniques, methods, and equipment known to those skilled in the art may not be discussed in detail, but where appropriate, such techniques, methods, and equipment should be considered part of the specification.

[0026] In all the examples shown and discussed herein, any specific values ​​should be interpreted as merely exemplary and not as limitations. Therefore, other examples of exemplary embodiments may have different values.

[0027] Various modifications and variations can be made to this application without departing from its spirit or scope, which will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Therefore, this application is intended to cover modifications and variations falling within the scope of the corresponding claims (the claimed technical solutions) and their equivalents. It should be noted that the embodiments provided in this application can be combined with each other without contradiction.

[0028] It should be noted that similar labels and letters in the following figures indicate similar items; therefore, once an item is defined in one figure, it does not need to be discussed further in subsequent figures.

[0029] Figure 1 The diagram shown is a structural schematic of the fuel cell engine cooling system provided in an embodiment of this application. Figure 2 The diagram shown is a schematic diagram of the control process of the fuel cell engine cooling system provided in the embodiment of this application.

[0030] Please refer to Figure 1 and Figure 2 This application provides a fuel cell engine cooling system, including a fuel cell cooling circuit, sensor components, a thermal management controller, and multiple heat dissipation modules.

[0031] The fuel cell cooling circuit is equipped with a water pump 500, which is used to drive the coolant to circulate in the fuel cell cooling circuit.

[0032] Each heat dissipation module includes a corresponding radiator and fan. The outlet end of the fuel cell cooling circuit is connected to the main flow pipe 601. The main flow pipe 601 is connected to multiple branch pipes 602 through the branch valve 300, and each branch pipe 602 is connected to the inlet end of a radiator. The outlet ends of all radiators are connected to the inlet end of the fuel cell cooling circuit through the manifold pipe 603.

[0033] The sensor assembly includes an outlet sensor, an inlet sensor, and multiple shunt sensors. The outlet sensor is located at the outlet end of the fuel cell cooling circuit, the inlet sensor is located at the manifold 603, and each shunt sensor is located at the outlet end of a radiator.

[0034] The thermal management controller is electrically connected to the water pump 500, the diversion valve 300, the inlet sensor, the outlet sensor, all diversion sensors, and the fan.

[0035] In one specific implementation, the number of heat dissipation modules is two. This configuration, as a basic solution, can adapt to the heat dissipation requirements of the fuel cell engine 100 under normal operating conditions, such as rated power output and operation in normal temperature environments. It can effectively control the temperature of the cooling medium, providing a stable thermal environment for the fuel cell stack and ensuring its core performance and service life. At the same time, considering the high-load conditions (such as high-temperature operation) or special application scenarios (such as heavy commercial vehicles) that the fuel cell engine 100 may face, the number of heat dissipation modules can be flexibly expanded. It can be increased to more than two (such as three or four) according to actual heat dissipation needs. Through the collaborative work of multiple modules, the heat dissipation power and response speed of the system can be further improved, ensuring that the engine can still maintain normal operating temperature under high load conditions.

[0036] It should be noted that the setting of "two heat dissipation modules" in this embodiment does not limit the upper limit of the number of heat dissipation modules. In actual applications, the specific number of heat dissipation modules needs to be comprehensively evaluated and adjusted in conjunction with the thermal management requirements of the target scenario (such as ambient temperature range, engine rated power, continuous operating time, etc.).

[0037] The following section will use the basic configuration of "two heat dissipation modules" as an example to detail the working process of the fuel cell engine cooling system, specifically including:

[0038] Step 1) System Start-up and Initial Cycle: After the fuel cell engine 100 starts, the thermal management controller triggers the water pump 500 to operate, providing power for the coolant circulation; the coolant flows out from the outlet of the fuel cell engine 100, enters each branch pipeline 602 through the main flow pipeline 601, and at this time the branch valve 300 is in the initial opening. After the coolant is initially distributed, it flows into the radiator of the corresponding heat dissipation module.

[0039] Step 2) Temperature data acquisition: The outlet sensor collects the coolant temperature (T0) at the outlet of the fuel cell engine 100 in real time and transmits it to the thermal management controller; each shunt sensor collects the coolant temperature at the outlet of the corresponding radiator (T1 and T2 respectively), and the inlet sensor collects the temperature after the coolant merges (T3). All temperature data are synchronously fed back to the thermal management controller.

[0040] Step 3) Branch flow adjustment (based on T1 and T2): The controller calculates the temperature difference between T1 and T2: If the temperature difference is ≤ set value a, it is determined that the flow distribution of each branch pipe 602 is reasonable, and the current opening of the branch valve 300 is maintained; if the temperature difference is > set value a (e.g., T1 = 70℃, T2 = 75℃, a = 2℃), the cause of the flow deviation is analyzed (e.g., T1 is low, T2 is high, indicating that the flow of the first heat dissipation module 210 branch is too large), and a command is sent to the branch valve 300 to reduce the opening of the branch valve 300 of the branch with excessive flow (e.g., reduce the opening of the branch of the first heat dissipation module 210 from 60%) and increase the opening of the branch valve 300 of the branch with insufficient flow (e.g., increase the opening of the branch of the second heat dissipation module 220 from 40%), until the temperature difference between T1 and T2 is ≤ a, and accurate flow distribution is achieved.

[0041] Step 4) Overall heat dissipation capacity adjustment (based on T0 and T3): The controller simultaneously calculates the temperature difference between T0 and T3 and determines whether T0 is less than the set value c: If T0-T3≤set value b and T0<c, it is determined that the heat generation of the fuel cell stack and the heat dissipation of the cooling system are balanced, and the current water pump speed of 500 and fan speed are maintained; if T0-T3>b or T0≥c (indicating insufficient heat dissipation capacity), the water pump speed of 500 is increased to increase the coolant circulation volume (more coolant enters the radiator for heat exchange per unit time), and the speed of the electric fans of the two heat dissipation modules is increased (increasing the airflow through the radiator core and increasing heat exchange); if T0-T3 is too small or T0 is much lower than c (indicating excessive heat dissipation), the water pump speed of 500 and fan speed are appropriately reduced to avoid energy waste.

[0042] Step 5) Dynamic Stability and Abnormal Adaptation: During system operation, the thermal management controller continuously collects temperature data and repeats steps 3 and 4, dynamically fine-tuning the opening of the diversion valve 300, the water pump 500, and the fan speed. If the vehicle is in a high-temperature environment or the fuel cell stack power is increased (T0 increases), the fan and water pump 500 speeds are further increased, while the opening of the diversion valve 300 is optimized to ensure a balanced load on the two modules. If a radiator's heat exchange efficiency decreases due to dust blockage (corresponding to an increase in T in the branch), the flow rate of that branch is increased through the diversion valve 300, and the fan speed is increased to compensate for its heat exchange capacity, thus maintaining a stable engine inlet temperature.

[0043] Step 6) System shutdown and auxiliary protection: After the fuel cell engine 100 shuts down, the thermal management controller delays the shutdown of the water pump 500 and the fan based on the temperature data to ensure that the residual heat of the fuel cell stack is fully dissipated.

[0044] In this embodiment, the coolant flow rate in the main pipeline is distributed by the diversion valve 300 to each branch pipeline. Combined with the analysis of the temperature detected by the diversion sensor by the thermal management controller, the coolant flow rate through different heat dissipation modules can be actively adjusted. This solves the problems of flow rate dependence on flow resistance and uncontrollable distribution in traditional three-way passive parallel schemes, ensuring that the heat exchange capacity of each heat dissipation module is fully utilized and avoiding the idle performance of some heat dissipation modules due to flow deviations. Based on the temperature data from the outlet sensor, inlet sensor, and diversion sensor, the thermal management controller dynamically adjusts the opening of the diversion valve 300, the fan speed, and the water pump speed 500. This not only ensures the stability of the combined coolant temperature by balancing the temperature difference between each branch (controlled within the set value a), but also controls the inlet temperature fluctuation of the fuel cell engine 100 within a reasonable range by adjusting the inlet and outlet temperature difference of the fuel cell engine 100 (controlled within the set value b) and the coolant temperature at the outlet of the fuel cell engine 100 (below the set value c). This avoids fuel cell stack aging and power decay caused by temperature fluctuations, improving the operational stability and lifespan of the fuel cell engine 100. By employing multiple parallel heat dissipation modules, combined with an actively controlled diversion valve 300, an adjustable fan, and a water pump 500, the heat dissipation capacity can be dynamically matched according to the actual heat generation of the fuel cell stack (reflected by T0). Increasing the speed of the water pump 500 can increase the coolant circulation volume, increasing the fan speed can increase the heat exchange of the radiator, and adjusting the diversion valve 300 can optimize the load distribution among the heat dissipation modules. This ensures that the total heat dissipation power of the cooling system can meet the heat dissipation requirements of high-power fuel cell stacks of 240kW and above, avoiding the problem of insufficient heat dissipation in single-module or passive parallel solutions.

[0045] In some embodiments, the fuel cell engine cooling system further includes an expansion tank 400, which is located at the highest point of the fuel cell engine cooling system. The expansion tank 400 is connected to the fuel cell cooling circuit and the manifold 603 to indirectly form coolant flow with all radiators through the fuel cell cooling circuit and the manifold 603.

[0046] In this embodiment, an expansion tank 400 is arranged at the highest point of the fuel cell engine cooling system. This can compensate for the volume change of the coolant due to thermal expansion and contraction, remove air from the system, and replenish the coolant. It can replenish water in the water circuit in a timely manner, avoid cavitation caused by insufficient coolant when the water pump 500 is working, and facilitate the removal of air from the water circuit to prevent air resistance from affecting the coolant circulation and heat exchange efficiency, thereby further improving the reliability of the cooling system operation.

[0047] Based on the same inventive concept, this application also provides a tractor unit. This tractor unit includes the fuel cell engine cooling system provided in any of the above embodiments. Because the tractor unit provided in this application is equipped with the aforementioned fuel cell engine cooling system, it possesses all the beneficial effects of that cooling system, and thus indirectly possesses the beneficial effects of the aforementioned tractor unit. For details regarding the specific benefits of the tractor unit, please refer to the detailed descriptions of the fuel cell engine cooling system in the above embodiments; these details will not be repeated here.

[0048] While specific embodiments of this application have been described in detail by way of examples, those skilled in the art should understand that the above examples are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of this application. Those skilled in the art should understand that modifications can be made to the above embodiments without departing from the scope and spirit of this application. The scope of this application is defined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A fuel cell engine cooling system, characterized in that, This includes a fuel cell cooling circuit, sensor components, a thermal management controller, and multiple heat dissipation modules; The fuel cell cooling circuit is equipped with a water pump, which is used to drive the coolant to circulate in the fuel cell cooling circuit. Each of the heat dissipation modules includes a corresponding radiator and a fan. The outlet end of the fuel cell cooling circuit is connected to multiple branch pipes through a branch valve, and each branch pipe is connected to the inlet end of one of the radiators. The outlet ends of all the radiators are connected to the inlet end of the fuel cell cooling circuit through a manifold. The sensor assembly includes an outlet sensor, an inlet sensor, and multiple shunt sensors. The outlet sensor is located at the outlet end of the fuel cell cooling circuit, the inlet sensor is located in the manifold, and each shunt sensor is located at the outlet end of one of the radiators. The thermal management controller is electrically connected to the water pump, the diversion valve, the inlet sensor, the outlet sensor, all the diversion sensors, and the fan.

2. The fuel cell engine cooling system as described in claim 1, characterized in that, It also includes an expansion tank, which is located at the highest point of the fuel cell engine cooling system and is connected to the fuel cell cooling circuit and the manifold.

3. The fuel cell engine cooling system as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The number of heat dissipation modules is two.

4. A tractor unit, characterized in that, Includes the fuel cell engine cooling system as described in claims 1 to 3.

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