Fuel Cell Cooling System Thermal Coupling Battery Heat Sink
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Cooling fuel cell vehicles under extreme environmental conditions is challenging due to low exhaust gas enthalpy flow in low-temperature polymer electrolyte fuel cells, leading to thermodynamic conversion losses that burden the cooling system, especially at high ambient temperatures.
Innovation Solution
A cooling system that enables thermal energy exchange between the fuel cell cooling circuit and the battery cooling circuit, allowing thermal energy to be coupled from the fuel cell circuit into the battery circuit to relieve the load on the fuel cell cooling system, utilizing a valve or heat exchanger for controlled heat transfer, and exploiting the battery's large thermal mass to maintain optimal operating temperatures.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If cooling air flow is increased to improve cooling capacity, then cooling performance improves, but air flow is limited by vehicle body shape and packaging constraints
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the fuel cell cooling circuit and battery cooling circuit into a unified thermal management system, allowing heat exchange between the two circuits. This combination enables the system to utilize the battery's thermal mass as a heat sink, effectively increasing the overall cooling capacity without requiring additional cooling air flow that would be constrained by vehicle packaging.
2Reliability
If cooling system load is increased to handle thermodynamic conversion losses, then fuel cell cooling is maintained, but cooling capacity becomes insufficient under extreme environmental conditions
Solution Approach 1:
The battery serves its dual function of electrical energy storage and thermal energy storage. By utilizing the battery's large thermal mass to absorb heat from the fuel cell cooling circuit, the system enables the battery to help cool the fuel cell during high-load operations, effectively making the battery contribute to its own thermal management and the fuel cell's cooling needs.
3Productivity
If motive power is throttled to reduce cooling load, then cooling capacity is preserved, but vehicle performance is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary cooling action by transferring heat to the battery's thermal mass before the fuel cell temperature becomes critical. This proactive heat management allows the fuel cell to operate at high power levels for extended periods without overheating, thereby maintaining motive power output without requiring throttling.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This solution effectively alleviates the cooling capacity deficit, preventing overheating and maintaining motive power by buffering heat, allowing the fuel cell system to operate efficiently even at high temperatures and improving battery performance at low temperatures.
Implementation Method 1
a heat exchanger for heat exchange between the fuel cell cooling circuit and the battery cooling circuit
Data Source
AI summary
A cooling system (1) for a fuel cell system (11), in particular for a vehicle, which comprises a fuel cell cooling circuit (10) for cooling the fuel cell system (11), and a battery cooling circuit (20) for cooling a battery (21), with an exchange of thermal energy between the fuel cell cooling circuit (10) and the battery cooling circuit (20).