Fuel Cell Bus Voltage Limiting With a Parallel Voltage Adjuster
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Solution Overview
Problem
In fuel cell systems used as stationary auxiliary or regular power supplies, high output responsiveness is not always required, leading to a demand for a storage-battery-less configuration to reduce equipment cost and size, but this configuration results in uncertain voltage, potentially failing to supply appropriate power.
Innovation Solution
A power supply system with a voltage adjuster including a diode and a regenerative DC power supply, connected in parallel with fuel cell outputs, and a control device that controls the fuel cell outputs to stabilize voltage by limiting control and supplying power to auxiliary devices, ensuring stable voltage without a storage battery.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If a storage-battery-less configuration is adopted to reduce equipment cost and size, then equipment cost and size are reduced, but voltage stability becomes uncertain
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a voltage adjuster as an intermediary component between the fuel cell and the load. This voltage adjuster includes a regenerative DC power supply that actively regulates the voltage output, ensuring stable voltage delivery to the load even without a storage battery in the system.
Solution Approach 2:
The control device implements feedback control by continuously monitoring the voltage output from the fuel cell and adjusting the voltage adjuster accordingly. The control device performs limiting control through the voltage adjuster such that the voltage becomes a target value, and only starts power supply to the load when the voltage reaches the target value, ensuring voltage stability.
2Speed
If a storage battery is connected in parallel with fuel cells to achieve high responsiveness, then output responsiveness is improved, but equipment cost and size increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the voltage regulation function from the storage battery system and implements it through a dedicated voltage adjuster with regenerative DC power supply. This allows the system to achieve voltage control and responsiveness without requiring a storage battery, thereby reducing equipment size while maintaining performance.
3Stability of the object's composition
If limiting control is performed through the voltage adjuster to stabilize voltage, then voltage stability is improved, but power loss increases due to waste power required for voltage regulation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the operating parameters of the voltage adjuster by implementing regenerative DC power supply that can operate in both power supply and power reception modes. This allows the system to optimize the voltage regulation process and reduce waste power by recovering energy during voltage adjustment operations.
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
The system effectively stabilizes voltage and reduces equipment cost and size by constantly supplying power from fuel cells to auxiliary devices via the voltage adjuster, maintaining stable DC bus voltage within the input voltage range of the inverter.
Implementation Method 1
a voltage adjuster including a diode and a regenerative DC power supply
Implementation Method 2
the voltage adjuster including a diode and a regenerative DC power supply
Implementation Method 3
one or more fuel cell outputs, each including a fuel cell and a voltage converter
Data Source
AI summary
A power supply system includes one or more fuel cell outputs, each including a fuel cell and a voltage converter that converts an output voltage of the fuel cell, a voltage adjuster connected in parallel with the one or more fuel cell outputs to a load, the voltage adjuster including a diode and a regenerative DC power supply, and a control device that controls the one or more fuel cell outputs and the voltage adjuster, wherein the control device performs, after activating the fuel cell, limiting control through the voltage adjuster such that the voltage of each of the one or more fuel cell outputs becomes a target value and starts power supply from the one or more fuel cell outputs to the load when the voltage of each of the one or more fuel cell outputs reaches the target value.