Fuel Cell Control Device for Gentle Switch-Off Timing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Fuel cell systems in vehicles face challenges in gentle switching on and off procedures to avoid critical gas mixture concentrations and pollutant emissions, requiring efficient control to manage temperature and emissions during operation and standby modes.
Innovation Solution
A control device in the vehicle communicates foreseeable travel time data to manage switch-on and switch-off procedures, allowing for gradual transitions between load operations, ensuring resource-sparing and safe operations by switching the fuel cell system into standby mode, and enabling timely activation or deactivation based on travel endpoints.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Duration of action of stationary object
If a predetermined switch-off procedure is performed to switch off the fuel cell system gently, then the service life of the fuel cell system is extended, but the travel time is reduced due to the procedure duration
Solution Approach 1:
The control device receives foreseeable travel time data and activates the switch-off procedure in advance before the expected end of travel. This preliminary action allows the lengthy switch-off procedure (which extends service life) to be completed before the vehicle actually needs to be operational again, thus avoiding travel time loss while still achieving gentle switching off.
2Reliability
If a predetermined switch-on procedure is performed to run up the power of the fuel cell system gently, then the reliability of the fuel cell system is improved, but the travel time is reduced due to the procedure duration
Solution Approach 1:
The control device activates the switch-on procedure in advance based on foreseeable travel time data, allowing the system to complete the gentle power-up sequence before travel begins. This ensures reliability is improved through proper initialization while avoiding delays to actual travel time.
3Object-generated harmful factors
If the fuel cell system is operated in standby mode near the end of travel, then pollutant emissions are reduced, but the energy consumption increases due to extended operation
Solution Approach 1:
The control device brings the fuel cell system into standby mode in advance near the expected end of travel. This preliminary transition to standby reduces pollutant emissions by avoiding harsh shutdown conditions, while the extended standby operation's energy consumption is acceptable because it occurs near the end of travel when full power is no longer needed.
Data Source
AI summary
A process for operating a fuel cell system (2) arranged in a vehicle (1), in which process a foreseeable travel time duration and/or a foreseeable travel time end point are communicated to a control device (4) of the fuel cell system (2) at the beginning of a travel of the vehicle (1) or during the travel. The control device (4) operates the fuel cell system (2) such that a switch-off procedure for switching off the fuel cell system (2) is started so far ahead of the foreseeable end of the travel in time that the switch-off procedure will have been completed extensively simultaneously with the foreseeable end of the travel and the fuel cell system (2) is switched off.