Fuel Cell Shutdown Current Control via Accessory Prioritization
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Solution Overview
Problem
Fuel cell systems in mobility face performance and durability deterioration due to residual currents flowing after shutdown, which can cause overcurrent issues and damage, particularly when high-voltage power converters fail.
Innovation Solution
A control unit manages residual currents by selecting and prioritizing accessory consumption based on temperature conditions and consumable power levels to prevent overcurrent, ensuring accessories like heating and cooling devices are operated efficiently to consume residual currents.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the high-voltage power converter is shut down to protect high-voltage components during an error frame, then component safety is improved, but remaining current cannot flow into the battery causing voltage terminal level increase and cumulative damage to the fuel cell system
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces accessories as intermediary devices to consume the remaining current that cannot flow into the battery during power converter shutdown. These accessories act as a mediator between the fuel cell and the battery, providing an alternative current consumption path that prevents voltage terminal level increase and cumulative damage to the fuel cell system.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts the current consumption function from the power converter system by enabling accessories to independently consume remaining current. This separation allows the power converter to focus on its primary function of protecting high-voltage components while accessories handle the current consumption task, resolving the contradiction between component safety and preventing voltage terminal level increase.
2Productivity
If accessories are operated to consume remaining current, then fuel cell current management is improved, but accessory pre-operation may cause side effects and abnormal operation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-selecting and prioritizing accessories based on temperature conditions and consumable power levels before they are activated to consume remaining current. This preliminary assessment ensures that only suitable accessories are operated, preventing abnormal operation and side effects while maintaining efficient current consumption.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the operational parameters of accessories based on temperature conditions and consumable power levels. By adjusting which accessories operate and in what priority order based on these parameters, the system optimizes current consumption efficiency while preventing accessory pre-operation side effects and maintaining operation stability.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If manual hardware methods are used to drive fuel cell or balance of plants to solve remaining current issues, then current consumption is achieved, but automation and ease of operation are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements self-service by enabling the fuel cell system to automatically manage and consume its own remaining current through accessories controlled by the control unit. This eliminates the need for manual hardware intervention to drive the fuel cell or balance of plants, achieving both effective current consumption and ease of operation through automation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses feedback mechanisms where the control unit monitors temperature conditions, consumable power levels, and accessory operation states to dynamically adjust current consumption strategies. This feedback loop enables automatic current consumption while preventing accessory pre-operation side effects, resolving the contradiction between current management effectiveness and operational ease.
Data Source
AI summary
The present disclosure provides a fuel cell system of a mobility and a method for controlling a fuel cell including a control unit configured to control a remaining current of a fuel cell to be consumed by a plurality of accessories, to select an accessory that is a target to consume the remaining current among the plurality of accessories depending upon a temperature condition and a level of a consumable power of the accessory, and to set a priority of the selected accessories.