Fuel Cell Stack Cooling Control for Balanced Pump Flow
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing fuel cell stack cooling systems face challenges in efficiently supplying refrigerant at suitable flow rates while managing control load, as conventional cooperative and individual pump speed control methods either compromise flow rate suitability or increase control complexity.
Innovation Solution
A method and device that calculates actual pump flow rates, common and individual pressure losses, and operates pumps using total pressure loss and required flow rates to individually set pump speeds, ensuring suitable refrigerant supply to each fuel cell stack while reducing control load.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If cooperative control with uniform rotational speed is used, then control load is reduced, but refrigerant flow rate suitability for each fuel cell stack deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the control system by dividing pressure loss calculations into common pressure loss (shared by all stacks) and individual pressure loss (specific to each stack). This segmentation allows uniform rotational speed control while maintaining individual flow rate suitability through separate pressure loss compensation for each stack.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies local quality by calculating individual pressure loss specific to each fuel cell stack's flow path characteristics. This enables tailored refrigerant flow rate control for each stack while maintaining overall system coordination through common pressure loss calculation, resolving the contradiction between uniform control and individual suitability.
2Manufacturing precision
If individual control with separately set rotational speeds is used, then refrigerant flow rate suitability for each fuel cell stack is improved, but control load increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the control approach by combining common pressure loss calculation (applied uniformly to all stacks) with individual pressure loss calculation (specific to each stack). This hybrid approach achieves individual flow rate suitability while reducing control complexity compared to fully independent control, as the common pressure loss component can be calculated once and applied system-wide.
3Device complexity
If uniform rotational speed is set for all pumps, then control complexity is reduced, but cooling accuracy for each fuel cell stack deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the control parameter from rotational speed alone to a combination of uniform rotational speed and calculated pressure loss values. By introducing pressure loss as an additional control parameter that accounts for individual flow path characteristics, the system maintains simplicity in rotational speed setting while achieving accurate cooling control through pressure loss-based flow rate adjustment.
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
Enhances refrigerant supply accuracy to fuel cell stacks with reduced control complexity by individually setting pump speeds based on calculated pressure losses and flow rates, maintaining cooling accuracy and efficiency.
Implementation Method 1
a pump for each of the fuel cell stacks to circulate the refrigerant between the fuel cell stack and the radiator
Implementation Method 2
a refrigerant passage through which a refrigerant flows
Implementation Method 3
the refrigerant passage being provided with a pump for each of the fuel cell stacks to circulate the refrigerant
Data Source
AI summary
A cooling control method includes (a) calculating an actual pump flow rate for each pump, (b) calculating a radiator flow rate using a sum of actual pump flow rates for each pump, (c) calculating a common pressure loss that is a pressure loss for a common flow path, of a refrigerant passage, that is common to fuel cell stacks using the radiator flow rate, (d) calculating an individual pressure loss that is a pressure loss for each individual flow path, of the refrigerant passage, corresponding to each of the fuel cell stacks, and (e) causing each pump to operate using a total pressure loss obtained by summing the common pressure loss and the individual pressure losses and a required pump flow rate for each pump.