Fuel Cell Cooling Circuit Integration With Braking Resistor Heat Exchange
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Solution Overview
Problem
Large-sized electric vehicles with fuel cell systems face limitations in using components as energy consuming devices due to independently configured cooling circuits for fuel cell systems and braking resistors, leading to reduced efficiency in heating and cooling and a complex device layout.
Innovation Solution
An apparatus that includes a stack cooling line, a resistor cooling line, and a third heat exchanger for exchanging heat between the two, along with three-way valves and a heating line with a heater, to optimize thermal energy control and simplify the layout by sharing cooling capacity and improving heating performance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If cooling circuits for fuel cell system and braking resistor are configured independently, then each component can be cooled separately, but device layout becomes complicated and heating efficiency is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the fuel cell cooling circuit and braking resistor cooling circuit into a single integrated cooling system. The coolant flows through both the fuel cell stack and braking resistor in sequence, allowing both components to be cooled by the same cooling loop. This integration simplifies the overall device layout while maintaining separate cooling zones for each component, thereby reducing system complexity without compromising cooling reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The cooling circuit is designed with multi-functionality to serve both fuel cell cooling and braking resistor cooling purposes. The same coolant loop and heat exchanger system handle thermal management for both components, and the system can also provide heating functions by redirecting coolant flow. This universal cooling system eliminates the need for separate dedicated cooling circuits, simplifying the device layout while ensuring reliable thermal management for all components.
2Reliability
If cooling circuits for fuel cell system and braking resistor are configured independently, then each component has dedicated cooling, but heating efficiency is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent converts the thermal energy that would otherwise be wasted into useful heating energy. During braking, the braking resistor generates heat that needs to be dissipated, but instead of simply rejecting this heat to the environment, the system captures it through the heat exchanger and redirects it to the fuel cell stack. This converts what would be waste heat into beneficial thermal energy for maintaining fuel cell operating temperature, thereby improving heating efficiency while maintaining reliable cooling for both components.
Solution Approach 2:
The system recovers thermal energy from the braking resistor that would otherwise be discarded. The heat exchanger captures heat from the coolant passing through the braking resistor and transfers it to the fuel cell cooling circuit. This recovery mechanism allows the system to reuse thermal energy, improving overall heating efficiency while maintaining separate and reliable cooling paths for both the fuel cell and braking resistor through the integrated circuit design.
3Use of energy by moving object
If third heat exchanger exchanges heat between coolants, then heating and cooling efficiency is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The third heat exchanger merges the fuel cell cooling circuit and braking resistor cooling circuit into a single integrated thermal management system. By introducing this heat exchanger that allows heat transfer between the two coolant loops, the system achieves improved heating and cooling efficiency through heat recovery, while the integrated design itself simplifies the overall device layout by eliminating the need for completely separate cooling systems.
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 expands the usable range of the energy consuming device, enhances efficiency in heating and cooling, and simplifies the device layout, effectively addressing the limitations of independent cooling circuits and improving thermal energy management.
Implementation Method 1
a third heat exchanger configured to exchange heat between the first coolant of the stack cooling line and the second coolant of the resistor cooling line
Implementation Method 2
a first coolant heated by a fuel cell stack and cooled by a first heat exchanger
Implementation Method 3
a second coolant heated by a braking resistor and cooled by a second heat exchanger
Implementation Method 4
the heating line may include at least one heater for heating the second coolant to increase a temperature of the second coolant
Data Source
AI summary
an apparatus for controlling energy of a fuel cell vehicle, which may expand a usable range of an energy consuming device, may increase efficiency of heating and cooling, and may simplify a layout of the device. The apparatus includes a stack cooling line having a first coolant heated by a fuel cell stack and cooled by a first heat exchanger; a resistor cooling line having a second coolant heated by a braking resistor and cooled by a second heat exchanger; and a third heat exchanger configured to exchange heat between the first coolant of the stack cooling line and the second coolant of the resistor cooling line.