Method for controlling an operating point change of a fuel cell stack and a fuel cell system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10122037-B2
Application number	US-201615090340-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 4, 2016
Priority date	Apr 24, 2015
Publication date	Nov 6, 2018
Grant date	Nov 6, 2018

Abstract

A method for controlling an operating point change of a fuel cell stack (10) operated with an anode operating medium and with a cathode operating medium, in which the fuel cell stack (10) is controlled in such a way that, starting from an initial electric power (L1), the fuel cell stack generates a target power (L2) requested by an electrical consumer (51), which is greater than the initial power (L1) is provided. It is provided that the electric power generated by the fuel cell stack (10) is controlled in accordance with a predetermined current-voltage profile (S1, S2, S3), so that a voltage present at the fuel cell stack (10), starting from an initial voltage (U1) corresponding to the initial power (L1), passes through a local voltage minimum (Umin) and then increases to an end voltage corresponding to the target power (L2).

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for controlling an operating point change of a fuel cell stack operated with an anode operating medium and with a cathode operating medium, the method comprising:
controlling the fuel cell stack in such a way that, starting from an electric initial power, the fuel cell stack generates a target power requested by an electrical consumer, the target power being greater than the initial power, the electric power generated by the fuel cell stack being controlled in accordance with a predetermined current-voltage profile, so that a voltage present at the fuel cell stack, starting from an initial voltage corresponding to the initial power, decreases to a local voltage minimum and then increases to an end voltage corresponding to the target power.

2. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein the local voltage minimum corresponds to a single cell voltage of no more than 0.7 volts.

3. The method as recited in claim 2 wherein the local voltage minimum corresponds to a single cell voltage of no more than 0.6 volts.

4. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein an electric power generated during the operating point change is directly consumed by an electrical consumer.

5. The method as recited in claim 4 wherein the electrical consumer is a traction motor.

6. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein the generated electric power is controlled by modifying a stoichiometry of the anode operating medium or of the cathode operating medium in accordance with the current-voltage profile.

7. The method as recited in claim 6 wherein the generated electric power is controlled by modifying the stoichiometry of the cathode operating medium in accordance with the current-voltage profile.

8. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein the generated electric power is controlled in accordance with the predetermined current-voltage profile passing through a current intensity or power higher than the target power, and further comprising storing a surplus power in an electric energy store.

9. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein the generated electric power is controlled in accordance with the predetermined current-voltage profile in such a way that initially the voltage decreases to a current intensity corresponding to the target power, after which the voltage increases at a constant current intensity until the voltage reaches a voltage corresponding to the target power.

10. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein the generated electric power is controlled in accordance with the predetermined current-voltage profile in such a way that initially the voltage is ramped down to the local voltage minimum, and then ramped up again, and the current intensity then increases until the current intensity reaches a current intensity corresponding to the target power.

11. The method as recited in claim 10 wherein the voltage is initially ramped down to 0 volts.

12. A fuel cell system comprising: a fuel cell stack, and a control unit configured to carry out executable steps to execute the method as recited in claim 1 .

13. A vehicle comprising: a fuel cell system as recited in claim 12 .

14. The method as recited in claim 9 wherein the voltage decrease to the current intensity corresponding to target power occurs by increasing the current without adapting the cathode operating medium.

15. The method as recited in claim 14 wherein a regeneration of catalytic material of a cathode occurs when the fuel cell stack is at the local voltage minimum.

16. The method as recited in claim 9 wherein the voltage increase occurring at the constant current intensity occurs by adapting a stoichiometry.

Assignees

• Volkswagen Ag

Inventors

• Kirchhoff Maren Ramona
• Kirsch Sebastian
• Zihrul Patrick
• Hartung Ingmar

Classifications

• Y02T90/32

  Cross-Sectional Technologies · mapped topic

• H01M2008/1095

  Fuel cells with polymeric electrolytes · CPC title

• H01M8/04149

  by diffusion, e.g. making use of membranes · CPC title

• H01M8/04111

  using a compressor turbine assembly · CPC title

• H01M8/0488

  of fuel cell stacks · CPC title