System for controlling low-temperature starting of fuel cell vehicle and method for the same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10608265-B2
Application number	US-201514864421-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 24, 2015
Priority date	Nov 19, 2014
Publication date	Mar 31, 2020
Grant date	Mar 31, 2020

Abstract

A system for controlling low-temperature starting of a fuel cell vehicle includes a high-pressure hydrogen flow control valve controlling a flow of hydrogen supplied to a fuel cell stack. A fuel cell controller is configured to change and control an opening rate of the high-pressure hydrogen flow control valve when an internal temperature of the fuel cell stack is a reference value or less. When the opening rate of the high-pressure hydrogen flow control valve decreases, a pressure of the hydrogen passing through the high-pressure hydrogen flow control valve decreases to increase a temperature of the hydrogen which is supplied to the fuel stack.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system for controlling low-temperature starting of a fuel cell vehicle, the system comprising:
a high-pressure hydrogen flow control valve controlling a flow of hydrogen supplied to a fuel cell stack; and
a fuel cell controller configured to change and control an opening rate of the high-pressure hydrogen flow control valve when an internal temperature of the fuel cell stack is a reference value or less,
wherein, when the opening rate of the high-pressure hydrogen flow control valve decreases, a pressure of the hydrogen passing through the high-pressure hydrogen flow control valve decreases to increase a temperature of the hydrogen supplied to the fuel cell stack,
wherein the fuel cell controller determines a pressure difference value required between a front end and a rear end of the high-pressure hydrogen flow control valve in accordance with a temperature difference between the front end and the rear end of the high-pressure hydrogen flow control valve, and determines the opening rate of the high-pressure hydrogen flow control valve in accordance with the pressure difference value.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the fuel cell controller determines the opening rate of the high-pressure hydrogen flow control valve in proportion to an amount of hydrogen required by the fuel cell stack when the internal temperature of the fuel cell stack is the reference value or less during high-output driving of the fuel cell stack.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the fuel cell controller actuates a heater for heating air supplied to the fuel cell stack when the internal temperature of the stack is the reference value or less.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the high-pressure hydrogen flow control valve is disposed between a hydrogen tank and the fuel cell stack.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the opening rate of the high-pressure hydrogen flow control valve decreases according to a signal of the fuel cell controller, and
wherein a depressurization degree of the high-pressure hydrogen passing through the hydrogen passage is changed according to the opening rate of the hydrogen passage to increase the temperature of the hydrogen.

6. A system for controlling low-temperature starting of a fuel cell vehicle, the system comprising:
a high-pressure hydrogen flow control valve controlling a flow of hydrogen supplied to a fuel cell stack; and
a fuel cell controller configured to determine an opening rate of the high-pressure hydrogen flow control valve in proportion to an amount of hydrogen required by the fuel cell stack when an internal temperature of the fuel cell stack is a reference value or less during high-output driving of the fuel cell stack,
wherein a pressure of the hydrogen passing through the high-pressure hydrogen flow control valve decreases in accordance with the opening rate of the high-pressure hydrogen flow control valve to increase a temperature of the hydrogen supplied to the fuel cell stack,
wherein the fuel cell controller is further configured to:
determine a pressure difference value required between a front end and a rear end of the high-pressure hydrogen flow control valve in accordance with a temperature difference between the front end and the rear end of the high-pressure hydrogen flow control valve, and
determine the opening rate of the high-pressure hydrogen flow control valve in accordance with the pressure difference value.

7. The system of claim 6 , wherein the fuel cell controller further determines the opening rate when the temperature of the hydrogen supplied to the stack is the reference value or less during high-output driving of the fuel cell stack.

8. A method for controlling low-temperature starting of a fuel cell vehicle, the method comprising steps of:
determining, by a fuel cell controller, whether an internal temperature of a fuel cell stack measured using a temperature sensor is a reference value or less;
controlling and changing, by the fuel cell controller, an opening rate of a high-pressure hydrogen flow control valve when the internal temperature is the reference value or less;
determining, by the fuel cell controller, a pressure difference value required between a front end and a rear end of the high-pressure hydrogen flow control valve in accordance with a temperature difference between the front end and the rear end of the high-pressure hydrogen flow control valve; and
determining, by the fuel cell controller, the opening rate of the high-pressure hydrogen flow control valve in accordance with the pressure difference value.

9. The method of claim 8 , further comprising:
actuating a heater when the internal temperature is more than the reference value.

Assignees

• Hyundai Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Shim Ji Hyun
• Kim Chang Ho
• Kim Sang Hyun

Classifications

• H01M8/04753

  of fuel cell reactants · CPC title

• H01M8/04268 Primary

  Heating of fuel cells during the start-up of the fuel cells · CPC title

• H01M8/04253

  Means for solving freezing problems · CPC title

• H01M2250/20

  Fuel cells in motive systems, e.g. vehicle, ship, plane · CPC title

• H01M8/04302

  applied during start-up · CPC title