Evaporative cooling type fuel cell system and cooling control method for the same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10930944-B2
Application number	US-201916274783-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 13, 2019
Priority date	Mar 11, 2016
Publication date	Feb 23, 2021
Grant date	Feb 23, 2021

Abstract

An evaporative cooling type fuel cell system and a cooling control method for the same are provided. The fuel cell system includes a stack that generates electric power by reacting hydrogen as fuel with air as an oxidant. The method includes adjusting an operation pressure of the stack based on a current operation temperature of the stack and adjusting the amount of water supplied to the stack from a water reservoir based on the current operation temperature. The water is supplied to a cathode of the stack. Thus, a compact-simplified fuel cell system is provided, thereby reducing manufacturing costs and weight.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A fuel cell system comprising a stack to generate electric power by reacting hydrogen as fuel with air as an oxidant, comprising:
a first valve configured to exhaust air from the fuel cell system;
a second valve configured to adjust an amount of air supplied to a cathode of the stack;
a first compressor configured to adjust a pressure of air introduced into the second valve to supply air to the stack;
a second compressor configured to adjust a pressure of air exhausted from the stack;
a radiator configured to radiate heat of the exhausted air transferred from the second compressor to generate condensate to be supplied to the stack and air to be exhausted by the first valve; and
a water reservoir configured to store condensate to be supplied to the stack,
wherein the fuel cell system decreases an operation pressure of the stack and increases an amount of water supplied to the stack when a current operation temperature is equal to or higher than a predetermined upper operation temperature limit of the stack and a water level of the water reservoir is equal to or higher than a predetermined lower water level limit of the water reservoir.

2. The fuel cell system according to claim 1 , wherein at least one of the second valve and the first and second compressors is configured to adjust an operation pressure of the stack.

3. The fuel cell system according to 1 , wherein an amount of the condensate generated in the radiator is controlled by adjusting an operation pressure of the radiator.

4. The fuel cell system according to claim 3 , wherein the operation pressure of the radiator is adjusted by operating at least one of the second compressor and the first valve.

5. The fuel cell system according to claim 1 ,
wherein at least one from the group consisting of: an operation pressure of the stack, an operation pressure of the radiator, and an air stoichiometric ratio (SR) that corresponds to air amount supplied to the cathode is dynamically adjusted, to maintain the water level of the water reservoir in a range of a predetermined target water level.

6. The fuel cell system according to claim 5 , wherein an output power of the stack is limited when the water level of the water reservoir is equal to or less than the range of the predetermined target water level.

7. The fuel cell system according to claim 1 , wherein operation pressures of the stack and radiator are dynamically adjusted based on desired output power of the stack.

8. The fuel cell system according to claim 1 , wherein at least one selected from the group consisting of: air amount, an operation pressure of the stack, and an operation pressure of the radiator are dynamically adjusted, to minimize power consumed by the first and second compressors and to maximize output power of the stack.

Assignees

• Hyundai Motor Co Ltd
• Kia Motors Corp

Inventors

• Kwon Hyuck-Roul

Classifications

• H01M2250/20

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

• H01M8/04164

  by condensers, gas-liquid separators or filters · CPC title

• H01M8/04059 Primary

  Evaporative processes for the cooling of a fuel cell · CPC title

• H01M8/04134

  by coolants · CPC title

• H01M8/04067

  Heat exchange or temperature measuring elements, thermal insulation, e.g. heat pipes, heat pumps, fins · CPC title