Fuel cell system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11569516-B2
Application number	US-202117538004-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 30, 2021
Priority date	Feb 3, 2021
Publication date	Jan 31, 2023
Grant date	Jan 31, 2023

Abstract

A fuel cell system includes a fuel cell stack, a fuel gas supply path, an injector, an ejector, a circulation path, an outlet port pressure detection unit, and a control device. The control device stops driving the injector when an ejector outlet port pressure is equal to or more than a required upper limit value with the injector driven, and drives the injector when the ejector outlet port pressure is equal to or less than a required lower limit value with the injector stopped. The control device reduces the required upper limit value stepwise and reduces the required lower limit value stepwise in a range defined by a first target upper limit value and a second target upper limit value when a required load is varied from a first required load to a second required load and a load reduction amount is more than a first predetermined load.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A fuel cell system comprising:
a fuel cell stack;
a fuel gas supply path configured such that a fuel gas is supplied to the fuel cell stack through the fuel gas supply path;
an injector provided in the fuel gas supply path;
an ejector provided in the fuel gas supply path and provided between the injector and the fuel cell stack;
a circulation path configured such that a fuel off gas discharged from the fuel cell stack is supplied to the ejector through the circulation path;
an outlet port pressure detection unit configured to detect an outlet port pressure that is a pressure at an outlet port of the ejector; and
a control device,
wherein the control device is configured to
specify a required upper limit value and a required lower limit value corresponding to the outlet port pressure based on a required load for the fuel cell system,
stop driving the injector when the outlet port pressure is equal to or more than the required upper limit value with the injector in a driven state, and
start driving the injector when the outlet port pressure is equal to or less than the required lower limit value with the injector in a stopped state, and
wherein the control device is configured to
change the required upper limit value from a first target upper limit value corresponding to a first required load to a second target upper limit value corresponding to a second required load that is lower than the first required load and change the required lower limit value from a first target lower limit value corresponding to the first required load to a second target lower limit value corresponding to the second required load when the required load is varied from the first required load to the second required load and a load reduction amount that is obtained by subtracting the second required load from the first required load is less than a first predetermined load, and
reduce the required upper limit value stepwise in a range defined by the first target upper limit value and the second target upper limit value and reduce the required lower limit value stepwise in a range defined by the first target lower limit value and the second target lower limit value when the required load is varied from the first required load to the second required load and the load reduction amount is more than the first predetermined load.

2. The fuel cell system according to claim 1 , wherein the control device is configured to reduce the required upper limit value and the required lower limit value in a range defined by a third target upper limit value corresponding to a third required load and a third target lower limit value corresponding to the third required load when the required load is the third required load, the required upper limit value is the third target upper limit value, the third required load is less than a second predetermined load, and the outlet port pressure is equal to or more than the third target upper limit value with the injector in the driven state.

Assignees

• Toyota Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Mizuno Nobukazu
• Hasegawa Shigeki
• Haga Miyu
• Tanaka Seiichi

Classifications

• H01M8/0438 Primary

  Pressure; Ambient pressure; Flow · CPC title

• H01M8/04761 Primary

  of fuel cell exhausts · CPC title

• H01M2250/20

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

• H01M8/04753

  of fuel cell reactants · CPC title

• H01M8/04201

  Reactant storage and supply, e.g. means for feeding, pipes · CPC title