Unitized regenerative fuel cell system for tunnel and method for controlling the same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12355124-B2
Application number	US-202217875695-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 28, 2022
Priority date	Aug 2, 2021
Publication date	Jul 8, 2025
Grant date	Jul 8, 2025

Abstract

Disclosed is a unitized regenerative fuel cell system, comprised of a unitized regenerative fuel cell able to operate in a fuel cell mode for electric power generation and in a water electrolysis mode for hydrogen and oxygen production, and a plurality of fire-detecting sensors for detecting fire in each zone of a tunnel, and configured to supply oxygen to zones wherein fire has not occurred if occurrence of fire has been detected in a tunnel, and a method for controlling the same.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A unitized regenerative fuel cell system for a tunnel, the unitized regenerative fuel cell system comprising:
a unitized regenerative fuel cell configured to operate in a fuel cell mode for electric power generation, and configured to operate in a water electrolysis mode for hydrogen and oxygen production;
an oxygen storage unit configured to store oxygen produced when the unitized regenerative fuel cell operates in the water electrolysis mode;
an oxygen feed line connected to the oxygen storage unit;
a plurality of oxygen feeders configured to supply, from the oxygen feed line, oxygen to a plurality of predetermined zones within the tunnel;
a plurality of feeder valves configured to cut off oxygen supply to the oxygen feeders; and;
a plurality of fire-detecting sensors configured to detect fire in each of the plurality of predetermined zones within the tunnel;
wherein the unitized regenerative fuel cell system is configured to, when a fire in the tunnel is detected by the plurality of fire-detecting sensors, open the plurality of feeder valves to supply oxygen to the plurality of predetermined zones within the tunnel where the fire has not occurred.

2. The unitized regenerative fuel cell system of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of oxygen feeders are each designated for the plurality of predetermined zones within the tunnel assigned to the plurality of fire-detecting sensors, and the plurality of feeder valves for each of the plurality of oxygen feeders designated for the plurality of predetermined zones within the tunnel in which a fire has been detected is closed so that oxygen is not fed thereto.

3. The unitized regenerative fuel cell system of claim 1 , where, when oxygen stored in the oxygen storage unit is at or below a preset reference level, the unitized regenerative fuel cell is operated in water electrolysis mode to produce oxygen.

4. The unitized regenerative fuel cell system of claim 1 , comprising:
a plurality of oxygen concentration sensors installed for the plurality of predetermined zones within the tunnel preassigned to the plurality of oxygen feeders to measure the oxygen concentration of each zone;
wherein the oxygen concentration sensors are controlled to measure the oxygen concentration of each zone; and
wherein when the measured oxygen concentration is equal to or less than a reference concentration, the unitized regenerative fuel cell system opens a feeder valve to supply oxygen into sections within the tunnel where a fire has not occurred.

5. The unitized regenerative fuel cell system of claim 1 , comprising:
a power supply for supplying electric power to the unitized regenerative fuel cell and electrically powered facilities within the tunnel; and,
a hydrogen storage unit for storing hydrogen produced by the unitized regenerative fuel cell;
wherein the unitized regenerative fuel cell is configured to operate in water electrolysis mode powered by electricity from the power supply; and
wherein when an anomaly of the power supply is detected, the unitized regenerative fuel cell receives hydrogen from the hydrogen storage unit to operate in fuel cell mode to provide emergency power to electrically powered facilities within the tunnel.

6. The unitized regenerative fuel cell system of claim 5 , wherein the unitized regenerative fuel cell system is configured to check, when an anomaly of the power supply is detected, whether or not the plurality of fire-detecting sensors have detected a fire, and when a fire has not been detected by the fire-detecting sensors, the unitized regenerative fuel cell system supplies the oxygen stored in the oxygen storage unit to the unitized regenerative fuel cell, and, when a fire has been detected by the fire-detecting sensors, the unitized regenerative fuel cell system supplies outside air to the unitized regenerative fuel cell.

7. The unitized regenerative fuel cell system of claim 5 , further comprising a water storage unit configured to store water to be supplied to the unitized regenerative fuel cell;
wherein the unitized regenerative fuel cell system is configured to check the amount of hydrogen stored in the hydrogen storage unit and the amount of water stored in the water storage unit when an anomaly of the power supply has not been detected; and
wherein when the amount of hydrogen stored is less than a maximum level and the amount of water stored exceeds a reference level, the unitized regenerative fuel cell system operates the unitized regenerative fuel cell in the water electrolysis mode to produce hydrogen and oxygen.

8. A method for controlling a unitized regenerative fuel cell system for a tunnel, the system comprising a unitized regenerative fuel cell configured to operate in a fuel cell mode for power generation and in a water electrolysis mode for hydrogen and oxygen production, a plurality of fire-detecting sensors configured to detect fire in zones of the tunnel, and, a plurality of oxygen feeders configured to supply oxygen to each of a plurality of predefined sections in the tunnel, configured to supply electric power generated in the fuel cell mode to electrically powered facilities in the tunnel, and able to store oxygen and hydrogen generated in the water electrolysis mode, the method comprising:
storing oxygen produced by the water electrolysis mode of the unitized regenerative fuel cell;
detecting a fire in a tunnel using the plurality of fire-detecting sensors; and
supplying stored oxygen to zones wherein a fire has not occurred by oxygen feeders when a fire has been detected in the tunnel.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the plurality of oxygen feeders are assigned to zones in the tunnel assigned to the plurality of fire-detecting sensors, and wherein, in supplying oxygen, oxygen is supplied into the tunnel through the plurality of oxygen feeders assigned to the tunnel zones other than the zone in which fire has been detected, and oxygen supply from the oxygen feeders assigned for the zone of the tunnel where fire has been detected is blocked.

10. The method of claim 8 , further comprising checking oxygen storage level in an oxygen storage unit prior to supplying oxygen when occurrence of a fire has been detected in detecting a fire, and wherein, when the oxygen stored in the oxygen storage unit is equal to or less than a preset reference level, the unitized regenerative fuel cell is operated in a water electrolysis mode to produce oxygen.

11. The method of claim 10 , further comprising, after checking oxygen storage level and prior to supplying oxygen, measuring oxygen concentration in the plurality of predetermined zones within the tunnel using a plurality of oxygen concentration sensors installed in the plurality of predetermined zones within the tunnel assigned beforehand to the plurality of oxygen feeders, and wherein, in supplying oxygen, oxygen is supplied to zones wherein the measured oxygen concentration is less than a reference concentration.

12. A method for controlling a unitized regenerative fuel cell system for tunnel, the system comprising a unitized regenerative fuel cell configured to operate in a fuel cell mode for power generation and in a water electrolysis mode for hydrogen and oxygen production, a plurality of fire-detecting sensors configured to detect fire in zones of a tunnel, a plurality of oxygen feeders configured to supply oxygen to each of a plurality of predefined sections in the tunnel, and a power supply for supplying electric power to the unitized regenerative fuel cell and electrically powered facilities in the tunnel, the method comprising:
detecting, by a sensor, whether there is an anomaly in a supply of electric power f

Assignees

• Hyundai Motor Co Ltd
• Kia Corp

Inventors

• Cho Min Kyung

Classifications

• H01M8/04455

  of cathode reactants at the inlet or inside the fuel cell · CPC title

• C25B1/04

  by electrolysis of water · CPC title

• H01M8/04291

  Arrangements for managing water in solid electrolyte fuel cell systems (H01M8/04119 takes precedence) · CPC title

• H01M8/04686

  of auxiliary devices, e.g. batteries, capacitors · CPC title

• H01M2250/10

  Fuel cells in stationary systems, e.g. emergency power source in plant · CPC title