Valve control apparatus and valve control method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016139614-A1
Application number	US-201514938427-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Nov 11, 2015
Priority date	Nov 13, 2014
Publication date	May 19, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

A valve control apparatus controls a valve for adjusting a pressure of a reaction gas supplied to a fuel cell. The valve control apparatus includes: an estimation portion that estimates a valve effective cross-sectional area of the valve; and an opening adjustment portion that adjusts opening degree of the valve with control amount corrected based on the valve effective cross-sectional area estimated by the estimation portion.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A valve control apparatus controlling a valve for adjusting a pressure of a reaction gas supplied to a fuel cell, the valve control apparatus comprising:
an estimation portion that estimates a valve effective cross-sectional area of the valve; and an opening adjustment portion that adjusts opening degree of the valve with control amount corrected based on the valve effective cross-sectional area estimated by the estimation portion.

2 . The valve control apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the estimation portion estimates the valve effective cross-sectional area when the fuel cell is operated under conditions in which flow amount of the reaction gas flowing through the valve is relatively low and a differential pressure between a primary-side flow path and a secondary-side flow path connected with the valve is relatively high.

3 . The valve control apparatus according to claim 1 , the valve control apparatus further comprising:
a storage portion for storing information based on the valve effective cross-sectional area estimated by the estimation portion; and a deletion adjustment portion that adjusts a differential pressure between a primary-side flow path and a secondary-side flow path connected to the valve to a value higher than in a normal operation when the information is deleted from the storage portion, wherein the estimation portion estimates the valve effective cross-sectional area in a state where the differential pressure is adjusted by the deletion adjustment portion.

4 . The valve control apparatus according to claim 1 , the valve control apparatus further comprising:
a flow amount acquisition portion that acquires information indicating flow amount of the reaction gas flowing through the valve; a temperature acquisition portion that acquires information indicating temperature of the reaction gas; a differential pressure acquisition portion that acquires information indicating a differential pressure between a primary-side flow path and a secondary-side flow path connected to the valve; and a pressure acquisition portion that acquires information indicating a pressure of the secondary-side flow path, wherein the estimation portion estimates the valve effective cross-sectional area based on the flow amount, the temperature, the differential pressure and the pressure.

5 . A valve control method of controlling a valve for adjusting a pressure of a reaction gas supplied to a fuel cell, the valve control method comprising:
estimating a valve effective cross-sectional area of the valve; and adjusting opening degree of the valve with control amount corrected based on the estimated valve effective cross-sectional area.

6 . The valve control method according to claim 5 , the valve control method further comprising estimating the valve effective cross-sectional area when the fuel cell is operated under conditions in which flow amount of the reaction gas flowing through the valve is relatively low and a differential pressure between a primary-side flow path and a secondary-side flow path connected with the valve is relatively high.

7 . The valve control method according to claim 5 , the valve control method further comprising:
storing information in a storage portion, the information being based on the estimated valve effective cross-sectional area; adjusting a differential pressure between a primary-side flow path and a secondary-side flow path connected to the valve to a value higher than in a normal operation when the information is deleted from the storage portion; and estimating the valve effective cross-sectional area in a state where the differential pressure is adjusted when the information is deleted from the storage portion.

8 . The valve control method according to claim 5 , the valve control method further comprising:
acquiring information indicating flow amount of the reaction gas flowing through the valve; acquiring information indicating temperature of the reaction gas; acquiring information indicating a differential pressure between a primary-side flow path and a secondary-side flow path connected to the valve; acquiring information indicating a pressure of the secondary-side flow path; and estimating the valve effective cross-sectional area based on the flow amount, the temperature, the differential pressure and the pressure.

Assignees

• Toyota Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Suzuki Hiroyuki
• Yamanaka Tomio
• Naganuma Yoshiaki
• Nada Mitsuhiro

Classifications

• G05D16/2013 Primary

  using throttling means as controlling means · CPC title

• F16K37/0075

  For recording or indicating the functioning of a valve in combination with test equipment · CPC title

• G05D16/028

  Controlling a pressure difference (control of flow G05D7/00) · CPC title

• H01M8/0438

  Pressure; Ambient pressure; Flow · CPC title

• F16K31/00

  Actuating devices;} Operating means; Releasing devices {(regulating means G05D) · CPC title