Apparatus and method for controlling hydrogen purging

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016164124-A1
Application number	US-201514695077-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Apr 24, 2015
Priority date	Dec 9, 2014
Publication date	Jun 9, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

An apparatus and method for controlling hydrogen purging are provided. The hydrogen purging control apparatus includes a purge valve that is disposed at an outlet on an anode side of a fuel cell stack and is configured to adjust an amount of emission of hydrogen containing impurities. Additionally, a controller is configured to adjust an opening and closing cycle of the purge valve based on a required output or an output current of the fuel cell stack.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . An apparatus for controlling hydrogen purging, comprising:
a purge valve disposed at an outlet on an anode side of a fuel cell stack and configured to adjust an amount of emission of hydrogen containing impurities; and a controller configured to adjust an opening and closing cycle of the purge valve based on a required output or an output current of the fuel cell stack.

2 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to, when a moving average of the required output or the output current of the fuel cell stack is greater than a preset reference value, decrease the opening and closing cycle of the purge valve.

3 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to, when a moving average of the required output or the output current of the fuel cell stack is less than or equal to a preset reference value, increase the opening and closing cycle of the purge valve.

4 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to classify driving states of a fuel cell vehicle into a plurality of driving levels, based on a magnitude of the required output or the output current of the fuel cell stack.

5 . The apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the controller is configured to vary the opening and closing cycle of the purge value to correspond to the plurality of classified driving levels.

6 . The apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the driving levels include a first level at which the magnitude of the required output or the output current of the fuel cell stack is less than or equal to a reference value preset for the required output or the output current, and a second level at which the magnitude of the required output or the output current of the fuel cell stack is greater than the preset reference value.

7 . The apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the controller is configured to operate the purge value to adjust the opening and closing cycle of the purge valve when the driving level is the second level to be less than when the driving level is the first level.

8 . The apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the controller is configured to increase an opening time of the purge valve in a transition period during which the driving level transitions from the first level to the second level while driving at the first level.

9 . A method for controlling hydrogen purging, comprising:
determining, by a controller a driving level based on a required output or an output current of a fuel cell stack; and varying, by the controller, an opening and closing cycle of a purge valve based on the determined driving level, wherein the purge valve is disposed at an outlet on an anode side of the fuel cell stack and is configured to adjust an amount of emission of hydrogen containing impurities.

10 . The method of claim 9 , wherein the determination of the driving level includes:
determining, by the controller, the driving level to be a first level or a second level based on whether a moving average of the required output or the output current of the fuel cell stack is greater than a preset reference value.

11 . The method of claim 9 , wherein the determination of the driving level includes:
classifying, by the controller, driving levels into a first level at which a magnitude of the required output or the output current of the fuel cell stack is less than or equal to a reference value preset for the required output or the output current, and a second level at which the magnitude of the required output or the output current of the fuel cell stack is greater than the preset reference value.

12 . The method of claim 10 , wherein the varying of the opening and closing cycle of the purge valve includes:
when the moving average of the required output or the output current of the fuel cell stack is greater than the preset reference value, decreasing, by the controller, the opening and closing cycle of the purge valve.

13 . The method of claim 11 , wherein the determination of the driving level further includes:
determining, by the controller, which one of the classified first and second levels a driving level for a preset period of time corresponds to.

14 . The method of claim 13 , wherein the varying of the opening and closing cycle of the purge valve includes:
varying, by the controller, the opening and closing cycle of the purge valve to adjust the opening and closing cycle of the purge valve when the driving level is the second level to be less than when the driving level is the first level.

15 . The method of claim 10 , further comprising:
performing, by the controller, driving by operating the purge valve to adjust the opening and closing cycle to correspond to the determined driving level.

16 . The method of claim 15 , further comprising:
when the driving level transitions from the first level to the second level while driving, increasing, by the controller, an opening time of the purge valve in a transition period during which the driving level makes the transition.

Assignees

• Hyundai Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Suh Kyung Won
• Kwon Sang Uk
• Lee Kyu Il

Classifications

• H01M8/04604

  Power, energy, capacity or load · CPC title

• B60L58/30

  for monitoring or controlling fuel cells · CPC title

• H01M8/04753

  of fuel cell reactants · CPC title

• H01M2250/20

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

• H01M8/04798

  of fuel cell reactants · CPC title