Fuel cell system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2017162886-A1
Application number	US-201415327131-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jul 24, 2014
Priority date	Jul 24, 2014
Publication date	Jun 8, 2017
Grant date	—

Abstract

A control device for fuel cell includes, comprising a compressor configured to supply cathode gas to a fuel cell, a driving device including at least two compressor driving sources including a drive motor and a driving body using a power source other than the drive motor, the driving device configured to drive the compressor by the driving sources; and a control unit. The control unit configured to control a state of the power source on the basis of an operating state of the fuel cell, and the control unit selects the driving source to be used out of the compressor driving sources on the basis of the state of the power source.

First claim

1 .- 12 . (canceled)

13 . A fuel cell system including a fuel cell configured to generate power by having a working fluid supplied to an anode and a cathode of the fuel cell, the fuel cell system comprising:
a compressor configured to supply cathode gas to the fuel cell; a driving device configured to drive the compressor; and a control unit configured to control the driving device on the basis of an operating state of the fuel cell, wherein the driving device comprises at least two driving sources including a drive motor and a turbine to be driven by the working fluid, and wherein the control unit calculates a target output torque of the compressor on the basis of the operating state of the fuel cell, calculates an outputtable torque of the turbine on the basis of a pressure or a flow rate of the working fluid, and selects either one or both of the drive motor and the turbine as the driving source(s) on the basis of the target output torque of the compressor and the outputtable torque of the turbine.

14 . The fuel cell system according to claim 13 ,
wherein the driving device includes a clutch in a power transmission path and a drive force of the driving body is transmitted to the compressor in the power transmission path, and wherein the control unit controls the clutch and controls the drive motor on the basis of a state of the working fluid.

15 . The fuel cell system according to claim 13 ,
wherein the driving device includes a clutch in a power transmission path and a drive force of the turbine is transmitted to the compressor in the power transmission, and wherein the control unit controls the drive motor on the basis of the operating state of the fuel cell and controls the clutch on the basis of a state of the working fluid so as to compensate for a drive force of the drive motor by the drive force of the turbine.

16 . The fuel cell system according to claim 13 ,
wherein an anode gas to be supplied to the fuel cell is used as the working fluid.

17 . The fuel cell system according to claim 14 ,
wherein an anode gas to be supplied to the fuel cell is used as the working fluid, and wherein the control unit releases the clutch and drives the compressor only by the drive motor when an operating state where the anode gas is not supplied to the fuel cell is set by a request of the fuel cell.

18 . The fuel cell system according to claim 14 ,
wherein an anode gas to be supplied to the fuel cell is used as the working fluid, and wherein the control unit releases the clutch and drives the compressor only by the drive motor in an initial stage during starting the fuel cell or in a late stage during stopping the fuel cell.

19 . The fuel cell system according to claim 14 ,
wherein an anode gas to be supplied to the fuel cell is used as the working fluid, and wherein the control unit intermittently supplies the cathode gas to the fuel cell by engaging and releasing the clutch when an operating state where the cathode gas is intermittently supplied while the anode gas is supplied to the fuel cell is set.

20 . The fuel cell system according to claim 13 ,
wherein a refrigerant circulating in a piping for air conditioning is used as the working fluid.

21 . The fuel cell system according to claim 20 ,
wherein the control unit coordinately controls a pressure or flow rate of the refrigerant on the basis of a request of the fuel cell and an air conditioning request.

22 . The fuel cell system according to claim 13 ,
wherein a compressed air supplied from a pressure accumulating tank is used as the working fluid, and the pressure accumulating tank is configured to accumulate an excess cathode gas discharged from the compressor.

23 . The fuel cell system according to claim 22 ,
wherein an on-off valve is provided in an introduction passage for introducing the excess cathode gas discharged from the compressor to the pressure accumulating tank, and wherein the control unit opens the on-off valve when the compressor is discharging the excess cathode gas unnecessary for power generation of the fuel cell.

24 . The fuel cell system according to claim 23 , further comprising:
a bypass passage configured to discharge a part of the cathode gas discharged from the compressor by bypassing the fuel cell; and a bypass valve provided in the bypass passage and configured to adjust a flow rate of the cathode gas flowing in the bypass passage, wherein the control unit prohibits opening of the on-off valve when the compressor is discharging the excess cathode gas unnecessary for power generation so as to reduce a hydrogen concentration in discharged gas discharged from the fuel cell system.

Assignees

• Nissan Motor

Inventors

• Kaneko Youhei

Classifications

• H01M8/04992

  characterised by the implementation of mathematical or computational algorithms, e.g. feedback control loops, fuzzy logic, neural networks or artificial intelligence · CPC title

• H01M8/04111 Primary

  using a compressor turbine assembly · CPC title

• Y02E60/50

  Fuel cells · CPC title

• H01M8/04425

  at auxiliary devices, e.g. reformers, compressors, burners · CPC title

• H01M8/04395

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