Power generation control device and power generation control method for fuel cell

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9246182-B2
Application number	US-200913127148-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 28, 2009
Priority date	Nov 4, 2008
Publication date	Jan 26, 2016
Grant date	Jan 26, 2016

Abstract

A power generation control device 3 for a fuel cell 1 of the present invention comprises: a target generated power calculating unit 31 configured to calculate target generated power of the fuel cell 1 , based on a load condition of an electrical load device connected to the fuel cell 1 ; a target generated current calculating unit 34 configured to calculate a target generated current to be taken out of the fuel cell 1 , based on the target generated power; a current change rate limit value calculating unit 35 configured to calculate a limit value for a rate of change in the target generated current, based on an operating condition parameter correlated with an operating temperature of the fuel cell 1 ; and a current limiting unit 37 configured to limit the target generated current so that the rate of change in the target generated current does not exceed the limit value calculated by the current change rate limit value calculating unit 35.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A fuel cell system comprising:
a fuel cell;
a DC/DC converter being disposed between the fuel cell and an electrical load device and configured to control taking a power out of the fuel cell;
a current sensor being disposed between the fuel cell and the electrical load device and configured to detect a generated current of the fuel cell; and
a power generation control device configured to control the DC/DC converter;
wherein the power generation control device comprises:
a target generated power calculating unit configured to calculate a target generated power of the fuel cell, based on a load condition of the electrical load device connected to the fuel cell;
a target generated current calculating unit configured to calculate a target generated current to be taken out of the fuel cell, based on the target generated power;
a current change rate limit value calculating unit configured to calculate a limit value for a rate of upward change in the target generated current, based on a detection value of a temperature correlated with an operating temperature of the fuel cell; and
a current limiting unit configured to limit the DC/DC converter based on the target generated current and the generated current detected by the current sensor so that the rate of change in the target generated current does not exceed the limit value calculated by the current change rate limit value calculating unit,
wherein the limit value for the rate of upward change in the target generated current calculated by the current change rate limit value calculating unit rises in accordance with an increase in the detection value of the temperature correlated with the operating temperature of the fuel cell.

2. The fuel cell system according to claim 1 , the power generation control device further comprising:
an actual generated power calculating unit configured to calculate an actual generated power of the fuel cell, based on a detection value of a generated current and a detection value of a generated voltage of the fuel cell, wherein
the target generated current calculating unit is configured to calculate the target generated current, based on an output from the current limiting unit and on a deviation between the target generated power and the actual generated power, so that the actual generated power conforms to the target generated power.

3. The fuel cell system according to claim 2 , wherein
the target generated current calculating unit includes:
a target generated power increase margin calculating unit configured to calculate a target generated power increase margin of the actual generated power based on the deviation between the target generated power and the actual generated power, the target generated power increase margin being employed for a predetermined time period; and
a transient response model increase margin calculating unit configured to calculate a transient response model increase margin after the predetermined time, based on the output from the current limiting unit and on a transient response model of generated power, and
the target generated current calculating unit is configured to calculate the target generated current so that the target generated power increase margin conforms to the transient response model increase margin.

4. The fuel cell system according to claim 1 , the power generation control device further comprising:
a power fluctuation suppressing unit configured to cause an output from the current limiting unit to pass through a low-pass filter configured to reduce a peak gain to a predetermined value, the peak gain possessed by the fuel cell in a high-frequency range.

5. The fuel cell system according to claim 2 , wherein
the load condition of the electrical load device is a detection value of a load parameter correlated with a load, and
the current change rate limit value calculating unit is configured to calculate a limit value for a rate of downward change in the target generated current so that the target generated power and the actual generated power are prevented from differing by an amount equal to or above a predetermined value due to a fluctuation component possessed by the target generated power calculated based on the detection value of the load parameter.

6. The fuel cell system according to claim 2 , the power generation control device further comprising:
a target generated voltage calculating unit configured to calculate a target generated voltage of the fuel cell based on the target generated current so that the generated voltage of the fuel cell does not fall below a predetermined lower limit value; and
a current upper limit value calculating unit configured to calculate an upper limit value for the target generated current, based on a value obtained by dividing a value selected from the actual generated power before a predeteiniined time by the predetermined lower limit value of the generated voltage, wherein
the current limiting unit is configured to limit the target generated current so that a maximum value of the target generated current does not exceed the upper limit value calculated by the current upper limit value calculating unit.

7. The fuel cell system according to claim 1 , wherein
a state of power generation of the fuel cell at a start-up is judged based on the detecting value of a temperature correlated with the operating temperature of the fuel cell and limitation of the target generated current is carried out by the current limiting unit when a judgment is made that the state of power generation has possibly been reduced.

8. A power generation control method for a fuel cell system having
a fuel cell;
a DC/DC converter being disposed between the fuel cell and an electrical load device and configured to control taking a power out of the fuel cell;
a current sensor being disposed between the fuel cell and the electrical load device and configured to detect a generated current of the fuel cell; and
a power generation control device configured to control the DC/DC converter;
wherein the power generation control device comprises:
a target generated power calculating unit configured to calculate a target generated power of the fuel cell, based on a load condition of the electrical load device connected to the fuel cell;
a target generated current calculating unit configured to calculate a target generated current to be taken out of the fuel cell, based on the target generated power;
a current change rate limit value calculating unit configured to calculate a limit value for a rate of upward change in the target generated current, based on a detection value of a temperature correlated with an operating temperature of the fuel cell; and
a current limiting unit configured to limit the DC/DC converter based on the target generated current and the generated current detected by the current sensor so that the rate of change in the target generated current does not exceed the limit value calculated by the current change rate limit value calculating unit,
the method comprising:
the limit value for the rate of upward change in the target generated current sing in accordance with an increase in the detection value of the temperature correlated with the operating temperature of the fuel cell; and
performing a limitation to generate power in such a way that a target generated current value to be determined for a predetermined required load at a low-temperature start-up is smaller than a target generated current value to be determined for the required load at a warm-up.

9. The fuel cell system according to claim 1 , wherein:
the current limiting unit is configured to perform limitation to generate power in such a way that a target generated current

Assignees

• Matsumoto Michihiko
• Suzuki Keisuke
• Nissan Motor

Inventors

• Matsumoto Michihiko
• Suzuki Keisuke

Classifications

• H01M8/04388

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

• H01M8/0491

  of fuel cell stacks · CPC title

• H01M8/04619 Primary

  of fuel cell stacks · CPC title

• H01M8/0432

  Temperature; Ambient temperature · CPC title

• H01M8/04302

  applied during start-up · CPC title