Hydrogen concentration control device and method for fuel cell system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9450258-B2
Application number	US-201213484786-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 31, 2012
Priority date	Nov 30, 2011
Publication date	Sep 20, 2016
Grant date	Sep 20, 2016

Abstract

Disclosed is a device and method for controlling hydrogen concentration of a fuel cell system to maintain the concentration of hydrogen of an anode at a proper level in accordance with the concentration supplied to a fuel cell. More specifically, a hydrogen concentration measuring sensor is directly provided in a hydrogen storage device, the hydrogen concentration and the impurity concentration in an anode channel of the fuel cell system are estimated based on a measured hydrogen concentration, and when it is determined that the hydrogen concentration in the anode channel falls under a reference value at which the fuel cell system can be stably operated, purge control for discharging the gases (hydrogen and impurities) in the anode channel to the outside is performed, so that the hydrogen concentration in the anode channel of the fuel cell system can be maintained equal to or higher than the reference value.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A hydrogen concentration control device for a fuel cell system having a hydrogen supply system for supplying hydrogen to an anode of a fuel cell, the device comprising:
a hydrogen concentration measuring sensor directly disposed in a hydrogen tank of the hydrogen supply system or in a hydrogen supply tube connected between the hydrogen tank and the anode to measure a hydrogen concentration in the hydrogen tank; and
a controller configured to estimate the hydrogen concentration in the anode channel based on the hydrogen concentration in the hydrogen tank measured by the hydrogen concentration measuring sensor and a crossover quantity of impurities, and perform purge control of gases in the anode channel by opening a hydrogen purge valve when the controller determines that the estimated hydrogen concentration in the anode channel has fallen below a reference value,
wherein the crossover quantity of the impurities comprises quantities of oxygen and nitrogen that are transmitted to the anode from the cathode.

2. A hydrogen concentration control device for a fuel cell system having a hydrogen supply system for supplying hydrogen to an anode of a fuel cell, the device comprising:
a controller configured to estimate a hydrogen concentration in the anode channel, and perform purge control of gases in the anode channel by opening a hydrogen purge valve when the controller determines that the estimated hydrogen concentration has fallen below a reference value; and
a wired or wireless communication device configured to transmit information regarding concentration and charged quantity of hydrogen from a hydrogen station;
wherein the controller estimates a hydrogen concentration in the hydrogen tank based on the information regarding the concentration and charged quantity of hydrogen obtained from the wired or wireless communication device, and then estimates the hydrogen concentration in the anode channel based on the hydrogen concentration in the hydrogen tank and a crossover quantity of impurities,
wherein the crossover quantity of the impurities comprises quantities of oxygen and nitrogen that are transmitted to the anode from the cathode.

3. A hydrogen concentration control method for a fuel cell system, the method comprising:
measuring, by a sensor, hydrogen concentration in a hydrogen tank;
estimating, by a controller, change in hydrogen concentration in the anode channel and impurity concentration therein on the basis of the measured hydrogen concentration in the hydrogen tank and a crossover quantity of impurities; and
determining, by the controller, whether the estimated hydrogen concentration in the anode channel has fallen below a predetermined reference value;
in response to determining that the hydrogen concentration in the anode channel has fallen below a predetermined reference value, performing hydrogen purge by opening a valve for a predetermined length of time so that hydrogen and impurities are discharged to the outside,
wherein the crossover quantity of the impurities comprises quantities of oxygen and nitrogen that are transmitted to the anode from the cathode.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein estimating the change in hydrogen concentration in the anode channel and impurity concentration further comprises calculating the impurity concentration (C im ) according to the impurity concentration (α) using an equation defined by

C
im

=

m

im
·
an

+

α
⁢

⁢
A
⁢

∫

ⅈ
⁢

ⅆ
t

+

∫

m
.

im
·
co

⁢

ⅆ
t

m

H
2

·
an

+

m

im
·
an

wherein the equation is obtained by setting an entirety of the anode channel as a single control volume.

5. The method of claim 3 , wherein the hydrogen purge is performed until the impurity concentration in the anode channel is reduced below the lower limit of reference value (ε), and when the impurity concentration in the anode channel is reduced below a lower limit of reference value, the hydrogen purge valve is closed to stop the hydrogen purge.

6. The method of claim 3 , wherein when the impurity concentration in the hydrogen tank is higher than a reference value for impurities, hydrogen purge cycles are increased in proportion to the impurity concentration in the hydrogen tank.

7. A hydrogen concentration control device, the device comprising:
a sensor directly disposed in a hydrogen storage device of a hybrid vehicle and configured to measure the concentration of hydrogen in a hydrogen storage device; and
a controller configured to estimate a hydrogen concentration in an anode channel of a fuel cell based on the hydrogen concentration in the hydrogen storage device measured by the sensor and a crossover quantity of impurities, and perform purge control of gases in the anode channel by opening a valve when the controller estimates that the hydrogen concentration in the anode channel has fallen below a reference value,
wherein the crossover quantity of the impurities comprises quantities of oxygen and nitrogen that are transmitted to the anode from the cathode.

8. The hydrogen concentration control device of claim 1 , wherein the hydrogen concentration control device is installed in a vehicle.

9. A hydrogen concentration control method for a fuel cell system, comprising:
transmitting, by a wired or wireless communication device, information regarding concentration and charged quantity of hydrogen from a hydrogen station
estimating, by a controller, a hydrogen concentration in the hydrogen tank based on the information regarding the concentration and charged quantity of hydrogen obtained from the wired or wireless communication device;
estimating, by a controller, change in hydrogen concentration in the anode channel and impurity concentration therein on the basis of the estimated hydrogen concentration in the hydrogen tank and a crossover quantity of impurities

Assignees

• Lee Dong Hun
• Choi Seo Ho
• Hyundai Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Lee Dong Hun
• Choi Seo Ho

Classifications

• H01M2008/1095

  Fuel cells with polymeric electrolytes · CPC title

• H01M8/04447 Primary

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

• Y02T90/32

  Cross-Sectional Technologies · mapped topic

• Y02E60/50

  Fuel cells · CPC title

• H01M2250/20

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