Fuel cell stack thermal management

• US 10,388,971 B2
• Filed: 03/09/2016
• Issued: 08/20/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 03/09/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Shaikh, Furqan Zafar, Katragadda, Sunil, Cole, W. Cary, Buckman, Colby Jason, Bonkoski, Phillip
• Primary Examiner(s): Jimenez, Anthony R
• Application Number:
  US15/065,333
• Publication Number:
  US 20170263954A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,259 Days
• Field of Search: 429 90
• CPC Class Codes: F28D 20/021 the latent heat storage material and the heat-exchanging means being enclosed in one container F28D20/023 - F28D20/028 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F28D 20/023 the latent heat storage material being enclosed in granular particles or dispersed in a porous, fibrous or cellular structure
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 2008/1095 Fuel cells with polymeric electrolytes
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 2250/20 Fuel cells in motive systems, e.g. vehicle, ship, plane
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/04029 Heat exchange using liquids
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/04052 Storage of heat in the fuel cell system
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/04074 Heat exchange unit structures specially adapted for fuel cell
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/04225 during start-up
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/04253 Means for solving freezing problems
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/04358 of the coolant
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/04701 Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/04768 of the coolant
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/04992 characterised by the implementation of mathematical or computational algorithms, e.g. feedback control loops, fuzzy logic, neural networks or artificial intelligence
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/14 Thermal energy storage
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/50 Fuel cells
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/40 Application of hydrogen technology to transportation, e.g. using fuel cells

Abstract

Fuel-cell thermal management systems and control schemes therefore are disclosed. In one embodiment, the system may include a fuel-cell stack, a heat-exchanger, a thermal battery including a material having a melting temperature of 50-120° C., a first coolant loop including the fuel-cell stack and the thermal battery and excluding the heat-exchanger, and a second coolant loop including the fuel-cell stack, the thermal battery, and the heat-exchanger. The first and second coolant loops may be configured to heat and cool the fuel-cell stack, respectively. The system may include a controller or processor configured to direct coolant to transfer heat from the thermal battery to the fuel-cell stack based on a negative heat rejection status of the fuel-cell stack and to transfer heat from the fuel-cell stack to the thermal battery based on a positive heat rejection status of the fuel-cell stack when the thermal battery is below a target temperature.

Claims

1. A fuel-cell thermal management system, comprising:

a fuel-cell stack;

a heat-exchanger;

a thermal battery including a phase change material having a melting temperature of 50- to 120°

C;

a first coolant loop including the fuel-cell stack, the thermal battery and a first conduit, and excluding the heat-exchanger; and

a second coolant loop including the fuel-cell stack, the thermal battery, the heat-exchanger, and a second conduit;

the first conduit configured to flow a coolant from the thermal battery to the fuel-cell stack to transfer heat from the phase change material of the thermal battery to the fuel-cell stack, and

the first conduit configured to flow coolant from the fuel-cell stack to the thermal battery to transfer heat from the fuel-cell stack to the phase change material of the thermal battery.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising a third coolant loop including the fuel-cell stack, the thermal battery, a heater core coupled to a climate control system, and a third conduit, the third conduit configured to transfer heat from the thermal battery to the heater core.

3. The system of claim 1, further comprising a first temperature sensor configured to measure an inlet temperature of the coolant entering the fuel-cell stack and a second temperature sensor configured to measure an outlet temperature of the coolant leaving the fuel-cell stack.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the first and second coolant loops include the first conduit.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the phase change material has a latent heat of fusion of at least 100 kJ/kg.

6. The system of claim 1, further comprising a first pump included only in the second coolant loop and a second pump disposed upstream of an inlet of the fuel-cell stack.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the first coolant loop includes an orifice restrictor downstream of the thermal battery and upstream of an inlet of the fuel-cell stack.

8. The system of claim 1, further comprising a three-way valve downstream of the thermal battery and configured to direct coolant to the first or second coolant loops.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the phase change material is an encapsulated phase change material.

10. A fuel-cell thermal management system, comprising:

a fuel-cell stack;

a heat-exchanger;

a thermal battery including a phase change material having a latent heat of fusion of over 100 kJ/kg;

a first coolant loop including the fuel-cell stack, the thermal battery and a first conduit;

a second coolant loop including the fuel-cell stack, the thermal battery, a heater core coupled to a climate control system, and a second conduit; and

a third coolant loop including the fuel-cell stack, the thermal battery, the heat-exchanger, and a third conduit,

the first conduit configured to flow a coolant from the thermal battery to the fuel-cell stack to transfer heat from the phase change material of the thermal battery to the fuel-cell stack, and

the first conduit configured to flow coolant from the fuel-cell stack to the thermal battery to transfer heat from the fuel-cell stack to the phase change material of the thermal battery.

11. The system of claim 10, further comprising a first temperature sensor configured to measure an inlet temperature of the coolant entering the fuel-cell stack and a second temperature sensor configured to measure an outlet temperature of the coolant leaving the fuel-cell stack.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the material in the phase change thermal battery has a melting temperature of 50 to 120°

C.

13. The system of claim 10, further comprising a first pump included only in the third coolant loop and a second pump disposed upstream of an inlet of the fuel-cell stack.

14. The system of claim 10, wherein the first, second and third coolant loops include the first conduit.

15. The system of claim 10, wherein the third coolant loop is configured to cool the fuel-cell stack when the fuel-cell stack is above a target operating temperature and cool the thermal battery when it is above the target temperature.

16. A fuel-cell thermal management system, comprising:

a fuel-cell stack;

a heat-exchanger;

a thermal battery including a phase change material;

a first coolant loop including a fuel-cell stack, the thermal battery and a first conduit, and excluding the heat-exchanger; and

a second coolant loop including the fuel-cell stack, the thermal battery, the heat-exchanger, and a second conduit; and

a processor configured to direct a coolant flow from the thermal battery to the fuel-cell stack to transfer heat from the phase change material of the thermal battery to the fuel-cell stack based on a negative heat rejection status of the fuel-cell stack and to direct the coolant flow from the fuel-cell stack to the thermal battery to transfer heat from the fuel-cell stack to the phase change material of the thermal battery based on a positive heat rejection status of the fuel-cell stack when the thermal battery is below a target temperature.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the processor is further configured to direct the coolant flow to transfer heat from the thermal battery to the heat-exchanger when the thermal battery is above the target temperature.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein the processor is further configured to direct the coolant flow to transfer heat from the fuel-cell stack to the heat-exchanger based on a positive heat rejection status of the fuel-cell stack.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the processor is further configured to direct the coolant flow to transfer heat from the fuel-cell stack to the thermal battery based on a positive heat rejection status of the fuel-cell stack when the thermal battery is above a target temperature and the heat-exchanger is at a maximum cooling capacity.

20. The system of claim 16, wherein the processor is further configured to direct the coolant flow to transfer heat from the thermal battery to a heater core of a climate control system.