Series type air supply system for fuel cell-powered vehicles

• US 20060046116A1
• Filed: 12/15/2004
• Published: 03/02/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 09/01/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Hyundai Mobis Co., Ltd., Seoul National University Industry Foundation (Seoul National University)
• Original Assignee: Hyundai Mobis Co., Ltd., Seoul National University Industry Foundation (Seoul National University)
• Inventors: Lee, Dong-Hun, Min, Kyoung-Doug, Ahn, Sang-Yeoul, Kim, Han-Sang, Ahn, Byung-Ki, Bang, Jung-Hwan
• Application Number:
  US11/011,108
• Publication Number:
  US 20060046116A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 429/430
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 1/04 of the electric storage means for propulsion exchanging batteries for electric propulsion of vehicles B60L53/80; for auxiliary purposes only B60R16/04; supplying batteries to, or removing batteries from, vehicles B60S5/06
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2001/005 the electric storage means
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 2250/20 Fuel cells in motive systems, e.g. vehicle, ship, plane
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/04089 of gaseous reactants
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/04559 of fuel cell stacks
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/04619 of fuel cell stacks
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/04753 of fuel cell reactants
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/0662 Treatment of gaseous reactants or gaseous residues, e.g. cleaning
• 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

A series type air supply system for fuel cell-powered vehicles wherein a low speed air supplier and a high speed air supplier are connected in a series for performance of a multi-staged pressurization to variably operate the air suppliers of high efficiency according to an output value of a fuel cell stack and to improve the work efficiency of a fuel cell system under all driving modes of fuel cell-powered vehicles. Air is pressurized by a 2-staged compression of the low and high speed air suppliers under an accelerated driving mode to reduce the work load of compression and to increase the overall efficiency of the fuel cell system.

Claims

1. A series type air supply system for fuel cell-powered vehicles, comprising:

an air passage connecting an air filter to a fuel cell stack;

a low speed air supplier mounted on a side of an inlet of the air passage;

a high speed air supplier mounted on a side of an outlet of the air passage;

an output detector measuring an output value of the fuel cell stack; and

a controller controlling a switch between the low speed air supplier and the high speed air supplier according to an output value measured by the output detector.

2. The system as defined in claim 1, wherein the controller gradually stops the operation of the low speed air supplier at 14 KW when the output of the fuel cell stack is increased, and gradually increases the operation of the high speed air supplier, enabling the air supplier to be completely transferred from low speed to high speed at 16 KW, and when the output of the fuel cell stack is decreased, the operation of the high speed air supplier is gradually stopped at 16 KW and the operation of the low speed air supplier is gradually increased, enabling the air supplier to be completely and controllably transferred from high speed to low speed.

3. The system as defined in claim 1, the system further comprising a bypass pipe mounted at a lateral surface of the air passage via front and rear portions of the high speed air supplier.

4. The system as defined in claim 3, wherein openness control valves are respectively mounted at the inlet and outlet of the bypass pipe.

5. The system as defined in claim 3, wherein openness control valves are respectively mounted at front and rear portions of the high speed air supplier.