Systems and methods for detecting and indicating fault conditions in electrochemical cells
First Claim
1. A method of detecting a fault in an electrochemical cell module comprising:
- determining operating characteristics of the electrochemical cell module for at least one discrete frequency to obtain a measured impedance value;
providing a reference impedance value and a fault criterion based on a deviation from the reference impedance value; and
comparing the measured impedance value with a reference impedance value to determine whether or not the fault criterion has been satisfied.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Some embodiments of the present invention provide systems and methods for more accurately determining the cause of a particular fault in an electrochemical cell based on an impedance measurement characterizing the electrochemical cell. In some very specific embodiments the impedance of an electrochemical cell or stack is measured across a range of frequencies to determine a corresponding impedance signature characterizing the present state of the electrochemical cell or stack. By evaluating the impedance signature in comparison to reference information, a number of faults may be detected. In some more specific embodiments once a corresponding specific fault is determined and an indication is provided to a user and/or a balance-of-plant monitoring system, which may be used to adjust the operating parameters of an electrochemical cell module to compensate for and/or reverse the detrimental effects caused by a particular fault.
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Citations
27 Claims
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1. A method of detecting a fault in an electrochemical cell module comprising:
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determining operating characteristics of the electrochemical cell module for at least one discrete frequency to obtain a measured impedance value;
providing a reference impedance value and a fault criterion based on a deviation from the reference impedance value; and
comparing the measured impedance value with a reference impedance value to determine whether or not the fault criterion has been satisfied. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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20. A method of detecting a fault in an electrochemical cell module comprising:
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characterizing an electrochemical cell module to obtain a reference impedance signature, wherein the reference impedance signature includes a plurality of reference impedance values for a corresponding set of discrete frequency values;
obtaining at least one measured impedance signature during the intended use of an electrochemical cell module;
providing a fault criterion based on a deviation from the reference impedance value; and
comparing at least one characteristic of the reference impedance signature with the at least one characteristic of the at least one measured impedance signature to determine whether or not a fault exists in the electrochemical cell module. - View Dependent Claims (21)
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22. A system for detecting a fault in an electrochemical cell module comprising:
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at least one sensor connectable to an electrochemical cell module for monitoring at least one operating parameter of the electrochemical cell module; and
a computer program product including a computer usable program code for determining whether or not at least one fault criterion has been satisfied and thereby indicating the presence of a fault in an electrochemical cell module, the computer usable program code including program instructions for;
determining operating characteristics of the electrochemical cell module for at least one discrete frequency to obtain a measured impedance value;
providing a reference impedance value and a fault criterion based on a deviation from the reference impedance value; and
, comparing the measured impedance value with a reference impedance value and at least one fault criterion to determine whether or not the fault criterion has been satisfied. - View Dependent Claims (23, 24, 25)
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26. A system for detecting a fault in an electrochemical cell module comprising:
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at least one sensor connectable to an electrochemical cell module for monitoring at least one operating parameter of the electrochemical cell module; and
a computer program product including a computer usable program code for determining whether or not at least one fault criterion has been satisfied and thereby indicating the presence of a fault in an electrochemical cell module, the computer usable program code including program instructions for;
characterizing an electrochemical cell module to obtain a reference impedance signature, wherein the reference impedance signature includes a plurality of reference impedance values for a corresponding set of discrete frequency values;
obtaining at least one measured impedance signature during the intended use of an electrochemical cell module;
providing a fault criterion based on a deviation from the reference impedance value; and
, comparing at least one characteristic of the reference impedance signature with the at least one characteristic of the at least one measured impedance signature to determine whether or not the fault criterion has been satisfied.
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27. A system for detecting a fault in an electrochemical cell module comprising:
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a sensor means for monitoring at least one operating parameter of the electrochemical cell module;
a means for establishing fault criteria based on deviations from reference impedance information;
a processor means for determining operating characteristics of the electrochemical cell module for at least one discrete frequency to obtain a measured impedance value; and
a comparison means for determining whether or not at least one fault criterion has been satisfied and thereby indicating the presence of a fault in an electrochemical cell module, the comparison means comparing the measured impedance value with a reference impedance value to determine whether or not the fault criterion has been satisfied.
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Specification