LEAK DETECTION IN A FUEL CELL SYSTEM
First Claim
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1. A method of detecting fuel leaks in an anode subsystem of a fuel cell comprising the steps of:
- a. measuring an anode pressure related to fuel flow through at least one injector;
b. calculating an anode pressure related to fuel flow through the at least one injector;
c. determining a difference between the measured anode pressure and the calculated anode pressure and comparing the difference with a threshold value; and
d. indicating a fuel leak when the difference exceeds the threshold value.
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Abstract
A diagnostic method of detecting component failures in a fuel cell anode subsystem involves estimating fuel flow through injectors and comparing the estimated flow with a model based upon the system parameters. An observer based model is used to determine a residual value, the difference between the hydrogen input and the hydrogen consumed, and the residual is compared with a threshold range. In alternative embodiments, the stack current and the state of the valves are used to calculate the required hydrogen flow through the injectors and the duty cycle of an injector is compared to a tolerance range.
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Citations
18 Claims
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1. A method of detecting fuel leaks in an anode subsystem of a fuel cell comprising the steps of:
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a. measuring an anode pressure related to fuel flow through at least one injector; b. calculating an anode pressure related to fuel flow through the at least one injector; c. determining a difference between the measured anode pressure and the calculated anode pressure and comparing the difference with a threshold value; and d. indicating a fuel leak when the difference exceeds the threshold value. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10)
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8. A method of detecting component failures in an anode subsystem of a fuel cell comprising the steps of:
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a. calculating a required fuel flow through at least one injector based upon a stack current generated by the fuel call and a state of valves in the anode subsystem; b. generating a tolerance band; c. comparing the calculated required fuel flow with the tolerance band; and d. indicating a component failure when the calculated required fuel flow is above or below the tolerance band.
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11. A method of detecting component failures in an anode subsystem of a fuel cell comprising the steps of:
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a. calculating a value representing fuel flow through at least one injector in the anode subsystem; b. generating a tolerance band; c. comparing the calculated value with the tolerance band; and d. indicating a component failure when the calculated value is above or below the tolerance band. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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Specification