Air and coolant circuit configurations and control of fuel cell systems as power source in automotive, stationary, and portable applications

• US 20090126902A1
• Filed: 07/10/2008
• Published: 05/21/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 07/10/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Auburn University, Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai Motor Group)
• Original Assignee: Auburn University, Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai Motor Group)
• Inventors: Kim, Daejong, Jeon, Soonil, Choe, Song-Yul, Ahn, Jong-Woo, Choi, Seoho
• Granted Patent: US 8,691,456 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 165/41
• 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 8/04007 related to heat exchange
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/04358 of the coolant
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/04365 of other components of a fuel cell or fuel cell stacks
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/04723 of the coolant
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/04753 of fuel cell reactants
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/04768 of the coolant
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/241 with solid or matrix-supported electrolytes
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/2457 with both reactants being gaseous or vaporised
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/2484 characterised by external manifolds
• 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

An air and coolant control system comprising: a heat source configured to receive air, generate heat, receive coolant, conduct the received coolant to a coolant outlet, and transfer the generated heat to the received coolant, thereby removing the generated heat from the heat source as the coolant is conducted out of the heat source; an air supply source configured to supply the air to the heat source; an air supply control system configured to adjust the supply of air from the air supply source to the heat source based on a dynamic feedback temperature characteristic from the heat source; a coolant supply source configured to supply the coolant to the heat source; and a coolant control system configured to adjust the flow rate of the coolant based on an estimated feed-forward heat source characteristic and to adjust the temperature of the coolant based on the dynamic feedback temperature characteristic.

Claims

1. An air and coolant control system comprising:

a heat source comprising an air inlet, a coolant inlet, and a coolant outlet fluidly coupled to the coolant inlet through the heat source, wherein the heat source is configured to receive air through the air inlet, to generate heat in response to receiving the air, to receive coolant through the coolant inlet, to conduct the received coolant to the coolant outlet, and to transfer a portion of the generated heat to the received coolant, thereby removing the portion of the generated heat from the heat source as the coolant is conducted out of the heat source through the coolant outlet;

an air supply source fluidly coupled to the air inlet of the heat source and configured to supply the air to the heat source;

an air supply control system configured to adjust the flow rate of air from the air supply source to the heat source based on a dynamic feedback temperature characteristic from the heat source;

a coolant supply source fluidly coupled to the coolant inlet of the heat source and configured to supply the coolant to the heat source; and

a coolant control system configured to adjust the flow rate of the coolant supplied to the heat source based on an estimated feed-forward heat source characteristic and to adjust the temperature of the coolant supplied to the heat source based on the dynamic feedback temperature characteristic.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the heat source is a fuel cell stack.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the fuel cell stack is a Polymer Electrolyte Membrane (PEM) fuel cell stack.

4. The system of claim 2, further comprising a hydrogen tank fluidly coupled to the fuel cell stack and configured to supply hydrogen to the fuel cell stack.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the dynamic feedback temperature characteristic comprises information indicating a temperature of the coolant measured at the coolant outlet of the heat source.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the estimated feed-forward heat source characteristic comprises an estimation of excess heat in the heat source at a load profile.

7. The system of claim 6, further comprising a feed-forward controller configured to adjust the flow rate of the coolant based on the load profile and interpolated map data.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the coolant control system comprises at least one controller from the group of controllers consisting of:

a proportional-integral controller and a state feedback controller.

9. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a coolant reservoir configured to store coolant that is to be conducted to and through the heat source;

a coolant pump configured to pump the coolant from the coolant reservoir to the heat source, the flow rate of the coolant being controlled by the coolant flow control system;

a cooling system configured to cool coolant from the heat stack and provide the cooled coolant to the coolant reservoir; and

a bypass valve configured to regulate the amount of coolant supplied from the heat source to the cooling system for cooling, wherein the regulation is based on dynamic temperature information about the heat source.

10. An air and coolant control system comprising:

a heat source comprising an air inlet, a coolant inlet, and a coolant outlet fluidly coupled to the coolant inlet through the heat source, wherein the heat source is configured to receive air through the air inlet, to generate heat in response to receiving the air, to receive coolant through the coolant inlet, to conduct the received coolant to the coolant outlet, and to transfer a portion of the generated heat to the received coolant, thereby removing the portion of the generated heat from the heat source as the coolant is conducted out of the heat source through the coolant outlet;

an air supply source fluidly coupled to the air inlet of the heat source and configured to supply the air to the heat source;

an air supply control system configured to adjust the flow rate of air from the air supply source to the heat source based on a dynamic feedback temperature characteristic from the heat source; and

a coolant supply source fluidly coupled to the coolant inlet of the heat source and configured to supply the coolant to the heat source.

11. The system of claim 10, further comprising a coolant control system configured to adjust the flow rate of the coolant supplied to the heat source based on an estimated feed-forward heat source characteristic.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the estimated feed-forward heat source characteristic comprises an estimation of excess heat in the heat source at a load profile.

13. The system of claim 12, further comprising a feed-forward controller configured to adjust the flow rate of the coolant based on the load profile and interpolated map data.

14. The system of claim 10, wherein the dynamic feedback temperature characteristic comprises information indicating a temperature of the coolant measured at the coolant outlet of the heat source.

15. The system of claim 10, further comprising a coolant control system configured to adjust the temperature of the coolant supplied to the heat source based on the dynamic feedback temperature characteristic.

16. The system of claim 10, wherein the heat source is a fuel cell stack.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the fuel cell stack is a Polymer Electrolyte Membrane (PEM) fuel cell stack.

18. The system of claim 16, further comprising a hydrogen tank fluidly coupled to the fuel cell stack and configured to supply hydrogen to the fuel cell stack.

19. The system of claim 10, further comprising:

a coolant reservoir configured to store coolant that is to be conducted to and through the heat source;

a coolant pump configured to pump the coolant from the coolant reservoir to the heat source, the flow rate of the coolant being controlled by the coolant flow control system;

a cooling system configured to cool coolant from the heat stack and provide the cooled coolant to the coolant reservoir; and

a bypass valve configured to regulate the amount of coolant supplied from the heat source to the cooling system for cooling, wherein the regulation is based on dynamic temperature information about the heat source.

20. An air and coolant control system comprising:

a heat source comprising an air inlet, a coolant inlet, and a coolant outlet fluidly coupled to the coolant inlet through the heat source, wherein the heat source is configured to receive air through the air inlet, to generate heat in response to receiving the air, to receive coolant through the coolant inlet, to conduct the received coolant to the coolant outlet, and to transfer a portion of the generated heat to the received coolant, thereby removing the portion of the generated heat from the heat source as the coolant is conducted out of the heat source through the coolant outlet;

an air supply source fluidly coupled to the air inlet of the heat source and configured to supply the air to the heat source;

a coolant supply source fluidly coupled to the coolant inlet of the heat source and configured to supply the coolant to the heat source; and

a coolant control system configured to adjust the flow rate of the coolant supplied to the heat source based on an estimated feed-forward heat source.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein the estimated feed-forward heat source characteristic comprises an estimation of excess heat in the heat source at a load profile.

22. The system of claim 21, further comprising a feed-forward controller configured to adjust the flow rate of the coolant based on the load profile and interpolated map data.

23. The system of claim 20, wherein the coolant control system is further configured to adjust the temperature of the coolant supplied to the heat source based on a dynamic feedback temperature characteristic of the heat source.

24. The system of claim 20, wherein the heat source is a fuel cell stack.

25. The system of claim 24, wherein the fuel cell stack is a Polymer Electrolyte Membrane (PEM) fuel cell stack.

26. The system of claim 24, further comprising a hydrogen tank fluidly coupled to the fuel cell stack and configured to supply hydrogen to the fuel cell stack.

27. The system of claim 20, further comprising:

a coolant reservoir configured to store coolant that is to be conducted to and through the heat source;

a coolant pump configured to pump the coolant from the coolant reservoir to the heat source, the flow rate of the coolant being controlled by the coolant flow control system;

a cooling system configured to cool coolant from the heat stack and provide the cooled coolant to the coolant reservoir; and

a bypass valve configured to regulate the amount of coolant supplied from the heat source to the cooling system for cooling, wherein the regulation is based on dynamic temperature information about the heat source.

28. An air and coolant control system comprising:

a heat source comprising an air inlet, a coolant inlet, and a coolant outlet fluidly coupled to the coolant inlet through the heat source, wherein the heat source is configured to receive air through the air inlet, to generate heat in response to receiving the air, to receive coolant through the coolant inlet, to conduct the received coolant to the coolant outlet, and to transfer a portion of the generated heat to the received coolant, thereby removing the portion of the generated heat from the heat source as the coolant is conducted out of the heat source through the coolant outlet;

an air supply source fluidly coupled to the air inlet of the heat source and configured to supply the air to the heat source;

a coolant supply source fluidly coupled to the coolant inlet of the heat source and configured to supply the coolant to the heat source; and

a coolant control system configured to adjust the temperature of the coolant supplied to the heat source based on the dynamic feedback temperature characteristic.

29. The system of claim 28, wherein the dynamic feedback temperature characteristic comprises information indicating a temperature of the coolant measured at the coolant outlet of the heat source.

30. The system of claim 28, wherein the heat source is a fuel cell stack.

31. The system of claim 30, wherein the fuel cell stack is a Polymer Electrolyte Membrane (PEM) fuel cell stack.

32. The system of claim 30, further comprising a hydrogen tank fluidly coupled to the fuel cell stack and configured to supply hydrogen to the fuel cell stack.

33. The system of claim 28, further comprising:

a coolant reservoir configured to store coolant that is to be conducted to and through the heat source;

a coolant pump configured to pump the coolant from the coolant reservoir to the heat source, the flow rate of the coolant being controlled by the coolant flow control system;

a cooling system configured to cool coolant from the heat stack and provide the cooled coolant to the coolant reservoir; and

a bypass valve configured to regulate the amount of coolant supplied from the heat source to the cooling system for cooling, wherein the regulation is based on dynamic temperature information about the heat source.