Thermal management system for fuel cell, fuel cell system and vehicle equipped with fuel cell system

• US 20150053491A1
• Filed: 07/26/2012
• Published: 02/26/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/22/2012
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Dongfang Electric Corporation
• Original Assignee: Dongfang Electric Corporation
• Inventors: Tang, Hao, Zhang, Zhankui, Lei, Jiao, Yang, Haiyu, Li, Yun
• Application Number:
  US14/386,887
• Publication Number:
  US 20150053491A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 180/65.31
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 1/003 to auxiliary motors, e.g. for pumps, compressors
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 1/02 to electric heating circuits
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 1/08 Methods and devices for control or regulation
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2200/26 Rail vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/12 Speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/36 Temperature of vehicle components or parts
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/71 Arrangement of fuel cells within vehicles specially adapted for electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/72 Constructional details of fuel cells specially adapted for electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/33 by cooling
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/34 by heating
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 2250/20 Fuel cells in motive systems, e.g. vehicle, ship, plane
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 2250/405 Cogeneration of heat or hot water
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/04 Auxiliary arrangements, e.g. for control of pressure or for circulation of fluids
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/04029 Heat exchange using liquids
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/04037 Electrical heating
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/04358 of the coolant
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/04417 of the coolant
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/04723 of the coolant
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/04768 of the coolant
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 90/10 Applications of fuel cells in buildings
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/50 : Fuel cells
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/16 : Information or communication technologies improving the operation of electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/40 : Application of hydrogen technology to transportation, e.g. using fuel cells

Abstract

The invention provides a thermal management system for a fuel cell, a fuel cell system and a vehicle equipped with the fuel cell system. The thermal management system for a fuel cell comprises: a cooling system (100) for recovering the waste heat produced by the fuel cell system, a heat supply system (15) connected with the cooling system (100) to supply heat using the waste heat recovered by the cooling system (100). The fuel cell system comprises a fuel cell stack and the aforementioned thermal management system for a fuel cell. The vehicle comprises the fuel cell system, wherein the thermal management system for a fuel cell reduces the temperature of each component of the fuel cell system by cooling the component using the cooling system (100) and recovers the waste heat generated by the fuel cell system, and the heat supply system (15) supplies heat by using the waste heat recovered by the cooling system as a heat source, thus effectively using the heat generated by a fuel cell stack, the heat of exhaust gas and the heat generated by electrical accessories during the running process of the fuel cell stack and consequentially reducing the running cost of the fuel cell.

Claims

1. A thermal management system for a fuel cell, comprising:

a cooling system configured to recover the waste heat generated by a fuel cell system; and

a heat supply system connected with the cooling system to supply heat using the waste heat recovered by the cooling system.

2. The thermal management system for a fuel cell according to claim 1, wherein the heat supply system comprises:

a waste heat supply system configured to supply heat using the waste heat recovered by the cooling system; and

an electric heating heat supply system configured to electrically supply heat.

3. The thermal management system for a fuel cell according to claim 2, wherein the waste heat supply system comprises:

a cooling liquid heat supply system provided at the downstream of the cooling system along the flow direction of a cooling medium; and

an exhaust gas heat supply system connected with the exhaust gas outlet of a fuel cell stack.

4. The thermal management system for a fuel cell according to claim 3, wherein the cooling liquid heat supply system comprises:

cooling liquid heaters provided at the downstream of the cooling system along the flow direction of the cooling medium; and

fans provided corresponding to the cooling liquid heaters.

5. The thermal management system for a fuel cell according to claim 4, wherein

there are a plurality of cooling liquid heaters which are connected with each other in series or in parallel or in series and in parallel and provided at the downstream of the cooling system along the flow direction of the cooling medium, and

one or more fans are correspondingly provided for each cooling liquid heater.

6. The thermal management system for a fuel cell according to claim 2, wherein the electric heating system is connected with the waste heat supply system in parallel.

7. The thermal management system for a fuel cell according to claim 1, wherein

the cooling system comprises a fuel cell stack cooling system and an electrical device cooling system which are interconnected with each other through a pipeline;

wherein the electrical device cooling system comprises a pump cooling system and a power supply management system cooling system;

and the power supply management system cooling system is provided at the upstream or downstream of the fuel cell stack cooling system along the flow direction of the cooling medium.

8. The thermal management system for a fuel cell according to claim 7, wherein the power supply management system cooling system is an external cooling system or an internal cooling system;

the cooling pipeline of the external cooling system is located outside of a power supply management system and attached to the power supply management system; and

the cooling pipeline of the internal cooling system is located inside the power supply management system.

9. The thermal management system for a fuel cell according to claim 1, further comprising:

a heat radiation system which comprises;

a plurality of radiators which are connected with each other in series or in parallel or in series and in parallel and provided at the downstream of the heat supply system along the flow direction of the cooling medium; and

cooling fans, wherein one or more cooling fans are correspondingly provided for each radiator.

10. The thermal management system for a fuel cell according to claim 1, further comprising:

a control system which comprises;

a cooling system control system, the cooling system control system comprising;

a cooling medium container temperature control system for starting a heater to heat the cooling medium when the temperature of the cooling medium is lower than a first preset value;

a pump temperature control system for starting a pump cooling system to reduce the temperature of a liquid pump and a gas pump when the temperature of the liquid pump and the temperature of the gas pump are higher than a second preset value;

a power supply management system temperature control system for starting a power supply management system cooling system to reduce the temperature of the power supply management system when the temperature of the power supply management system is higher than a third preset value; and

a pump flow control system for increasing the flow of the liquid pump to reduce the temperature of the fuel cell stack when the temperature of the fuel cell stack is higher than a fourth preset value.

11. The thermal management system for a fuel cell according to claim 10, wherein the control system also comprises a heat supply system control system for starting the heat supply system to supply heat when indoor temperature is lower than a preset heating temperature.

12. The thermal management system for a fuel cell according to claim 11, wherein the heat supply system control system comprises:

a cooling liquid heat supply system control system which controls the cooling liquid heaters of the cooling liquid heat supply system to start one by one to supply heat and starts fans corresponding to the cooling liquid heater when indoor temperature is lower than the preset heating temperature;

an exhaust gas heat supply system control system which controls the exhaust gas heat supply system to start to supply heat together with the cooling liquid heat supply system when the maximum heating temperature of the cooling liquid heat supply system is lower than the preset heating temperature;

and an electric heating heat supply system control system which controls the electric heating system to start to supply heat together with the exhaust gas heat supply system and the cooling liquid heat supply system when the maximum heating temperature offered by the exhaust gas heat supply system and the cooling liquid heat supply system working together is lower than the preset heating temperature.

13. The thermal management system for a fuel cell according to claim 10, wherein the control system further comprises a heat radiation system control system for starting the heat radiation system to cool the cooling medium when the temperature of the cooling medium inside the pipeline between the heat radiation system and the heat supply system is higher than a fifth preset value.

14. The thermal management system for a fuel cell according to claim 11, wherein the control system further comprises a heat radiation system control system for starting the heat radiation system to cool the cooling medium when the temperature of the cooling medium inside the pipeline between the heat radiation system and the heat supply system is higher than a fifth preset value.

15. A fuel cell system, comprising:

a fuel cell stack; and

the thermal management system for a fuel cell claimed in claim 1.

16. A vehicle, comprising, wheels, a vehicle body, a transmission system and the fuel cell system claimed in claim 15.

17. The vehicle according to claim 16, wherein the vehicle is a car;

the thermal management system for a fuel cell of the fuel cell system comprises a power supply management system cooling system and a fuel cell stack cooling system, wherein the power supply management system cooling system is provided at the upstream of the fuel cell stack cooling system along the flow direction of a cooling medium;

the power supply management system cooling system is an external cooling system; and

the heat supply system of the thermal management system for a fuel cell supplies heat to the inside of the body of the car.

18. The vehicle according to claim 16, wherein the vehicle is a bus;

the thermal management system for a fuel cell of the fuel cell system comprises a power supply management system cooling system and a fuel cell stack cooling system, wherein the power supply management system cooling system is provided at the upstream of the fuel cell stack cooling system along the flow direction of the cooling medium;

the power supply management system cooling system is an internal or external cooling system; and

the heat supply system of the thermal management system for a fuel cell supplies heat to the inside of the body of the bus.

19. The vehicle according to claim 16, wherein the vehicle is a large locomotive;

the thermal management system for a fuel cell of the fuel cell system comprises a power supply management system cooling system and a fuel cell stack cooling system, wherein the power supply management system cooling system is provided at the upstream or the downstream of the fuel cell stack cooling system along the flow direction of a cooling medium;

the power supply management system cooling system is an internal or external cooling system; and

the heat supply system of the thermal management system for a fuel cell supplies heat to the inside of the body of the large locomotive.