Analytic method of fuel consumption optimized hybrid concept for fuel cell systems

• US 9,020,799 B2
• Filed: 02/14/2012
• Issued: 04/28/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 02/14/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC (General Motors Company)
• Original Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC (General Motors Company)
• Inventors: Maier, Oliver
• Primary Examiner(s): Chad, Aniss
• Assistant Examiner(s): Rogers, David M
• Application Number:
  US13/396,145
• Publication Number:
  US 20130211798A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,169 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 703/18
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2210/14 Boost converters
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/527 Voltage
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/547 Voltage
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2250/00 Driver interactions
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/40 using propulsion power supplied by capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/52 characterised by DC-motors
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/13 Maintaining the SoC within a determined range
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/40 for controlling a combination of batteries and fuel cells
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 7/12 for vehicles propelled by dc motors
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/1406 with use of a optimisation method, e.g. iteration
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/2668 Fuel cells
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 17/00 Digital computing or data processing equipment or methods, specially adapted for specific functions information retrieval, database structures or file system structures therefor G06F16/00
• CPC Class Codes: G16Z 99/00 Subject matter not provided for in other main groups of this subclass
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/46 Accumulators structurally combined with charging apparatus circuits for charging H02J7/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 16/006 of fuel cells with rechargeable batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 2220/20 Batteries in motive systems, e.g. vehicle, ship, plane
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 2250/20 Fuel cells in motive systems, e.g. vehicle, ship, plane
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/00 Fuel cells; Manufacture thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/04298 Processes for controlling fuel cells or fuel cell systems
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/04992 characterised by the implementation of mathematical or computational algorithms, e.g. feedback control loops, fuzzy logic, neural networks or artificial intelligence
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 : Energy storage using batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/50 : Fuel cells
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 : Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/72 : Electric energy management in electromobility
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/40 : Application of hydrogen technology to transportation, e.g. using fuel cells

Abstract

A method a system and method for optimizing the power distribution between a fuel cell stack and a high voltage battery in a fuel cell vehicle. The method includes defining a virtual battery hydrogen power for the battery that is based on a relationship between a battery power request from the battery and an efficiency of the battery and defining a virtual stack hydrogen power for the fuel cell stack that is based on a relationship between a stack power request from the fuel cell stack and an efficiency of the fuel cell stack. The virtual battery hydrogen power and the virtual stack hydrogen power are converted into polynomial equations and added together to provide a combined power polynomial equation. The combined power polynomial equation is solved to determine a minimum of the fuel cell stack power request by setting a derivative of the virtual stack hydrogen power to zero.

Claims

1. A method for optimizing a power output distribution between a fuel cell stack and a battery in a fuel cell system, said method comprising:

identifying a desired power request;

defining a virtual battery hydrogen power for the battery that is based on a relationship between a battery power request from the battery and an efficiency of the battery;

defining a virtual stack hydrogen power for the fuel cell stack that is based on a relationship between a stack power request from the fuel cell stack and an efficiency of the fuel cell stack;

converting the virtual battery hydrogen power to a battery polynomial equation;

converting the virtual stack hydrogen power to a stack polynomial equation;

adding the battery polynomial equation and the stack polynomial equation to obtain a combined power polynomial equation;

solving the combined power polynomial equation to determine a minimum of the stack power request by setting a derivative of the virtual stack hydrogen power to zero;

subtracting the stack power request from the desired power request to obtain the battery power request; and

adding a compressor acceleration power signal for controlling a cathode compressor to the desired power request if a stack power at a current time step is greater than a stack power at a previous time step.

2. The method according to claim 1 wherein converting the virtual battery hydrogen power to a battery polynomial equation includes determining the battery polynomial equation as a second order polynomial equation including three coefficients.

3. The method according to claim 2 wherein determining the battery polynomial equation includes defining the three coefficients based on a relationship between the desired power request and the virtual battery hydrogen power.

4. The method according to claim 1 wherein converting the virtual stack hydrogen power to a stack polynomial equation includes determining the stack polynomial equation as a third order polynomial equation including four coefficients.

5. The method according to claim 4 wherein determining the stack polynomial equation includes defining the four coefficients based on a relationship between the desired power request and the virtual stack hydrogen power.

6. The method according to claim 1 wherein converting the virtual battery hydrogen power to a battery polynomial equation includes replacing the battery power request with a difference between the desired power request and the stack power request.

7. The method according to claim 1 wherein converting the virtual battery hydrogen power to a battery polynomial equation includes converting the virtual battery hydrogen power to one battery polynomial equation if the battery is being charged and converting the virtual battery hydrogen power to another battery polynomial equation if the battery is being discharged.

8. The method according to claim 1 further comprising identifying a desired battery state-of-charge (SOC) set-point, generating an SOC error between the desired battery SOC set-point and an actual battery SOC, converting the SOC error to an SOC power signal, adding the SOC power signal to the desired power request to increase the desired power request if the actual SOC is less than the SOC set-point and decreasing the desired power request if the actual SOC is greater than the SOC set-point.

9. The method according to claim 1 wherein the fuel cell system is on a vehicle.

10. A method for optimizing a power output distribution between a fuel cell stack and a battery in a fuel cell system, said method comprising:

identifying a desired power request;

defining a virtual battery hydrogen power for the battery that is based on a relationship between a battery power request from the battery and an efficiency of the battery;

defining a virtual stack hydrogen power for the fuel cell stack that is based on a relationship between a stack power request from the fuel cell stack and an efficiency of the fuel cell stack;

converting the virtual battery hydrogen power to a battery polynomial equation;

converting the virtual stack hydrogen power to a stack polynomial equation;

adding the battery polynomial equation and the stack polynomial equation to obtain a combined power polynomial equation;

solving the combined power polynomial equation to determine a minimum of the stack power request and the battery power request; and

adding a compressor acceleration power signal for controlling a cathode compressor to the desired power request if a stack power at a current time step is greater than a stack power at a previous time step.

11. An optimization system for optimizing a power output distribution between a fuel cell stack and a battery in a fuel cell system, said optimization system comprising:

a controller programmed to provide;

means for identifying a desired power request;

means for defining a virtual battery hydrogen power for the battery that is based on a relationship between a battery power request from the battery and an efficiency of the battery;

means for defining a virtual stack hydrogen power for the fuel cell stack that is based on a relationship between a stack power request from the fuel cell stack and an efficiency of the fuel cell stack;

means for converting the virtual battery hydrogen power to a battery polynomial equation;

means for converting the virtual stack hydrogen power to a stack polynomial equation;

means for adding the battery polynomial equation and the stack polynomial equation to obtain a combined power polynomial equation;

means for solving the combined power polynomial equation to determine a minimum of the fuel cell stack power request by setting derivative of the virtual stack hydrogen power to zero;

and means for subtracting the stack power request from the desired power request to obtain the battery power request; and

means for adding a compressor acceleration power signal for controlling a cathode compressor to the desired power request if a stack power at a current time step is greater than a stack power at a previous time step.

12. The optimization system according to claim 11 wherein the means for converting the virtual battery hydrogen power to a battery polynomial equation includes means for determining the battery polynomial equation as a second order polynomial equation including three coefficients.

13. The optimization system according to claim 12 wherein determining the battery polynomial equation includes defining the three coefficients based on a relationship between the desired power request and the virtual battery hydrogen power.

14. The optimization system according to claim 11 wherein the means for converting the virtual stack hydrogen power to a stack polynomial equation includes means for determining the stack polynomial equation as a third order polynomial equation including four coefficients.

15. The optimization system according to claim 14 wherein the means for determining the stack polynomial equation includes defining the four coefficients based on a relationship between the desired power request and the virtual stack hydrogen power.

16. The optimization system according to claim 11 wherein the means for converting the virtual battery hydrogen power to a battery polynomial equation includes replacing the battery power request with a difference between the desired power request and the stack power request.

17. The optimization system according to claim 11 wherein the means for converting the virtual battery hydrogen power to a battery polynomial equation includes converting the virtual battery hydrogen power to one battery polynomial equation if the battery is being charged and converting the virtual battery hydrogen power to another battery polynomial equation if the battery is being discharged.

18. The optimization system according to claim 11 further comprising means for identifying a desired battery state-of-charge (SOC) set-point, generating an SOC error between the desired battery SOC set-point and an actual battery SOC, converting the SOC error to an SOC power signal, adding the SOC power signal to the desired power request to increase the desired power request if the actual SOC is less than the SOC set-point and decreasing the desired power request if the actual SOC is greater than the SOC set-point.