Hydrogen fueling with integrity checks

• US 10,077,998 B2
• Filed: 05/25/2016
• Issued: 09/18/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 09/14/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: Mathison, Steven R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kuan, John
• Application Number:
  US15/163,919
• Publication Number:
  US 20170074707A1
• Time in Patent Office: 846 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 13/023 having the mass as the parameter
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 2205/013 Two or more vessels
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 2221/012 Hydrogen
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 2223/0123 gaseous, e.g. CNG, GNC
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 2223/036 Very high pressure (>80 bar)
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 2225/0123 gaseous, e.g. CNG, GNC
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 2225/036 Very high pressure, i.e. above 80 bars
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 2227/04 Methods for emptying or filling
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 2250/032 using computers
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 2250/034 using wireless transmissions
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 2250/0421 Mass or weight of the content of the vessel
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 2250/043 Pressure
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 2250/0439 Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 2250/0473 Time or time periods
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 2250/0621 Volume
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 2260/02 Improving properties related to fluid or fluid transfer
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 2265/065 for refueling vehicle fuel tanks
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 2270/0139 Fuel stations
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 5/007 for individual gas tanks or containers, e.g. in vehicles filling with liquid fuel not under pressure, B60S5/02, B67D7/00
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 5/06 for filling with compressed gases
• CPC Class Codes: G01F 22/00 : Methods or apparatus for measuring volume of fluids or fluent solid material, not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: G01F 22/02 : involving measurement of pressure
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/32 : Hydrogen storage

Abstract

According to one or more aspects, systems and techniques for hydrogen fueling with integrity checks are provided herein. Communicated parameters measured by on-board sensors of a vehicle may be cross-referenced against calculated parameters measured by sensors of a fueling station. For example, communicated parameters relating to a compressed hydrogen storage system (CHSS) tank of a vehicle to be fueled may be received at different time intervals. Calculated parameters may be calculated based on a mass of hydrogen fuel dispensed by a hydrogen fueling station from a reference point to one of the time intervals and densities of the CHSS tank of the vehicle at respective time intervals. An error may be calculated between the communicated parameters and the calculated parameters. A fueling mode, such as a conservative fueling mode or a non-conservative fueling mode, may be determined based on the calculated error.

Claims

1. A system for hydrogen fueling with integrity checks, comprising:

a communication component receiving one or more communicated parameters at one or more time intervals, wherein one or more of the communicated parameters relates to a compressed hydrogen storage system (CHSS) tank of a vehicle to be fueled with hydrogen fuel;

a calculation component calculating one or more calculated parameters related to the CHSS tank of the vehicle based on;

a mass of hydrogen fuel dispensed by a hydrogen fueling station from a reference point to one or more of the time intervals; and

one or more densities of the CHSS tank of the vehicle at one or more of the time intervals;

an error component calculating a tank volume error based on one or more of the communicated parameters and one or more of the calculated parameters at one or more of the time intervals;

a controller determining one or more fueling modes for the hydrogen fueling station based on the tank volume error and implementing a fall forward ramp rate equation or a fall back ramp rate equation based on a change in fueling modes; and

dispensing the hydrogen fuel based on one or more of the determined fueling modes and the implemented fall forward or fall back ramp rate equation,

wherein the controller implementing the fall forward ramp rate equation accounts for a slower portion of fueling by setting a ramp rate greater than a predetermined average pressure ramp rate (APRR).

2. The system of claim 1, wherein one or more of the communicated parameters is a communicated tank volume.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein one or more of the calculated parameters is a calculated tank volume.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the controller determines a conservative fueling mode based on the tank volume error being greater than a tank volume error threshold.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the conservative fueling mode is a mode where the hydrogen fuel is dispensed by the hydrogen fueling station according to a predetermined conservative fill time or a predetermined conservative average pressure ramp rate (APRR).

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the controller determines a communication fueling mode based on the tank volume error being less than or equal to a tank volume error threshold.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the communication fueling mode is a mode where the hydrogen fuel is dispensed by the hydrogen fueling station according to one or more of the calculated parameters.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the controller implements the fall forward ramp rate equation based on a change from a conservative fueling mode to a communication fueling mode.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the controller implements the fall back ramp rate equation based on a change from a communication fueling mode to a conservative fueling mode.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the communication component includes an Infrared Data Association (IRDA) interface.

11. A method for hydrogen fueling with integrity checks, comprising:

receiving one or more communicated parameters at one or more time intervals, wherein one or more of the communicated parameters relates to a compressed hydrogen storage system (CHSS) tank of a vehicle to be fueled with hydrogen fuel;

calculating one or more calculated parameters related to the CHSS tank of the vehicle based on;

a mass of hydrogen fuel dispensed by a hydrogen fueling station from a reference point to one or more of the time intervals; and

one or more densities of the CHSS tank of the vehicle at one or more of the time intervals;

calculating a tank volume error based on one or more of the communicated parameters and one or more of the calculated parameters at one or more of the time intervals;

determining one or more fueling modes for the hydrogen fueling station based on the tank volume error and implementing a fall forward ramp rate equation or a fall back ramp rate equation based on a change in fueling modes; and

dispensing the hydrogen fuel based on one or more of the determined fueling modes and the implemented fall forward or fall back ramp rate equation,

wherein implementing the fall forward ramp rate equation includes accounting for a slower portion of fueling by setting a ramp rate greater than a predetermined average pressure ramp rate (APRR).

12. The method of claim 11, comprising determining a conservative fueling mode based on the tank volume error being greater than a tank volume error threshold.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the conservative fueling mode is a mode where the hydrogen fuel is dispensed by the hydrogen fueling station according to a predetermined conservative fill time or a predetermined conservative average pressure ramp rate (APRR).

14. The method of claim 11, comprising determining a communication fueling mode based on the tank volume error being less than or equal to a tank volume error threshold.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the communication fueling mode is a mode where the hydrogen fuel is dispensed by the hydrogen fueling station according to one or more of the calculated parameters.

16. The method of claim 11, comprising dispensing the hydrogen fuel based on the fall forward ramp rate equation when a change from a conservative fueling mode to a communication fueling mode occurs.

17. The method of claim 11, comprising dispensing the hydrogen fuel based on the fall back ramp rate equation when a change from a communication fueling mode to a conservative fueling mode occurs.

18. A system for hydrogen fueling with integrity checks, comprising:

a communication component receiving one or more communicated parameters at one or more time intervals, wherein one or more of the communicated parameters relates to a compressed hydrogen storage system (CHSS) tank of a vehicle to be fueled with hydrogen fuel;

a calculation component calculating one or more calculated parameters related to the CHSS tank of the vehicle based on;

a mass of hydrogen fuel dispensed by a hydrogen fueling station from a reference point to one or more of the time intervals; and

one or more densities of the CHSS tank of the vehicle at one or more of the time intervals;

an error component calculating a tank volume error based on one or more of the communicated parameters and one or more of the calculated parameters at one or more of the time intervals;

a controller determining a conservative fueling mode or a non-conservative fueling mode for the hydrogen fueling station based on the tank volume error and implementing a fall forward ramp rate equation or a fall back ramp rate equation based on a change in fueling modes; and

dispensing the hydrogen fuel based on the fall back ramp rate equation or the fall forward ramp rate equation associated with one or more of the determined fueling modes,

wherein the controller implementing the fall forward ramp rate equation accounts for a slower portion of fueling by setting a ramp rate greater than a predetermined average pressure ramp rate (APRR).