Patent Application
20240332574
This application claims the benefit of European Patent Application Number 23165136.5 filed on Mar. 29, 2023, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by way of reference.
The present disclosure generally relates to a method for controlling a fuel cell and a fuel cell system. Particularly, the present disclosure relates to a method for controlling a fuel cell during operation of the fuel cell by controlling thermal operating parameters of the fuel cell, and a fuel cell system configured to perform such method.
A conventional fuel cell system and method of operating the same are designed in view of assumed and predicted operating conditions. For instance, a maximum and minimum power output requirement of a fuel cell is determined and the fuel cell is then made and operated to fulfil these power output requirements.
For example, a current intensity during operation of the fuel cell is predicted, and a polarization curve is developed based on the current intensity. This includes employing mathematical models and simulations. Once an optimal polarization curve is found, the corresponding fuel cell can be manufactured and operated.
However, such models and simulations are based on rather static operating conditions and/or an ideal fuel cell stack and ideal internal fuel cell conditions.
It is therefore an object of the present disclosure to provide a method for controlling a fuel cell during operation and an associated fuel cell system, in order to optimize the fuel cell operation.
This object is solved by the present invention as defined in one or more embodiments described herein. Preferred embodiments are also described.
According to a first aspect to better understand the present disclosure, a method for controlling a fuel cell during operation of the fuel cell comprises determining a power requirement of a load electrically connected with the fuel cell. The load electrically connected to the fuel cell is a power consumer of the power generated by the fuel cell. The power requirement of this load is meant for a present time, i.e., an instant moment or predefined time period following the determination. Thus, dynamic loads of the fuel cell can be determined and controlled.
The method further comprises sensing an electromotive force of the fuel cell, and determining an available electrical power from the fuel cell based on the sensed electromotive force of the fuel cell. The sensed electromotive force of the fuel cell is the theoretical maximum voltage of the fuel cell, i.e. that could be theoretically available if no load is supplied with power from the fuel cell.
The available electrical power from the fuel cell is determined on specific characteristics of the fuel cell. For example, a predetermined polarization curve can be employed to determine the available electrical power. Alternatively or additionally, the available electrical power can be directly looked-up based on the sensed electromotive force.
Furthermore, the method includes calculating a deviation between the determined power requirement of the load and the available electrical power from the fuel cell, and controlling thermal operating parameters of the fuel cell to compensate for the calculated deviation.
Thus, during operation of the fuel cell the method allows optimizing the available electrical power from the fuel cell with respect to a power requirement of a load supplied with power from the fuel cell. This allows “on-the-fly” (online) adaptation of the operating parameters of the fuel cell to dynamically operate the fuel cell. Therefore, the operation conditions of the fuel cell can be corrected and optimized, which avoids degradation of the fuel cell and/or an efficiency loss during operation of the fuel cell.
The fuel cell converts chemical energy, e.g., from hydrogen and oxygen, into electricity, heat and water. Amongst others, a ratio of liquid and gaseous product water in the fuel cell defines the operation condition and efficiency of the fuel cell. An equilibrium between gaseous and liquid water should be reached, so that the fuel cell can operate under a steady-state operation, which facilitates the lifespan of the fuel cell. For instance, if the amount of liquid water increases, the electromotive force increases. A higher amount of liquid water leads to a higher amount of condensation heat, which needs to be discharged, e.g., by a coolant system cooling the fuel cell. For instance, to handle the higher amount of heat, a larger heat exchanger or larger amount of coolant is necessary. For both cases a larger engine and, hence, a heavier engine will be the result.
Moreover, a higher amount of heat is wasted when removing the water from the cell, since the mass flow of water is higher than of gaseous water. This, however, leads to an efficiency loss of the fuel cell due to the heat loss.
Furthermore, if air supplied to the fuel cell (e.g., as source of oxygen) has a low temperature, the ratio may also shift towards liquid water. If this shift is not recognized, more liquid water is produced which leads to higher waste heat (efficiency loss) and an increase in the catalyst degradation rate.
The disclosed method operates dynamically (online), by comparing a power requirement of a load of the fuel cell with the available electrical power. By controlling thermal operating parameters of the fuel cell, the equilibrium can be maintained (before a shift develops). This comparison between the power requirement of a load with the available electrical power as well as the controlling of thermal operating parameters can be performed at any time interval. As a mere example, the comparison and the controlling may be performed at a frequency between 0.25 Hz to 5 Hz, preferably at a frequency between 0.5 Hz and 2 Hz, and most preferably at a frequency of 1 Hz, i.e., every second.
Conventionally, if a decreased available electrical power from the fuel cell is determined at the load, as it is sometimes performed, the correction of operating parameters of the fuel cell will take time. This results in a negative impact on the fuel cell as well as bad performance of the load.
In an implementation variant, controlling thermal operating parameters can include one or more of controlling a mass flow of coolant conveyed by a coolant conveyor through the fuel cell, controlling a volumetric flow of air provided to the fuel cell, and controlling an air pressure of the air provided to the fuel cell. By changing the mass flow of coolant the temperature of the fuel cell can be increased or decreased, so that equilibrium of liquid and gaseous product water is maintained at the desired ratio. Likewise, depending on the air temperature provided to the fuel cell, the temperature of the fuel cell can be increased or decreased. When controlling an air pressure of the air provided to the fuel cell, the volume flow of air can be increased or decreased. For instance, a higher air pressure leads to a higher air density, which improves the oxygen supply and thus increases the fuel cell stack efficiency.
In a further implementation variant the method can further comprise sensing a temperature of a coolant at a coolant inlet of the fuel cell and a temperature of the coolant at a coolant outlet of the fuel cell, and calculating a thermal power forming part of the electromotive force of the fuel cell based on a difference between the sensed temperatures at the coolant inlet and outlet. The coolant, for example, can be part of a cooling circuit and can be conveyed by a coolant conveyor through the fuel cell and an external heat exchanger. The electromotive force of the fuel cell can be interpreted as including an electrical power portion and a thermal power portion, wherein the thermal power portion can be calculated by
where {dot over (m)}*cv is the thermal mass in J/Ks and ΔT is the temperature difference between the coolant inlet and the coolant outlet in K.
In another implementation variant, the mass flow {dot over (m)} and temperature difference ΔT can alternatively or additionally relate to an air flow provided to the fuel cell, for example, as a source of oxygen. The temperature difference ΔT could then be measured at an inlet and outlet of into and out of the fuel cell.
In any case, when calculating the deviation of electrical power in the method, this can be based at least in part on the calculated thermal power Pth.
As a mere example, the electromotive force can be calculated as
wherein Pel is the electrical power, U and I are respectively a voltage and current of an electric circuit including the fuel cell and the load. U and I can likewise be measured at any time in this electric circuit.
If for instance ΔT is measured in a cooling circuit at an inlet and outlet of the fuel cell, and {dot over (m)} is measured at a conveying device (or at the inlet or outlet) of the cooling circuit, the thermal power can be calculated. The resulting electric power Pel according to equation (3) can then be set as the available electrical power of the fuel cell.
Furthermore, the electromotive force can be calculated based on equations (1) to (3), and strongly depends on the thermal conditions of the fuel cell. Thus, if the power requirement of the load indicates a different required electrical power than what is available from the electric power Pel according to the presently calculated electromotive force UEMF, the method can adapt the thermal operating parameters to achieve an electromotive force UEMF matching the power requirement of the load.
In yet a further implementation variant, the method can further comprise determining a Gibbs free energy of the fuel cell for a present operating status of the fuel cell, wherein calculating the deviation of electrical power is based on the determined Gibbs free energy.
While the Gibbs free energy can be looked up and is well-known for a liquid and gaseous equilibrium of water under certain conditions, the electromotive force can be calculated as
wherein ΔG is the Gibbs free energy in kJ/mol, z is the number of electrons involved in the electrode reaction, and F is the Faraday constant in As/mol.
Thus, a deviation between the electromotive force (UEMF) derived on the basis of the Gibbs free energy (equation (4)) and the electromotive force sensed at the fuel cell (equations (1) to (3)) can be determined. The thermal operating parameters of the fuel cell can then be changed (controlled), to compensate for the deviation.
In yet another implementation variant, the determining of the power requirement of the load comprises retrieving a load profile of the load for a predefined future time period. For example, the load may have a particular operating plan and the required electric power is known in advance. This known required electrical power may be retrievable in form of a profile, for example, in form of required power levels over time. The predefined time period may include any future time, such as five seconds, 10 seconds, 20 seconds, one minute, two minutes, five minutes, 10 minutes, 60 minutes, and even more.
According to a second aspect to better understand the present disclosure, a fuel cell system comprises a fuel cell stack, configured to output a sensor signal indicating an operating parameter of the fuel cell stack, a cooling circuit configured to cool the fuel cell stack, and a control unit.
As a mere example, such fuel cell system can be employed to perform the method of the first aspect or one of its variants. Particularly, the control unit can be configured to perform the method of the first aspect or one of its variants.
Specifically, the control unit of the fuel cell system is configured to determine a power requirement of a load electrically connected with the fuel cell stack. This requirement can be determined directly at the load and/or at a controller controlling the load.
The control unit is further configured to determine an electromotive force of the fuel cell stack based on the sensor signal of the at least one sensor, determine an available electrical power from the fuel cell stack based on the determined electromotive force of the fuel cell stack, calculate a deviation between the determined power requirement of the load and the available electrical power from the fuel cell stack, and control the cooling circuit to adapt thermal operating parameters of the fuel cell stack to compensate for the calculated deviation.
The control unit can operate in real-time (online), i.e. can control the thermal operating parameters of the fuel cell stack as a direct response to the determined and calculated parameters. Thus, the fuel cell stack can be operated in a more constant way, particularly with respect to a liquid and gaseous equilibrium of product water.
In an implementation variant, the cooling circuit can comprise a coolant inlet, a coolant outlet, and a coolant conveyor conveying a coolant from the coolant outlet to the coolant inlet and through the fuel cell stack. This further allows the control unit to be configured, when adapting thermal operating parameters, to:
It is to be understood that additional or alternative thermal parameters of the fuel cell stack may be adjusted or changed by the control unit. The aim of the control unit is to achieve a (relatively) constant temperature in the fuel cell stack, which leads to a (relatively) constant electromotive force and, hence, an optimal operation of the fuel cell stack. In addition, the control unit is configured to achieve the (relatively) constant temperature in the fuel cell stack based on the power requirement of the load, on which the electromotive force and the available electrical power depend.
In a further implementation variant, the at least one sensor can comprise a coolant inlet temperature sensor configured to sense a temperature of a coolant at the coolant inlet of the fuel cell stack, and a coolant outlet temperature sensor configured to sense a temperature of the coolant at the coolant outlet of the fuel cell stack. It is to be understood that additional temperature and/or pressure sensors can be implemented and provided in or at the fuel cell stack.
In yet a further implementation variant, the control unit can further be configured to calculate a thermal power forming part of the electromotive force of the fuel cell based on a difference between the sensed temperatures at the coolant inlet and outlet, and calculate the deviation of electrical power based at least in part on the calculated thermal power.
The control unit can perform calculations on the basis of equations (1) to (3) as outlined with respect to the first aspect.
In another implementation variant, the mass flow {dot over (m)} and temperature difference ΔT can alternatively or additionally relate to an air flow provided to the fuel cell, for example, as a source of oxygen. The temperature difference ΔT could then be measured at an inlet and outlet of the air flow into and out of the fuel cell. The mass flow can be controlled by a conveyor of air, such as a fan, a compressor, a valve of an air source or the like.
In yet another implementation variant, the control unit can further be configured to determine a Gibbs free energy of the fuel cell stack for a present operating status of the fuel cell stack, and calculate the deviation of electrical power based on the determined Gibbs free energy.
The control unit can perform calculations on the basis of equations (1) to (4) as outlined with respect to the first aspect.
The present disclosure is not restricted to the aspects and variants in the described form and order. Specifically, the description of aspects and variants is not to be understood as a specific limiting grouping of features. It is to be understood that the present disclosure also covers combinations of the aspects and variants. Thus, each variant or optional feature can be combined with any other aspect, variant, optional feature or even combinations thereof.
In the following, the present disclosure will further be described with reference to exemplary implementations illustrated in the figures, in which:
In the following description, for purposes of explanation and not limitation, specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present disclosure. It will be apparent to one skilled in the art that the present disclosure may be practiced in other implementations that depart from these specific details.
Furthermore, the fuel cell system 100 comprises a fuel cell stack 110, a control unit 120 and a cooling circuit 150 configured to cool the fuel cell stack 110. The fuel cell stack can be equipped with at least one sensor 160 configured to output a sensor signal indicating an operating parameter of the fuel cell stack 110
The at least one sensor 160 (161-167 in
Furthermore, sensors 161, 165 can be temperature and/or volumetric sensors measuring the temperature and/or volume flow of the hydrogen and air (oxygen) provided to the fuel cell system 100. Illustrated sensors 163, 166 can likewise be temperature and/or volumetric sensors measuring the temperature and/or volume flow of hydrogen and air (oxygen) leaving the fuel cell system 100. Sensor 167 can be a pressure sensor and/or relative humidity sensor and/or temperature sensor in the fuel cell stack 110.
It is to be understood that any other sensor can be employed, if it facilitates operating the fuel cell system 100 in accordance with the present disclosure.
Although the control unit 120 is illustrated separately from the fuel cell stack 110, it is to be understood that the control unit 120 can be arranged anywhere in the fuel cell system 100. The control unit 120 is configured to determine a power requirement of a load 140 electrically connected with the fuel cell stack 110. On the one hand, the power requirement of the load 140 can be determined by receiving a signal and/or data indicating the power requirement, such as a current power output of the load 140. For instance, the power requirement is an electrical power requirement, while the power output may be a mechanical power, heating power, etc. . . . On the other hand, the power requirement of the load can be determined from a controller (not illustrated) of the load. Thus, when the controller changes a power requirement of the load, the control unit 120 can be directly informed about this change. Such change of power requirement of the load can also be determined in advance. For instance, a load profile of the load 140 may be known in advance, for example, by the controller of the load, so that the control unit 120 can derive such load profile for a future operation of the load 140.
Furthermore, the control unit 120 is configured to determine an electromotive force UEMF of the fuel cell stack 110 based on the sensor signal of the at least one sensor 160, and is further configured to determine an available electrical power Pel from the fuel cell stack 110 based on the electromotive force UEMF of the fuel cell stack 110. For instance, the available electrical power Pel can be derived directly from an electric circuit comprising the fuel cell stack 110 and the load 140 and/or via the electromotive force UEMF in accordance with a polarization curve.
An exemplary polarization curve is illustrated in
Referring back to
As a mere example, the temperature of the fuel cell stack 110 influences the electromotive force UEMF as well as available electrical power Pel. Thus, adapting thermal operating parameters allows adapting the electromotive force UEMF of the fuel cell stack 110 and, hence, the available electrical power Pel.
As illustrated in
where {dot over (m)}*cv is the thermal mass in J/Ks (thermal mass flow multiplied by thermal coefficient of the flowing substance (liquid or gas)), and ΔT is the temperature difference in K between an inlet and an outlet (for the substance) in the fuel cell stack 110. Using the determined electromotive force UEMF of the fuel cell stack 110, the available electric power Pel can be calculated and compared to the power requirement of the load 140 (i.e. the deviation is calculated).
If there is a deviation, the control unit 120 can change operating parameters of the fuel cell stack 110, in order to change the thermal mass and/or the temperature difference of above equation (1). By changing the thermal operating parameters of the fuel cell stack 110, the electromotive force UEMF of the fuel cell stack 110 can be changed correspondingly, according to equation (2). This allows a fast adaptation of the operation of the fuel cell stack 110, even before the fuel cell stack 110 operates in an unwanted condition.
The lower diagram of
In order to optimize the operating state of the fuel cell stack 110, and as indicated above, the control unit 120 takes into consideration the thermal power Pth of the fuel cell stack 110.
For instance, the cooling circuit 150 can comprise a coolant inlet 152, a coolant outlet 153, and a coolant conveyor 151 conveying a coolant from the coolant outlet 153 to the coolant inlet 152 and through the fuel cell stack. Thus, heat generated in the fuel cell stack 110 can be transferred to the coolant, which transports the heat out of the fuel cell stack 110. For instance, a heat exchanger 154 may be integrated into the cooling circuit 150, in order to cool the coolant.
The control unit 120 can be configured to measure a temperature difference ΔT in the cooling circuit 150, particularly at the coolant inlet 152 and the coolant outlet 153, via sensors 162 and 164. Additionally or alternatively, a mass flow {dot over (m)} of the coolant is measured, for example, at the conveying devices 151 or at the coolant inlet 152 or the coolant outlet 153.
Alternatively or additionally, an airflow 112 provided to the fuel cell stack 110 and/or an airflow 114 exiting the fuel cell stack 110 may be employed to measure a temperature difference ΔT and/or a mass flow {dot over (m)} of the air entering and leaving the fuel cell system 100. Specifically, this air flow through the fuel cell stack 110 also takes up heat energy from the fuel cell stack 110 and transports it out of the fuel cell system 100.
In any case, the thermal power Pth of the fuel cell stack 110 can be derived at any time. Likewise, the coolant flow and/or air flow can be changed, in order to control the thermal operating parameters of the fuel cell system 100. As a mere example, the coolant conveyor 151 may be controlled, so that less or more coolant is conveyed through the fuel cell stack 110. Likewise, a volumetric flow of air 112-114 through the fuel cell stack 110 can be changed. Furthermore, the control unit 120 can control an air pressure in the fuel cell system 100 or fuel cell stack 110.
The operating conditions of the fuel cell stack 110 depend on the temperature, pressure and relative humidity in the fuel cell stack 110. As is known, the fuel cell stack 110 converts hydrogen and oxygen into electrical energy, heat and product water. The product water is usually required to a certain extent, in order to operate the fuel cell stack 110 in wet conditions. However, if the amount of liquid water in the fuel cell stack 110 increases, the efficiency of the fuel cell stack 110 decreases. On the one hand, liquid water can carry more thermal energy, which will leave the fuel cell stack 110, as the water has to be removed over time. On the other hand, the ratio of liquid and gaseous water influences the electromotive force UEMF of the fuel cell stack 110.
Specifically, the electromotive force UEMF of a fuel cell depends on the Gibbs free energy, which depends on the ratio of liquid and gaseous water in the fuel cell stack 110. Every ratio has its own Gibbs free energy value.
While the Gibbs free energy can be looked up and is well-known for a liquid and gaseous equilibrium of water under certain conditions, the electromotive force UEMF can be calculated as
wherein ΔG is the Gibbs free energy in KJ/mol, z is the number of electrons involved in the electrode reaction, and F is the Faraday constant in As/mol.
Thus, when the present certain condition of the fuel cell stack 110 is known, the control unit 120 can operate the fuel cell system 100 in the required manner. For example, temperature, pressure and/or relative humidity inside of the fuel cell stack 110 can be sensed or measured via sensors 160. Based on these conditions, the Gibbs free energy can be looked up (for example, in a corresponding lookup table or database). Then the electromotive force UEMF of the fuel cell stack 110 can be determined according to equation (4) and the thermal operating parameters can be controlled.
As a mere example, a mass flow of coolant conveyed by the coolant conveyor 151 may be reduced, in order to warm the fuel cell stack 110 (actually cool the fuel cell stack 110 less by the cooling circuit 150). Alternatively or additionally, a volumetric flow of air 112 into the fuel cell stack 110 can be reduced and/or a pressure inside of the fuel cell stack 110 can be increased, in order to raise the temperature of the fuel cell stack 110. Thus, the progression of the electromotive force UEMF can be optimised and can be brought to the progression curve “system self-recovery”. The fuel cell system 100, hence, operates in optimized conditions.
In a first step 210, a power requirement of a load 140 electrically connected with the fuel cell system 100 is determined. Thereafter or simultaneously, in step 220, and electromotive force UEMF of the fuel cell system 100 is sensed. Based on the sensed electromotive force UEMF of the fuel cell system 100, in step 230, an available electrical power Pel is determined. As a mere example, in optional step 225, a temperature of a coolant of the fuel cell system 100 can be sensed. For instance, a temperature of the coolant at a coolant inlet 152 and/or a temperature of the coolant at a coolant outlet 153 can be measured or sensed. In this case, in the further optional step 230, a thermal power Pth forming part of the electromotive force UEMF is calculated based on a difference between the sensed temperatures at the coolant inlet and outlet.
In step 240, a deviation between the determined power requirement of the load 140 and the available electrical power Pel from the fuel cell system 100 is calculated. This may be based at least in part on the calculated thermal power Pth from steps 225 and 230, if this option is performed.
In any case, in step 250, thermal operating parameters of the fuel cell system 100 are controlled to compensate for the calculated deviation between power requirement and available electrical power Pel.
The systems and devices described herein may include a controller or a computing device comprising a processing and a memory which has stored therein computer-executable instructions for implementing the processes described herein. The processing unit may comprise any suitable devices configured to cause a series of steps to be performed so as to implement the method such that instructions, when executed by the computing device or other programmable apparatus, may cause the functions/acts/steps specified in the methods described herein to be executed. The processing unit may comprise, for example, any type of general-purpose microprocessor or microcontroller, a digital signal processing (DSP) processor, a central processing unit (CPU), an integrated circuit, a field programmable gate array (FPGA), a reconfigurable processor, other suitably programmed or programmable logic circuits, or any combination thereof.
The memory may be any suitable known or other machine-readable storage medium. The memory may comprise non-transitory computer readable storage medium such as, for example, but not limited to, an electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system, apparatus, or device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. The memory may include a suitable combination of any type of computer memory that is located either internally or externally to the device such as, for example, random-access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), compact disc read-only memory (CDROM), electro-optical memory, magneto-optical memory, erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), and electrically-erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), Ferroelectric RAM (FRAM) or the like. The memory may comprise any storage means (e.g., devices) suitable for retrievably storing the computer-executable instructions executable by processing unit.
The methods and systems described herein may be implemented in a high-level procedural or object-oriented programming or scripting language, or a combination thereof, to communicate with or assist in the operation of the controller or computing device. Alternatively, the methods and systems described herein may be implemented in assembly or machine language. The language may be a compiled or interpreted language. Program code for implementing the methods and systems described herein may be stored on the storage media or the device, for example a ROM, a magnetic disk, an optical disc, a flash drive, or any other suitable storage media or device. The program code may be readable by a general or special-purpose programmable computer for configuring and operating the computer when the storage media or device is read by the computer to perform the procedures described herein.
Computer-executable instructions may be in many forms, including modules, executed by one or more computers or other devices. Generally, modules include routines, programs, objects, components, data structures, etc., that perform particular tasks or implement particular abstract data types. Typically, the functionality of the modules may be combined or distributed as desired in various embodiments.
It will be appreciated that the systems and devices and components thereof may utilize communication through any of various network protocols such as TCP/IP, Ethernet, FTP, HTTP and the like, and/or through various wireless communication technologies such as GSM, CDMA, Wi-Fi, and WiMAX, is and the various computing devices described herein may be configured to communicate using any of these network protocols or technologies.
While at least one exemplary embodiment of the present invention(s) is disclosed herein, it should be understood that modifications, substitutions and alternatives may be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art and can be made without departing from the scope of this disclosure. This disclosure is intended to cover any adaptations or variations of the exemplary embodiment(s). In addition, in this disclosure, the terms “comprise” or “comprising” do not exclude other elements or steps, the terms “a” or “one” do not exclude a plural number, and the term “or” means either or both. Furthermore, characteristics or steps which have been described may also be used in combination with other characteristics or steps and in any order unless the disclosure or context suggests otherwise. This disclosure hereby incorporates by reference the complete disclosure of any patent or application from which it claims benefit or priority.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 23165136.5 | Mar 2023 | EP | regional |
