KR-102962112-B1 - FUEL CELL COOLING SYSTEM FOR VEHICLE

KR102962112B1KR 102962112 B1KR102962112 B1KR 102962112B1KR-102962112-B1

Abstract

A fuel cell cooling system according to the present invention comprises: a fuel cell stack configured to produce electricity using fuel; a fuel cell cooling unit configured to cool cooling water for cooling the fuel cell stack through heat exchange with the outside air; an exhaust line configured to exhaust exhaust gas generated from the fuel cell stack; a condensing unit disposed in the exhaust line to condense the exhaust gas to generate and store condensate; a spraying unit connected to the condensing unit to spray the condensate onto the outer surface of the fuel cell cooling unit; and a condensate cooling unit connected to the condensing unit to cool the condensate stored in the condensing unit through heat exchange.

Inventors

이강웅

Assignees

현대자동차주식회사
기아 주식회사

Dates

Publication Date: 20260512
Application Date: 20210617

Claims (12)

A fuel cell stack configured to produce electricity using fuel; A fuel cell cooling unit configured to cool the cooling water for cooling the above fuel cell stack through heat exchange with the outside air; An exhaust line provided to allow exhaust gas generated from the above fuel cell stack to be exhausted; A condensation unit disposed in the exhaust line to condense the exhaust gas to generate and store condensate; A spraying part connected to the condensation part to spray the condensate onto the outer surface of the fuel cell cooling part; and It includes a condensate cooling unit connected to the condensate unit to cool the condensate stored in the condensate unit through heat exchange, and The above condensate cooling unit is a battery unit comprising a battery module provided to store power and a supply channel through which supply water provided for temperature control of the battery module flows. The above condensation unit includes a condensate tank provided to store condensate, and A fuel cell cooling system in which a heat exchange channel, which is part of the supply channel, is connected to the condensate tank so that the condensate and the supply water indirectly exchange heat.
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In paragraph 1, The above battery unit is, A battery radiator disposed in the supply channel for cooling the supply water through heat exchange with the outside air; A battery fan for supplying outside air to the surroundings of the battery radiator; A battery cooling device positioned downstream of the position where the battery radiator is located in the supply channel, relative to the flow direction of the supply water, for cooling the supply water through heat exchange with a refrigerant; A radiator valve disposed in the supply path to determine whether the supply water flows through the battery radiator; and A fuel cell cooling system comprising a cooling valve disposed in the supply channel to determine whether the supply water flows through the heat exchange channel.
In paragraph 3, The above condensation unit further includes a condensate temperature acquisition unit configured to acquire the temperature of the stored condensate, and It further includes a processor electrically connected to the above-mentioned condensate temperature acquisition unit and the above-mentioned battery unit, and The above processor is a fuel cell cooling system that opens the radiator valve and operates the battery fan when the temperature of the condensate obtained by the condensate temperature obtaining unit is greater than a predetermined reference condensate temperature.
In paragraph 4, The above processor is a fuel cell cooling system configured to control the opening of the cooling valve based on the temperature of the condensate obtained by the condensate temperature obtaining unit when the battery radiator participates in cooling.
In paragraph 1, The above fuel cell cooling unit is, A stack radiator for cooling the coolant through heat exchange with the outside air and the coolant; and A fuel cell cooling system comprising a stack fan for supplying outside air to the surroundings of the stack radiator.
In paragraph 6, The above injection unit comprises a nozzle for injecting condensate into the stack radiator, in a fuel cell cooling system.
In Paragraph 7, The above injection unit further comprises a condensate control valve for controlling the flow rate of condensate supplied to the nozzle and an air control valve for controlling the pressure at which condensate is sprayed through the nozzle, in a fuel cell cooling system.
In paragraph 8, A cooling water temperature acquisition unit configured to acquire the temperature of the above cooling water; and It further includes a processor electrically connected to the injection unit and the cooling water temperature acquisition unit, The above processor is configured to control the opening of the condensate control valve and the air control valve based on the temperature of the coolant obtained by the coolant temperature acquisition unit, in a fuel cell cooling system.
In Paragraph 7, The above injection unit further includes an air preparation unit for preparing air to be injected through the nozzle, and The above air preparation unit includes an air tank for storing air, a compressor provided to inject air into the air tank at a predetermined pressure, and an air pressure acquisition unit for acquiring the pressure of the air stored in the air tank. It further includes a processor electrically connected to the injection unit and the air preparation unit, The above processor is a fuel cell cooling system that controls the compressor to operate when the air pressure obtained by the air pressure acquisition unit is below a predetermined threshold pressure.
In paragraph 6, The above condensation unit further includes a condensate level acquisition unit configured to acquire a stored condensate level, and It further includes a processor electrically connected to the stack fan, the injection unit, and the condensate level acquisition unit, and The above processor is a fuel cell cooling system configured such that when the condensate level obtained by the condensate level obtaining unit is higher than the critical level, the injection unit and the stack fan operate.
In paragraph 1, The above condensation unit comprises a condensate tank provided for storing the condensate and a drain pipe provided for discharging the condensate from the condensate tank to the outside, forming a fuel cell cooling system.

Description

Fuel Cell Cooling System for Vehicle The present invention relates to a fuel cell cooling system for vehicles. A fuel cell is a device that generates electricity using a fuel containing hydrogen and a gas containing oxygen. The electricity produced by the fuel cell can be stored in a battery, which is an energy storage device such as a secondary battery or a capacitor, for purposes such as stabilizing the output. Fuel cells and batteries are used to drive vehicles and can replace internal combustion engines and fossil fuels. Fig. 1 is a diagram showing the layout of a typical vehicle fuel cell system. As shown in Fig. 1, a fuel cell system can be installed and used in a cargo truck, which is a type of vehicle (V). The radiator (R) of the fuel cell system is positioned at the front of the vehicle (V), and the stack (S) and heat pump (P) of the fuel cell system can be positioned behind the radiator (R) and below the driver's seat. Heat from the stack (S) can be discharged by the heat pump (P) and the radiator (R). Even if the fuel cell system has the heat dissipation structure described above, it ultimately only dissipates heat to the radiator (R), and the limit temperature at which cooling must be performed for stable operation is about 85°C. On the other hand, in the case of a vehicle including an internal combustion engine, cooling is performed using an intercooler and a radiator, and the limit temperature for stable operation is about 105°C. In other words, when operating a vehicle using a fuel cell system, there is a disadvantage of about 20°C in terms of the limit temperature, and the component participating in cooling is also limited to a single radiator due to the characteristics of the fuel cell, so there is a problem that it is difficult to perform sufficient cooling and the temperature may increase rapidly. Figure 1 is a diagram showing the layout of a typical vehicle fuel cell system. FIG. 2 is a conceptual diagram of a vehicle fuel cell cooling system according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating a method for controlling an injection unit according to the temperature of the coolant of a vehicle fuel cell cooling system according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a graph showing the opening rate of the nozzles of the injection unit according to the cooling water temperature of a vehicle fuel cell cooling system according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a method for controlling an injection unit according to the condensate level of a vehicle fuel cell cooling system according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a method for controlling a battery section according to the condensate temperature of a vehicle fuel cell cooling system according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 7 is a graph showing the opening rate of the nozzles of the battery section according to the condensate temperature of a vehicle fuel cell cooling system according to one embodiment of the present invention. Hereinafter, some embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to exemplary drawings. It should be noted that in assigning reference numerals to the components of each drawing, the same components are given the same reference numeral whenever possible, even if they are shown in different drawings. Furthermore, in describing the embodiments of the present invention, if it is determined that a detailed description of related known components or functions would hinder understanding of the embodiments of the present invention, such detailed description is omitted. In addition, terms such as first, second, A, B, (a), (b), etc., may be used when describing the components of the embodiments of the present invention. These terms are intended only to distinguish the components from other components, and the essence, order, or sequence of the components is not limited by the terms. Where it is stated that a component is "connected," "combined," or "connected" to another component, it should be understood that the component may be directly connected or connected to the other component, but that another component may also be "connected," "combined," or "connected" between each component. FIG. 2 is a conceptual diagram of a fuel cell cooling system (1) according to one embodiment of the present invention. Referring to the drawings, a fuel cell cooling system according to one embodiment of the present invention includes a fuel cell stack (11), a fuel cell cooling unit (12), an exhaust line (15), a condensation unit (30), an injection unit (40), and a condensate cooling unit. The fuel cell cooling system may include a processor (not shown) for controlling each component. By having such a configuration, the fuel cell cooling system (1) according to one embodiment of the present invention provides additional heat exchange and cooling for the fuel c