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KR-102963395-B1 - COOLING CONTROL SYSTEM AND METHOD OF FUEL CELL

KR102963395B1KR 102963395 B1KR102963395 B1KR 102963395B1KR-102963395-B1

Abstract

A fuel cell that generates electricity by receiving fuel gas and oxidizing gas, respectively; a cooling line connected to pass through the fuel cell and a radiator, which cools the fuel cell by circulating an internal cooling medium; a sensing unit that senses the inlet temperature of the cooling medium flowing into the fuel cell from the cooling line and the outlet temperature of the cooling medium discharged from the fuel cell, respectively; a cooling device driven to generate circulation of the cooling medium or to vary the amount of heat dissipated or the temperature of the cooling medium; and a cooling controller that calculates a reference temperature based on the sensed inlet and outlet temperatures of the cooling medium and controls the cooling device based on the calculated reference temperature. A cooling control system and method for a fuel cell are introduced.

Inventors

  • 정성철
  • 정재원
  • 김종균

Assignees

  • 현대자동차주식회사
  • 기아 주식회사

Dates

Publication Date
20260508
Application Date
20201130

Claims (16)

  1. A fuel cell that generates electricity by receiving fuel gas and oxidizing gas, respectively; A cooling line connected to pass through a fuel cell and a radiator, and cooling the fuel cell by circulating an internal cooling medium; A sensing unit that senses the inlet temperature of the cooling medium flowing into the fuel cell from the cooling line and the outlet temperature of the cooling medium discharged from the fuel cell, respectively; A cooling device driven to generate circulation of a cooling medium or to vary the amount of heat dissipation or temperature of the cooling medium; and A cooling controller that calculates a reference temperature based on the inlet and outlet temperatures of a sensed cooling medium and controls a cooling device based on the calculated reference temperature; A cooling control system for a fuel cell characterized by a cooling controller that sets a weight based on the heat generation state of the fuel cell or the heat dissipation state of the cooling line, and sets a reference temperature by applying the set weight to the inlet temperature or outlet temperature of the sensed cooling medium.
  2. In claim 1, A cooling control system for a fuel cell, characterized in that the cooling device comprises a cooling pump that generates circulation of a cooling medium, a cooling fan that generates air flow around a radiator, or a control valve that controls the ratio of the cooling medium passing through the radiator.
  3. delete
  4. In claim 1, A cooling control system for a fuel cell characterized by a cooling controller that increases the weighting for the outlet temperature of the cooling medium or decreases the weighting for the inlet temperature of the cooling medium as the change in the heat output of the fuel cell increases.
  5. In claim 4, A cooling control system for a fuel cell, characterized in that the cooling controller increases the magnitude of a variable weight as the ratio or frequency at which the magnitude of the required current or output current of the fuel cell is greater than or equal to a preset current increases.
  6. In claim 1, A cooling control system for a fuel cell characterized by a cooling controller that increases the weighting for the outlet temperature of the cooling medium or decreases the weighting for the inlet temperature of the cooling medium as the ambient temperature around the radiator increases.
  7. In claim 6, A cooling control system for a fuel cell characterized by a cooling controller that increases the magnitude of a variable weight as the amount of external air flow around the radiator decreases.
  8. In claim 1, A cooling control system for a fuel cell, characterized in that the cooling controller controls the cooling device so that the amount of cooling of the fuel cell increases as the calculated reference temperature increases.
  9. A step of sensing the inlet temperature of the cooling medium flowing into the fuel cell from the cooling line and the outlet temperature of the cooling medium discharged from the fuel cell, respectively; A step of calculating a reference temperature based on the inlet and outlet temperatures of the sensed cooling medium; and The method includes the step of controlling a cooling device that generates circulation of a cooling medium based on a calculated reference temperature, or varies the amount of heat dissipation or temperature of the cooling medium. Prior to the step of calculating the reference temperature, the method further includes a step of determining the heat generation state of the fuel cell or the heat dissipation state of the cooling line; A method for controlling the cooling of a fuel cell, characterized in that, in the step of calculating a reference temperature, a weight is set based on the heat generation state of the fuel cell or the heat dissipation state of the cooling line, and the reference temperature is set by applying the set weight to the inlet temperature or outlet temperature of the sensed cooling medium.
  10. In claim 9, A method for controlling cooling of a fuel cell, characterized in that, in the step of controlling a cooling device, a cooling pump that generates circulation of a cooling medium, a cooling fan that generates air flow around a radiator, or a control valve that controls the ratio of the cooling medium passing through the radiator.
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  12. In claim 9, A method for controlling the cooling of a fuel cell, characterized in that, in the step of calculating a reference temperature, the weighting for the outlet temperature of the cooling medium is increased or the weighting for the inlet temperature of the cooling medium is decreased as the change in the heat output of the fuel cell increases.
  13. In claim 12, A method for controlling the cooling of a fuel cell, characterized in that, in the step of calculating a reference temperature, the magnitude of a variable weight is increased as the ratio or frequency at which the magnitude of the required current or output current of the fuel cell is greater than or equal to a preset current increases.
  14. In claim 9, A method for controlling the cooling of a fuel cell, characterized in that, in the step of calculating a reference temperature, the weighting for the outlet temperature of the cooling medium is increased or the weighting for the inlet temperature of the cooling medium is decreased as the ambient temperature around the radiator increases.
  15. In claim 14, A method for controlling the cooling of a fuel cell, characterized in that, in the step of calculating the reference temperature, the magnitude of the weighting factor that is varied as the amount of external air flow around the radiator decreases.
  16. In claim 9, A method for controlling the cooling of a fuel cell, characterized in that, in the step of controlling the cooling device, the cooling device is controlled such that the amount of cooling of the fuel cell increases as the calculated reference temperature increases.

Description

Cooling Control System and Method of Fuel Cell The present invention relates to a cooling control system and method for a fuel cell, and more specifically, to a technology for controlling the cooling of a fuel cell using the inlet and outlet temperatures of the cooling water of the fuel cell. A fuel cell is a type of power generation device that directly converts chemical energy generated by the oxidation of fuel into electrical energy. While fundamentally similar to chemical batteries in that they utilize oxidation and reduction reactions, they differ in that, unlike chemical batteries which conduct reactions within a closed system, reactants are continuously supplied from the outside, and reaction products are continuously removed from the system. Recently, fuel cell power generation systems have been commercialized, and active research is being conducted to utilize them as an energy source for eco-friendly vehicles, as the reaction product of fuel cells is pure water. A fuel cell system includes a fuel cell stack that generates electrical energy through a chemical reaction, an air supply device that supplies air to the cathode of the fuel cell stack, and a hydrogen supply device that supplies hydrogen to the anode of the fuel cell stack. In other words, air containing oxygen is supplied to the cathode of the fuel cell stack, and hydrogen is supplied to the anode of the fuel cell stack. Cooling control of the fuel cell stack is essential for the efficient operation and maintenance of durability performance of the fuel cell system. In particular, since normal output is impossible under high-temperature conditions of the fuel cell stack, limiting the output above a certain temperature is a commonly used control method. Conventionally, it was difficult to directly monitor the internal temperature of a fuel cell stack, so cooling control was performed using the temperature of the cooling water used to cool the fuel cell stack. However, according to conventional technology, there was a problem where a delay occurred in the control that detected and responded to situations such as rapid overheating of the fuel cell stack. The matters described above as background technology are intended only to enhance understanding of the background of the present invention and should not be construed as an acknowledgment that they constitute prior art already known to those skilled in the art. FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a cooling control system for a fuel cell according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 illustrates an offset according to the heat generation state of a fuel cell according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 illustrates an offset according to the heat dissipation state of a fuel cell according to one embodiment of the present invention. Figure 4 is a graph showing the temperature of a fuel cell over time in a cooling control system according to the prior art and the present invention. FIG. 5 is a flowchart of a method for controlling the cooling of a fuel cell according to one embodiment of the present invention. Specific structural or functional descriptions of embodiments of the present invention disclosed in this specification or application are merely illustrative for the purpose of explaining embodiments according to the present invention, and embodiments according to the present invention may be implemented in various forms and should not be interpreted as being limited to the embodiments described in this specification or application. Since embodiments according to the present invention may be subject to various modifications and may take various forms, specific embodiments are illustrated in the drawings and described in detail in this specification or application. However, this is not intended to limit embodiments according to the concept of the present invention to specific disclosed forms, and it should be understood that it includes all modifications, equivalents, and substitutions that fall within the spirit and scope of the present invention. Terms such as "first" and/or "second" may be used to describe various components, but said components shall not be limited by said terms. For the sole purpose of distinguishing one component from another, for example, without departing from the scope of rights according to the concept of the present invention, the first component may be named the second component, and similarly, the second component may be named the first component. When it is stated that one component is "connected" or "connected" to another component, it should be understood that while it may be directly connected or connected to that other component, there may also be other components in between. Conversely, when it is stated that one component is "directly connected" or "directly connected" to another component, it should be understood that there are no other components in between. Other expressions describing the relationship between components,