US-12620610-B2 - Method for operating a fuel cell system

US12620610B2US 12620610 B2US12620610 B2US 12620610B2US-12620610-B2

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for operating a fuel cell system, wherein the fuel cell system is controlled in accordance with a system-specific digital twin ( 14 ) that represents the fuel cell system. According to the invention, the digital twin ( 14 ) controls the fuel cell system in at least two different active operating states ( 16, 18 ) of the fuel cell system.

Inventors

Ingo KERKAMM
Sebastian Schmaderer
Maxime Carre
Sebastian Egger

Assignees

ROBERT BOSCH GMBH

Dates

Publication Date: 20260505
Application Date: 20210615
Priority Date: 20200707

Claims (19)

1 . A method for operating a fuel cell system, the method comprising: providing, with a computing unit of the fuel cell system, a system-specific digital twin ( 14 ) that maps the fuel cell system, determining, with the digital twin ( 14 ), that the fuel cell system is in one of at least two different active operating states ( 16 , 18 ) of the fuel cell system based on a sensed parameter sensed by a sensor of the fuel cell system, mapping, with the digital twin, the fuel cell system using a first model corresponding to a first active operating state, comparing, with the digital twin, a value from the first model to the sensed parameter, and providing, based on the comparison and with the digital twin, operating parameters to a control unit of the fuel cell system to control the fuel cell system, wherein the digital twin reduces a computational effort to map the fuel cell system when the fuel cell system switches from the first active operating state to a second active operating state by deactivating at least one computational module of the digital twin.
2 . The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the digital twin ( 14 ) sets a computational effort to map the fuel cell system depending on a current active operating state ( 16 , 18 ) of the fuel cell system.
3 . The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the digital twin ( 14 ) supplies a control unit or regulating unit ( 20 , 22 , 22 ′) of the fuel cell system with the operating parameters ( 24 ) to be set for the fuel cell system during an irregular operating state ( 16 ).
4 . The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the digital twin ( 14 ) monitors the fuel cell system for anomalies ( 26 ) in sensed operating parameters ( 24 ) of the fuel cell system during a regular operating state ( 18 ) of the fuel cell system.
5 . The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein, the digital twin ( 14 ) places a control unit or regulating unit ( 20 , 22 , 22 ′) of the fuel cell system into a fault diagnosis state ( 28 ) upon detection of an anomaly ( 26 ) in sensed operating parameters ( 24 ) of the fuel cell system.
6 . The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein, the digital twin ( 14 ) places a control unit or regulating unit ( 20 , 22 , 22 ′) of the fuel cell system into a fault compensation state ( 30 ) upon detection of an anomaly ( 26 ) in sensed operating parameters ( 24 ) of the fuel cell system.
7 . The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the digital twin ( 14 ) places a control unit or regulating unit ( 20 , 22 , 22 ′) of the fuel cell system into a test state ( 32 ).
8 . The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein, in an irregular operating state ( 16 ) of the fuel cell system, the digital twin ( 14 ) activates an additional control unit or regulating unit ( 22 , 22 ′) for controlling or regulating external components ( 34 ).
9 . The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the digital twin ( 14 ) retrieves data from at least one further fuel cell system.
10 . The method of claim 1 , wherein activating at least one computation module of the digital twin includes at least one of: determining additional operating parameters, performing a numerical method with at least one of a first number of iterations and a first number of convergence criteria, replacing non-system specific functions with the numerical method, and evaluating a polynomial regression function.
11 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the first active operating state is an irregular operating state and the second active operating state is a regular operating state.
12 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the digital twin reduces a computational effort to map the fuel cell system when the fuel cell system switches from an irregular operating state to a regular operating state by: evaluating a first number of data sets of the digital twin, setting a first data processing time for mapping the fuel cell system, and setting a first time increment of an iteration method.
13 . The method of claim 12 , wherein the digital twin increases the computational effort to map the fuel cell system when the fuel cell system switches from the regular operating state to the irregular operating state by: evaluating a second number of data sets of the digital twin, wherein the second number of data sets is greater than the first number of data sets, setting a second data processing time for mapping the fuel cell system, wherein the second data processing time is less than the first data processing time, and setting a second time increment of the iteration method, wherein the second time increment is less than the first time increment.
14 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the digital twin provides the operating parameters to the control unit in response to sensing an anomaly based on the comparison of the value of the first model to the sensed parameter.
15 . A fuel cell system comprising a computing unit ( 36 ) configured to: obtain, with a computing unit of the fuel cell system, a system-specific digital twin ( 14 ) that maps the fuel cell system, determine, with the digital twin ( 14 ), that the fuel cell system is in a first active operating state of a plurality of active operating states, map, with the digital twin, the fuel cell system using a first model corresponding to the first active operating state, compare, with the digital twin, a value from the first model to a sensed parameter sensed by a sensor of the fuel cell system, and provide, with the digital twin, operating parameters to a control unit of the fuel cell system to control the fuel cell system, wherein the digital twin reduces a computational effort to map the fuel cell system when the fuel cell system switches from the first active operating state to a second active operating state by deactivating at least one computational module of the digital twin.
16 . The fuel cell system of claim 15 , wherein the digital twin detects an anomaly between the value and the sensed parameter based on the comparison of the value to the sensed parameter.
17 . The fuel cell system of claim 15 , wherein the first model is one of a basic model and a complex model.
18 . The fuel cell system of claim 17 , wherein the digital twin performs the mapping with the basic model by deactivating at least one computational module of the digital twin.
19 . The fuel cell system of claim 17 , wherein the digital twin performs mapping with the complex model by activating at least one computational module of the digital twin.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION US 2019/0173109 A1 has already proposed a method for operating a fuel cell system in which the fuel cell system is checked as a function of a system-specific digital twin that maps the fuel cell system. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The invention proceeds from a method for operating a fuel cell system, wherein the fuel cell system is checked as a function of a system-specific digital twin that maps the fuel cell system. It is proposed that the digital twin checks the fuel cell system in at least two different active operating states of the fuel cell system. The fuel cell system comprises at least one fuel cell unit for conversion of a fuel and/or for electrolysis of an electrolysis substance, in particular water. The fuel cell unit comprises at least one fuel cell, preferably a solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) and/or a proton-exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC). Optionally, the fuel cell unit comprises a plurality of fuel cells arranged, for example, in a stack or a composite of stacks. The fuel cell system comprises at least one supply unit for handling operating fluids of the fuel cell system, in particular for supplying the fuel cell unit with the operating fluids and/or for further conducting operating fluids exiting the fuel cell unit. For example, operating fluids include the fuel, an oxygen-containing fluid, in particular ambient air, the electrolysis substance, a reaction product, in particular water and/or carbon dioxide, an electrolysis product, in particular hydrogen, and/or a reforming additive, in particular water vapor. Preferably, the fuel cell system comprises an electronic unit for tapping an electric cell voltage and/or an electric cell current from the fuel cell unit, and/or for supplying an electric cell voltage and/or an electric cell current to the fuel cell unit. Preferably, the fuel cell system comprises at least one sensor unit for sensing operating parameters of the fuel cell system. Examples of operating parameters monitored by the sensor unit include a temperature of the operating fluids, of the fuel cell unit and/or of the supply unit, a pressure of the operating fluids, a flow parameter, in particular a volumetric flow rate and/or a mass flow rate, of the operating fluids, the cell voltage and/or the cell current, an operating point of at least one operating fluid conveying unit, in particular of a compressor, of a ventilator and/or of a pump for conveying one of the operating fluids, and/or a chemical composition, in particular a carbon content, a hydrogen content, a combustion-air ratio or the like, of one of the operating fluids. The fuel cell system comprises a control unit or regulating unit. The control unit or regulating unit is in particular provided to set and/or maintain the fuel cell unit to a predetermined operating point of the fuel cell unit. The term “provided” is understood in particular to mean specially configured, specially programmed, specially designed, and/or specially equipped. An object being provided for a particular function is understood in particular to mean that the object fulfills and/or performs this particular function in at least one application state and/or operating state. In particular, the control unit or regulating unit controls or regulates the supply unit and/or the electronic unit to reach and/or maintain the operating point of the fuel cell unit. Preferably, the control unit or regulating unit utilizes the operating parameters sensed by the sensor unit to reach and/or maintain the operating point of the fuel cell unit. The term “control unit or regulating unit” is understood in particular to mean a unit comprising at least one control electronics. The term “control electronics” is understood in particular to mean a unit comprising a processor unit and comprising a memory unit as well as an operating program stored in the memory unit. Particularly preferably, the control unit or regulating unit is designed as a programmable logic controller (PLC). The digital twin comprises a plurality of data sets comprising, for example, individual data, characteristic curves, calculation rules, mathematical models, correlations, or the like about the fuel cell system. The digital twin preferably comprises at least one data set that has been individually captured specifically for the fuel cell system. For example, the digital twin comprises at least one data set describing a material of the fuel cell system. For example, the digital twin comprises at least one data set describing a manufacture of the fuel cell system and/or data captured about the fuel cell system during manufacture. For example, the digital twin comprises at least one data set describing a design of the fuel cell system. For example, the digital twin comprises at least one data set describing a commissioning of the fuel cell system. For example, the digital twin comprises at least one data set describing a regular operating state of the fuel cell system. In at least