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US 11,108,068 B2Granted
Fuel cell control system
AssigneeFci
InventorsIngab Chang, Tae Won Lee
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Disclosed is a control system for a fuel cell system that includes at least two or more fuel cell groups which each have at least one fuel cell connected in parallel. The fuel cell control system comprises: a unit level controller configured to control an output of an individual fuel cell; a group level controller configured to determine the output distribution of the individual fuel cells within the fuel cell group based on the performance decrease rates of the individual fuel cells within the fuel cell group; and a system level controller configured to determine the total output of the fuel cell system according to the power demand for the grid and determine the output distribution for each of the fuel cell groups in correspondence to the total output.
Claims20
A fuel cell system comprising:
- a system level controller;
- and
- a plurality of fuel cell groups, wherein each of the plurality of fuel cell groups includes a group level controller, a plurality of unit level controllers connected to the group level controller, and a plurality of fuel cells respectively connected to the plurality of unit level controllers, each fuel cell of the plurality of fuel cells being connected to a corresponding unit level controller among the plurality of unit level controllers,
- wherein each unit level controller of the plurality of unit level controllers is configured to control an output of the connected fuel cell,
- wherein the group level controller included in each fuel cell group of the plurality of fuel cell groups is configured to determine an output distribution for each fuel cell of the plurality of fuel cells within the fuel cell group based on a performance decrease rate of each fuel cell of the plurality of fuel cells within the fuel cell group;
- and
- wherein the system level controller is configured to determine a total output of the fuel cell system according to a power demand for a grid and determine an output distribution for each fuel cell group of the plurality of fuel cell groups within the total output.
4 more elements
A fuel cell system comprising:
- a system level controller;
- and
- a plurality of fuel cell groups, wherein each of the plurality of fuel cell groups includes a group level controller, a plurality of unit level controllers connected to the group level controller, and a plurality of fuel cells respectively connected to the plurality of unit level controllers, each fuel cell of the plurality of fuel cells being connected to a corresponding unit level controller among the plurality of unit level controllers,
- wherein each unit level controller of the plurality of unit level controllers is configured to control an output of the connected fuel cell,
- wherein the group level controller included in each fuel cell group of the plurality of fuel cell groups is configured to determine an output distribution for each fuel cell of the plurality of fuel cells within the fuel cell group based on a performance decrease rate of each fuel cell of the plurality of fuel cells within the fuel cell group,
- wherein the system level controller is configured to determine a total output of the fuel cell system according to a power demand for a grid and determine an output distribution for each fuel cell group of the plurality of fuel cell groups within the total output, and
- wherein, if an error occurs in the unit level controller of any fuel cell, the group level controller halts an output of the fuel cell of the unit level controller experiencing the error.
4 more elements
A fuel cell system comprising:
- a system level controller;
- and
- a plurality of fuel cell groups, wherein each of the plurality of fuel cell groups includes a group level controller, a plurality of unit level controllers connected to the group level controller, and a plurality of fuel cells respectively connected to the plurality of unit level controllers, each fuel cell of the plurality of fuel cells being connected to a corresponding unit level controller among the plurality of unit level controllers,
- wherein each unit level controller of the plurality of unit level controllers is configured to control an output of the connected fuel cell,
- wherein the group level controller included in each fuel cell group of the plurality of fuel cell groups is configured to determine an output distribution for each fuel cell of the plurality of fuel cells within the fuel cell group based on a performance decrease rate of each fuel cell of the plurality of fuel cells within the fuel cell group,
- wherein the system level controller is configured to determine a total output of the fuel cell system according to a power demand for a grid and determine an output distribution for each fuel cell group of the plurality of fuel cell groups within the total output, and
- wherein, if an error occurs in the unit level controller of any fuel cell, the group level controller connected to the unit level controller experiencing the error sets a current output of a corresponding fuel cell as a final value and maintains an output of the fuel cell at the set final value.
4 more elements
A fuel cell system comprising:
- a system level controller;
- and
- a plurality of fuel cell groups, wherein each of the plurality of fuel cell groups includes a group level controller, a plurality of unit level controllers connected to the group level controller, and a plurality of fuel cells respectively connected to the plurality of unit level controllers, each fuel cell of the plurality of fuel cells being connected to a corresponding unit level controller among the plurality of unit level controllers,
- wherein each unit level controller of the plurality of unit level controllers is configured to control an output of the connected fuel cell,
- wherein the group level controller included in each fuel cell group of the plurality of fuel cell groups is configured to determine an output distribution for each fuel cell of the plurality of fuel cells within the fuel cell group based on a performance decrease rate of each fuel cell of the plurality of fuel cells within the fuel cell group,
- wherein the system level controller is configured to determine a total output of the fuel cell system according to a power demand for a grid and determine an output distribution for each fuel cell group of the plurality of fuel cell groups within the total output, and
- wherein, if an error occurs in any group level controller, a unit level controller connected to the group level controller experiencing the error sets a current output of a fuel cell as a final value and maintains an output of the fuel cell at the set final value.
4 more elements
A fuel cell system comprising:
- a system level controller;
- and
- a plurality of fuel cell groups, wherein each of the plurality of fuel cell groups includes a group level controller, a plurality of unit level controllers connected to the group level controller, and a plurality of fuel cells respectively connected to the plurality of unit level controllers, each fuel cell of the plurality of fuel cells being connected to a corresponding unit level controller among the plurality of unit level controllers,
- wherein each unit level controller of the plurality of unit level controllers is configured to control an output of the connected fuel cell,
- wherein the group level controller included in each fuel cell group of the plurality of fuel cell groups is configured to determine an output distribution for each fuel cell of the plurality of fuel cells within the fuel cell group based on a performance decrease rate of each fuel cell of the plurality of fuel cells within the fuel cell group,
- wherein the system level controller is configured to determine a total output of the fuel cell system according to a power demand for a grid and determine an output distribution for each fuel cell group of the plurality of fuel cell groups within the total output, and
- wherein, if an error occurs in any group level controller, a unit level controller connected to the group level controller experiencing the error halts an output of a fuel cell.
4 more elements
A method of controlling a fuel cell system including a plurality of fuel cell groups, each fuel cell group of the plurality of fuel cell groups having a plurality of fuel cells connected in parallel, the method comprising:
- determining a total output of the fuel cell system according to a power demand for a grid and determining an output distribution of each of the plurality of fuel cell groups within the total output, the determining of the total output and the determining of the output distribution of each of the fuel cell groups being performed by a system level controller;
- determining an output distribution of a plurality of fuel cells within a fuel cell group of the plurality of fuel cell groups based on a performance decrease rate of each fuel cell of the plurality of fuel cells within the fuel cell group, the determining of the output distribution of the plurality of fuel cells being performed by a group level controller;
- and
- controlling an output of each of the plurality of fuel cells, the controlling performed by a unit level controller.
1 more element
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.