Fuel cell system and operation method thereof
AssigneesJiangsu Horizon New Energy Technologies Co. Ltd., Hyzon Motors Inc.
InventorZhijun Gu
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A fuel cell system and a method for operating the fuel cell system, wherein the fuel cell system includes a fuel cell, a controller, a switch, an oxygen supply device and an output circuit. The fuel cell includes an anode and a cathode. The fuel cell is a cathode enclosed fuel cell. The controller is used to drive control signal for adjusting the electrochemical metering ratio of oxygen flow, supplied by the oxygen supply device, to output current, wherein the electrochemical metering ratio is ‘a’, and ‘a’ satisfies: 1≤a≤4. The method of the present disclosure uses the fuel cell system of the present disclosure, which optimizes the performance of a fuel cell and makes the output interruption time very short; hence it is highly beneficial for providing a more stable output.
Claims10
A fuel cell system, comprising:
- a fuel cell, wherein the fuel cell includes an anode and a cathode, and the fuel cell is a cathode enclosed fuel cell;
- a switch;
- an oxygen supply device;
- an output circuit, wherein the fuel cell is electrically coupled to the output circuit;
- and
- a controller, wherein the controller is electrically coupled to the switch, the oxygen supply device, and the fuel cell,
- wherein:
- the controller is configured to drive a control signal for adjusting an electrochemical metering ratio of oxygen flow, supplied by the oxygen supply device, to output current,
- the electrochemical metering ratio is ‘a’, and ‘a’ satisfies:
- 1≤a≤4, and
- the controller is configured to operate the switch to supply at least one or more protons exceeding the electrochemical metering ratio under a normal operating oxygen supply, where the at least one or more protons are transferred from the anode to the cathode through at least one or more pulses, where the at least one or more protons at the cathode form hydrogen gas at the cathode.
A method for operating a fuel cell system, the method comprising the steps of:
- providing the fuel cell system, including a fuel cell, a controller, a switch, an oxygen supply device, and an output circuit, wherein the fuel cell is a cathode enclosed fuel cell;
- closing the switch of the fuel cell system;
- driving the controller to control an electrochemical metering ratio of oxygen flow, supplied from the oxygen supply device to an anode of the fuel cell, to operating output current;
- wherein the electrochemical metering ratio is ‘a’, and ‘a’ satisfies:
- 1≤a≤4;
- transferring at least one or more protons, which exceed the electrochemical metering ratio under a normal operating oxygen supply will be transferred from the anode to a cathode through the use of at least one or more pulses, where the at least one or more protons at the cathode form hydrogen gas;
- wherein a standard for determining at least one or more protons meeting an electrochemical metering ratio satisfying an operation condition is to reduce the average voltage of a single cell to equal to or less than 0.2V;
- and
- outputting a current via the output circuit.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.