# US 11,309,559 B2 · Multi-environment integrative thermal management method for fuel cell vehicle > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,309,559 B2 - Document ID: US11309559B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 17/494,841 - Filed: 2021-10-06 - Published: 2022-01-27 - Granted: 2022-04-19 - Earliest claimed: 2020-03-20 - Assignees: Tsinghua University - Applicants: Tsinghua University - Inventors: Jian-Qiu Li; Hui-Ze Liu; Liang-Fei Xu; Zun-Yan Hu; Ming-Gao Ouyang - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11309559B2 ## CPC - B60H 1/00385: {for vehicles having an electrical drive, e.g. hybrid or fuel cell} - H01M 8/04358: {of the coolant} - B60H 1/00278: {for the battery} - B60H 1/00885: {Controlling the flow of heating or cooling liquid, e.g. valves or pumps (B60H1/00899 takes precedence; constructions of valves B60H1/00485)} - B60H 1/143: {the heat being derived from cooling an electric component, e.g. electric motors, electric circuits, fuel cells or batteries} - B60H 1/2218: {controlling the operation of electric heaters} - B60L 58/32: for controlling the temperature of fuel cells, e.g. by controlling the electric load - B60L 58/33: by cooling - B60L 58/34: by heating - H01M 8/04029: Heat exchange using liquids - H01M 8/04225: during start-up - H01M 8/04302: applied during start-up - H01M 8/0432: Temperature; Ambient temperature - H01M 8/04701: Temperature - H01M 8/04723: {of the coolant} - H01M 10/6567: Liquids - H01M 16/006: {of fuel cells with rechargeable batteries} - B60H 1/2221: {arrangements of electric heaters for heating an intermediate liquid (B60H1/034 takes precedence)} - B60K 2001/005: {the electric storage means} - H01M 2250/20: Fuel cells in motive systems, e.g. vehicle, ship, plane - Y02E 60/10: Energy storage using batteries - Y02E 60/50: Fuel cells - Y02P 70/50: Manufacturing or production processes characterised by the final manufactured product - Y02T 90/40: Application of hydrogen technology to transportation, e.g. using fuel cells - B60H: ARRANGEMENTS OF HEATING, COOLING, VENTILATING OR OTHER AIR-TREATING DEVICES SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR PASSENGER OR GOODS SPACES OF VEHICLES - H01M: PROCESSES OR MEANS, e.g. BATTERIES, FOR THE DIRECT CONVERSION OF CHEMICAL ENERGY INTO ELECTRICAL ENERGY - B60L: PROPULSION OF ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES (arrangements or mounting of electrical propulsion units or of plural diverse prime-movers for mutual or common propulsion in vehicles B60K1/00, B60K6/20; arrangements or mounting of electrical gearing in vehicles B60K17/12, B60K17/14; preventing wheel slip by reducing power in rail vehicles B61C15/08; dynamo-electric machines H02K; control or regulation of electric motors H02P); SUPPLYING ELECTRIC POWER FOR AUXILIARY EQUIPMENT OF ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES (electric coupling devices combined with mechanical couplings of vehicles B60D1/64; electric heating for vehicles B60H1/00); ELECTRODYNAMIC BRAKE SYSTEMS FOR VEHICLES IN GENERAL (control or regulation of electric motors H02P); MAGNETIC SUSPENSION OR LEVITATION FOR VEHICLES; MONITORING OPERATING VARIABLES OF ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES; ELECTRIC SAFETY DEVICES FOR ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES - B60K: ARRANGEMENT OR MOUNTING OF PROPULSION UNITS OR OF TRANSMISSIONS IN VEHICLES; ARRANGEMENT OR MOUNTING OF PLURAL DIVERSE PRIME-MOVERS IN VEHICLES; AUXILIARY DRIVES FOR VEHICLES; INSTRUMENTATION OR DASHBOARDS FOR VEHICLES; ARRANGEMENTS IN CONNECTION WITH COOLING, AIR INTAKE, GAS EXHAUST OR FUEL SUPPLY OF PROPULSION UNITS IN VEHICLES - Y02E: REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION - Y02P: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES IN THE PRODUCTION OR PROCESSING OF GOODS - Y02T: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO TRANSPORTATION ## Abstract A multi-environment integrative thermal management method for a fuel cell vehicle is provided. The method can ensure the accuracy and the stability of the control for a temperature of a fuel cell system of the fuel cell vehicle in a complicated and changeable environment, decrease the energy consumption of the entire vehicle, and increase the economical efficiency of the entire vehicle. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A multi-environment integrative thermal management method for a fuel cell vehicle, applied to a fuel cell thermal management sub-system of the fuel cell vehicle, wherein the fuel cell thermal management sub-system comprises a fuel cell system, a first pump, a first valve, a first heater, a second valve, a first radiator, and a first tank, the fuel cell system has a cooling liquid inlet and a cooling liquid outlet, the cooling liquid inlet is in communication with an output end of the first heater, an input end of the first heater is in communication with a first end of the first valve, a second end of the first valve is in communication with an output end of the first pump, an input end of the first pump is in communication with the cooling liquid outlet, the cooling liquid inlet is further in communication with an output end of the first radiator, an input end of the first radiator is in communication with a first end of the second valve, a second end of the second valve is in communication with a third end of the first valve, the first heater, the first valve, the first pump, and the fuel cell system form a minor circulating system, and the first radiator, the second valve, the first valve, the first pump, and the fuel cell system form a major circulating system; wherein the method comprises: detecting a current environment temperature T; and proceeding steps of a first control mode if the current environment temperature T is equal to or larger than an environment temperature threshold T1; and proceeding steps of a second control mode if the current environment temperature T is lower than the environment temperature threshold T1; wherein the steps of the first control mode comprises: acquiring a control variable selected from a pump rotational speed npump of the first pump, an opening degree α of the first valve, a fan on-off state ufan of the first radiator, and any combination thereof; performing a feedforward control of a fuel cell temperature of the fuel cell system by controlling the control variable; obtaining a current fuel cell temperature Tfc of the fuel cell system, and performing a feedback control of the fuel cell temperature according to a difference between the current fuel cell temperature Tfc and a target fuel cell temperature T2, to acquire a compensation amount; and making a compensation for the control variable in the feedforward control according to the compensation amount, thereby controlling the fuel cell temperature of the fuel cell system to reach the target fuel cell temperature T2. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the performing the feedforward control of the fuel cell temperature comprises: regulating a temperature Tw,m of the cooling liquid at the cooling liquid inlet of the fuel cell system to reach the target fuel cell temperature T2 by controlling the control variable according to following equations (1) to (6): Tw,m=[αWw·Tw,s+(1−α)Ww·Tw,rad,out]/Ww (1) {dot over (T)}w,s=Cw·αWw·(Tw,out−Tw,s)/C1+Pa/C1 (2) {dot over (T)}w,rad,out=Ww·[Tw,rad,in(t−hrad)−ΔT−Tw,rad,out]/mrad (3) ΔT=∫t-hradt[ufan·krad·(Tw,rad,in−Tatm)/((1−α)Ww·Cw)]dτ (4) Ww=Qv·ρ (5) QV=D·npump (6) wherein Tw,s denotes a temperature of the cooling liquid at an output end of the first heater, Tw,rad,out denotes a temperature of the cooling liquid at the output end of the first radiator, Ww denotes a mass flow rate of the cooling liquid flowing through the first pump and input to the first valve; Cw denotes a specific heat capacity of the cooling liquid of the fuel cell system, Tw,out denotes a temperature of the cooling liquid at the cooling liquid outlet of the fuel cell system, C1 denotes a total of heat capacities of the first pump and the first heater, Pa denotes a heating power of the first heater; Tw,rad,in denotes a temperature of the cooling liquid at the input end of the first radiator, ΔT denotes a temperature decrease caused by the fan of the first radiator, mrad denotes a mass of the cooling liquid in the first radiator, krad denotes a coefficient of the heat dissipation of the first radiator, Tatm denotes an environment temperature, hrad denotes the time period required to allow the cooling liquid to flow through the first radiator; Qv denotes a volume flow rate of the cooling liquid input to the first valve from the first pump, ρ denotes a density of the cooling liquid, and D denotes a displacement of the first pump. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The method of claim 2, wherein the compensation amount acquired by the feedback control is a compensation amount for the temperature Tw,m, and the performing the feedback control of the fuel cell temperature comprises: performing the feedback control to acquire the compensation amount for the temperature Tw,m according to the difference between the current fuel cell temperature Tfc and the target fuel cell temperature T2; and calculating a compensation amount for the control variable on the basis of the compensation amount for the temperature Tw,m. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the compensation amount acquired by the feedback control is the compensation amount of the control variable, and the performing the feedback control of the fuel cell temperature comprises: performing the feedback control according to the difference between the current fuel cell temperature Tfc and the target fuel cell temperature T2 to calculate the compensation amount for the control variable. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein a control algorithm of the feedback control is the PID control algorithm, the robust predictive control algorithm, or the H∞ algorithm. ### Claim 6 (depends on 4) The method of claim 4, wherein the making the compensation for the control variable in the feedforward control according to the compensation amount is to add the compensation amount for the control variable to the current value of the control variable. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the steps in the first control mode further comprise: in the starting stage of the vehicle, controlling the opening degree α of the first valve to be 1 when the current fuel cell temperature Tfc is lower than the target fuel cell temperature T2; and controlling the opening degree α of the first valve to be smaller than 1 when the current fuel cell temperature Tfc is higher than or equal to the target fuel cell temperature T2. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein when the current fuel cell temperature Tfc is higher than or equal to the target fuel cell temperature T2, the steps in the first control mode can further comprise: decreasing an operating electric current and increasing an operating voltage of the fuel cell system. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the fuel cell vehicle further comprises a power battery thermal management sub-system, a cabin air heating sub-system, and a heat exchanging sub-system, the power battery thermal management sub-system comprises a power battery, a second pump, a fourth valve, a second radiator, a second heater, a third valve, a fifth valve, and a second tank; the cabin air heating sub-system comprises a cabin air warmer, a windscreen defroster, a third heater, a third pump, and a radiator module, the heat exchanging sub-system includes a heat exchanger and a sixth valve, a first end of the sixth valve is in fluid communication with the third end of the first valve, a second end of the sixth valve is in fluid communication with a first inlet of the heat exchanger, a first outlet of the heat exchanger is in fluid communication with the input end of the first radiator, a second inlet of the heat exchanger is in fluid communication with an input end of the second heater, a cooling liquid outlet of the power battery is in fluid communication with an input end of the second heater, an output end of the second heater is in fluid communication with a first end of the third valve, a second end of the third valve is in fluid communication with an input end of the second pump, an output end of the second pump is in fluid communication with a cooling liquid inlet of the power battery, an input end of the second radiator is in fluid communication with the cooling liquid outlet of the power battery, an output end of the second radiator is in fluid communication with a first end of the fourth valve, a second end of the fourth valve is in fluid communication with the input end of the second pump, the second end of the third valve is in fluid communication with a first end of the fifth valve, a second outlet of the heat exchanger is in fluid communication with an input end of the third pump, an output end of the third pump is in fluid communication with an input end of the third heater, an output end of the third heater is in fluid communication with an input end of the windscreen defroster, an output end of the windscreen defroster is in fluid communication with an input end of the cabin air warmer, an output end of the cabin air warmer is in fluid communication with an input end of the radiator module, and an output end of the radiator module is in fluid communication with a second end of the fifth valve; wherein the steps of the second control mode comprise: in the starting stage of the vehicle, controlling the opening degree α of the first valve to be 1, and controlling the first heater, the second heater, and the third heater to heat the cooling liquid when the quantity of heat generated by the fuel cell system is smaller than or equal to a quantity of heat dissipated to the environment from the fuel cell system when the vehicle is in the starting stage; controlling the opening degree α of the first valve to be smaller than 1 when the quantity of heat generated by the fuel cell system is larger than the quantity of heat dissipated to the environment from the fuel cell system, and the temperature of the cooling liquid in the minor circulating system is equal to or higher than the target fuel cell temperature T2; and opening the six valve when the temperature of the cooling liquid in the major circulating system is equal to or higher than the target fuel cell temperature T2. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The method of claim 9, wherein when the temperature of the cooling liquid in the major circulating system is equal to or higher than the target fuel cell temperature T2, the steps of the second control mode further comprise: acquiring a quantity QT,tgt of heat required to be supplied into the cabin to keep the cabin at a target cabin temperature Tcabin according to equation (12): Q T , tgt = c p ⁢ ρ g ⁢ V cabin ⁢ d ⁢ T cabin dt ( 12 ) wherein cp denotes a specific heat capacity of the air in the cabin, ρg denotes a density of the air in the cabin, and Vcabin denotes a volume of the cabin; acquiring a volume flow rate Qh,fc of the cooling liquid in the major circulating system of the fuel cell thermal management sub-system flowing through the heat exchanger when all of the quantity QT,tgt of heat is supplied by the heat exchanger, according to equation (13): QT,tgt=ρcwQh,fc·(Tw,out−Th,fc,out) (13) wherein ρ denotes a density of the cooling liquid, Cw denotes a specific heat capacity of the cooling liquid, Tw,out denotes a temperature of the cooling liquid at the cooling liquid outlet, Th,fc,out denotes a temperature of the cooling liquid at the second outlet of the heat exchanger; regulating an opening degree α1 of the sixth valve and an opening degree α2 of the second valve to allow the cooling liquid of the major circulating system of the fuel cell thermal management sub-system to flow through the heat exchanger 410 at the volume flow rate Qh,fc, according to equation (14): Q h , fc = Q 1 1 + f ⁡ ( α 1 , α 2 ) ( 14 ) wherein ƒ(α1, α2) denotes a function of α1 and α2, and Q1 denotes a total volume flow rate of the cooling liquid in the major circulating system of the fuel cell thermal management sub-system; maintaining the fuel cell temperature of the fuel cell system at the target fuel cell temperature T2 by controlling the control variable selected from a group consisting of the pump rotational speed npump, the opening degree α, the fan on-off state ufan, and any combination thereof; and maintaining a cabin temperature of the cabin at the target cabin temperature Tcabin by controlling a power of the third heater. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The method of claim 10, wherein in the second control mode, the maintaining the fuel cell temperature of the fuel cell system at the target fuel cell temperature T2 by controlling the control variable comprises: performing a feedforward control of the fuel cell temperature by controlling the control variable; obtaining a current fuel cell temperature Tfc of the fuel cell system, and performing a feedback control of the fuel cell temperature according to a difference between the current fuel cell temperature Tfc and a target fuel cell temperature T2, to acquire a compensation amount; and making a compensation for the control variable in the feedforward control according to the compensation amount, thereby controlling the fuel cell temperature of the fuel cell system to reach the target fuel cell temperature T2. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11, wherein in the second control mode, the performing the feedforward control of the fuel cell temperature comprises: regulating a temperature Tw,m of the cooling liquid at the cooling liquid inlet of the fuel cell system to reach the target fuel cell temperature T2 by controlling the control variable according to following equations (1) to (6): Tw,m=[αWw·Tw,s+(1−α)Ww·Tw,rad,out]/Ww (1) {dot over (T)}w,s=Cw·αWw·(Tw,out−Tw,s)/C1+Pa/C1 (2) {dot over (T)}w,rad,out=Ww·[Tw,rad,in(t−hrad)−ΔT−Tw,rad,out]/mrad (3) ΔT=∫t-hradt[ufan·krad·(Tw,rad,in−Tatm)/((1−α)Ww·Cw)]dτ (4) Ww=Qv·ρ (5) QV=D·npump (6) wherein Tw,s denotes a temperature of the cooling liquid at an output end of the first heater, Tw,rad,out denotes a temperature of the cooling liquid at the output end of the first radiator, Ww denotes a mass flow rate of the cooling liquid flowing through the first pump and input to the first valve; Cw denotes a specific heat capacity of the cooling liquid of the fuel cell system, Tw,out denotes a temperature of the cooling liquid at the cooling liquid outlet of the fuel cell system, C1 denotes a total of heat capacities of the first pump and the first heater, Pa denotes a heating power of the first heater; Tw,rad,in denotes a temperature of the cooling liquid at the input end of the first radiator, ΔT denotes a temperature decrease caused by the fan of the first radiator, mrad denotes a mass of the cooling liquid in the first radiator, krad denotes a coefficient of the heat dissipation of the first radiator, Tatm denotes an environment temperature, hrad denotes the time period required to allow the cooling liquid to flow through the first radiator; Qv denotes a volume flow rate of the cooling liquid input to the first valve from the first pump, ρ denotes a density of the cooling liquid, and D denotes a displacement of the first pump. ### Claim 13 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11, wherein in the second control mode, the compensation amount acquired by the feedback control is a compensation amount for the temperature Tw,m, and the performing the feedback control of the fuel cell temperature in the second control mode comprises: performing the feedback control to acquire the compensation amount for the temperature Tw,m according to the difference between the current fuel cell temperature Tfc and the target fuel cell temperature T2; and calculating a compensation amount for the control variable on the basis of the compensation amount for the temperature Tw,m. ### Claim 14 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11, wherein in the second control mode, the compensation amount acquired by the feedback control is the compensation amount of the control variable, and the performing the feedback control of the fuel cell temperature comprises: performing the feedback control according to the difference between the current fuel cell temperature Tfc and the target fuel cell temperature T2 to calculate the compensation amount for the control variable. ### Claim 15 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11, wherein in the second control mode, a control algorithm of the feedback control is the PID control algorithm, the robust predictive control algorithm, or the H∞ algorithm. ### Claim 16 (depends on 14) The method of claim 14, wherein in the second control mode, the making the compensation for the control variable in the feedforward control according to the compensation amount is to add the compensation amount to the current value of the control variable. ### Claim 17 (depends on 10) The method of claim 10, wherein the maintaining the cabin temperature of the cabin at the target cabin temperature by controlling the power of the third heater comprises: performing a feedforward control of the cabin temperature by controlling the power of the third heater; obtaining a current cabin temperature, and performing a feedback control of the cabin temperature according to a difference between the current cabin temperature and the target cabin temperature, to acquire a compensation amount for the power of the third heater; and making a compensation for the power of the third heater according to the compensation amount for the power of the third heater, thereby keeping the cabin temperature at the target cabin temperature.