Method for increasing the safety and/or the reliability of the operation of a fuel cell stack
AssigneeBayerische Motoren Werke Aktiengesellschaft
InventorHans-Ulrich Stahl
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method increases the safety and/or the reliability of the operation of a fuel cell stack. The method determines that the fuel cell stack is in a space with a reduced air exchange rate. The method determines consumption information with respect to an oxygen consumption of the fuel cell stack within an interval of time. The method determines, on the basis of the air exchange rate, inflow information with respect to an amount of oxygen which was supplied to the space within the interval of time. The method determines an estimated value for an oxygen content of air in the space on the basis of the consumption information and on the basis of the inflow information.
Claims13
A method for increasing safety and/or reliability of the operation of a fuel cell stack, the method comprising:
- determining that the fuel cell stack is situated in a space with a reduced air exchange rate;
- ascertaining volume information relating to an air volume in the space;
- ascertaining an oxygen content difference between an oxygen content of air flowing into the space and of air flowing out of the space;
- ascertaining consumption information relating to an oxygen consumption of the fuel cell stack within a time interval;
- ascertaining, on the basis of the air exchange rate, the oxygen content difference, the volume information and a temporal length of the time interval, inflow information relating to a quantity of oxygen that has been fed to the space within the time interval;
- and
- ascertaining an estimated value for an oxygen content of air in the space on the basis of the consumption information and on the basis of the inflow information;
- initiating a measure in a manner dependent on the ascertained estimated value for the oxygen content if the ascertained estimated value reaches or falls below an oxygen content threshold value,
- wherein the measure comprises:
- outputting a notification to a user of the fuel cell stack;
- increasing the air exchange rate;
- and/or
- reducing the oxygen consumption of the fuel cell stack.
A method for increasing safety and/or reliability of operation of a fuel cell stack, the method comprising:
- ascertaining measurement data relating to the operation of a fuel cell stack at a sequence of points in time, the measurement data relating to a level of humidity within the fuel cell stack;
- detecting, on the basis of the measurement data at the sequence of points in time, an increase in air humidity of air in a surroundings of the fuel cell stack;
- and
- determining, when it has been detected that the air humidity of the air in the surroundings of the fuel cell stack has increased, that an oxygen content of air in the surroundings of the fuel cell stack has decreased;
- and,
- in response to the decrease in the oxygen content, initiating a measure for increasing the safety and/or the reliability of the operation of the fuel cell stack,
- wherein the measure comprises:
- outputting a notification to a user of the fuel cell stack;
- increasing an air exchange rate of the surroundings;
- and/or
- reducing an oxygen consumption of the fuel cell stack.
A device for a vehicle, comprising:
- a control unit configured to execute the acts of:
- determining that the fuel cell stack is situated in a space with a reduced air exchange rate;
- ascertaining consumption information relating to an oxygen consumption of the fuel cell stack within a time interval;
- ascertaining, on the basis of the air exchange rate, inflow information relating to a quantity of oxygen that has been fed to the space within the time interval;
- and
- ascertaining an estimated value for an oxygen content of air in the space on the basis of the consumption information and on the basis of the inflow information;
- initiating a measure in a manner dependent on the ascertained estimated value for the oxygen content if the ascertained estimated value reaches or falls below an oxygen content threshold value, wherein the measure comprises:
- outputting a notification to a user of the fuel cell stack;
- increasing the air exchange rate;
- and/or reducing the oxygen consumption of the fuel cell stack.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.