Fuel cell system, and method of its operation
AssigneeBlue World Technologies Holding Aps
InventorsMads Bang, Deni Maric, Fan Zhou, Martin Stenild Grøn
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A fuel cell system having a fuel cell cooling circuit coupled to a battery cooling circuit through a coolant/coolant heat exchanger for removing heat from the fuel cell cooling circuit through the battery cooling circuit during normal steady state operation of the fuel cell system.
Claims19
A method for operating a fuel cell system, the fuel cell system comprising
- a fuel cell, the fuel cell having a steady state temperature TFC during steady state normal operation after startup;
- a fuel cell cooling circuit with fuel cell coolant for cooling the fuel cell, the fuel cell cooling circuit being configured for maintaining the steady state temperature TFC of the fuel cell during the steady state normal operation after startup;
- a battery, the battery having a steady state temperature TBat during the steady state normal operation after startup;
- wherein TBat is lower than TFC;
- a battery cooling circuit with battery coolant for cooling the battery, wherein the battery cooling circuit comprises a thermal-energy-remover for removing thermal energy from the battery coolant for maintaining the steady state temperature TBat of the battery during steady state normal operation after startup;
- wherein the battery cooling circuit and the battery coolant are separate from the fuel cell cooling circuit and the fuel cell coolant;
- a coolant/coolant heat exchanger thermally coupling the fuel cell cooling circuit with the battery cooling circuit for heat transfer from the fuel cell coolant to the battery coolant, the coolant/coolant heat exchanger comprising a first flow area and a second flow area with a heat conducting separation wall in between, wherein the first flow area is flow-connected to the fuel cell cooling circuit for flow of coolant there through, and wherein the second flow area is flow-connected to the battery cooling circuit for flow of battery coolant there through;
- characterized in that the method comprises maintaining the steady state temperature TFC of the fuel cell by removing thermal energy from the fuel cell by transfer of thermal energy from the fuel cell coolant to the battery coolant through the coolant/coolant heat exchanger continuously during normal operation after startup and removing the thermal energy from the battery coolant by the thermal-energy-remover for maintaining TBat in the battery.
A fuel cell system comprising
- a fuel cell;
- a fuel cell cooling circuit with fuel cell coolant for cooling the fuel cell;
- a battery;
- a battery cooling circuit with battery coolant for cooling the battery, wherein the battery cooling circuit comprises a thermal-energy-remover for removing thermal energy from the battery coolant;
- wherein the battery cooling circuit and the battery coolant are separate from the fuel cell cooling circuit and the fuel cell coolant;
- a coolant/coolant heat exchanger thermally coupling the fuel cell cooling circuit with the battery cooling circuit for heat transfer from the fuel cell coolant to the battery coolant, the coolant/coolant heat exchanger comprising a first flow area and a second flow area with a heat conducting separation wall in between, wherein the first flow area is flow-connected to the fuel cell cooling circuit for flow of coolant there through, and wherein the second flow area is flow-connected to the battery cooling circuit for flow of battery coolant there through;
- characterized in that the thermal-energy-remover comprises or consists of a radiator heat exchanger for removal of thermal energy from the battery coolant by heat exchange with ambient air flow through the radiator heat exchanger, wherein the fuel cell system is configured for maintaining the steady state temperature TFC of the fuel cell by removing sufficient thermal energy from the fuel cell cooling circuit to the battery cooling circuit and by releasing thermal energy from the battery cooling circuit through the radiator heat exchanger of the battery cooling circuit, wherein only the battery cooling circuit but not the fuel cell cooling circuit comprises a radiator heat exchanger for removal of thermal energy from the battery coolant by heat exchange with ambient air.
The fuel cell system according to 13, wherein the fuel cell system comprises a fuel evaporator for evaporating fuel, wherein the fuel evaporator is thermally coupled to the fuel cell cooling circuit at a location in the fuel cell cooling circuit downstream of the fuel cell but upstream of the coolant/coolant heat exchanger for utilizing the region in the fuel cell cooling circuit with the highest temperature region and for flow of the fuel cell coolant through the evaporator first and subsequently flow through the coolant/coolant heat exchanger and transfer of thermal energy from the fuel cell coolant to the battery coolant.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.