Valve recovery control apparatus for hydrogen tank
AssigneesHyundai Motor Company, Kia Corporation
InventorSeok Hyeon Park
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A valve recovery control apparatus for a hydrogen tank, may recover an excess flow valve to an original state upon operation of the excess flow valve mounted on the hydrogen tank, securing stability of hydrogen supply to the fuel cell.
Claims12
A valve recovery control apparatus for a hydrogen tank, the apparatus comprising:
- an excess flow valve mounted on an outlet of a hydrogen tank;
- a hydrogen supply line connected to the excess flow valve, and configured to supply hydrogen stored in the hydrogen tank to a fuel cell connected to the hydrogen supply line;
- and
- a control unit configured to determine whether the excess flow valve is closed based on an amount of hydrogen consumed in the fuel cell and a pressure reduction rate in the hydrogen supply line when a pressure of the hydrogen tank is greater than a pressure of the hydrogen supply line, and to suspend an operation of the fuel cell until the excess flow valve recovers to an opened state when the controller concludes that the excess flow valve is in a closed state and then to restart the fuel cell when the excess flow valve recovers to the opened state from the closed state,
- wherein the control unit is configured to operate a vehicle in an electric vehicle mode until the excess flow valve recovers to the opened state when the excess flow valve is in the closed state.
A method of controlling a valve recovery control apparatus for a hydrogen tank in which the valve recovery control apparatus includes an excess flow valve mounted on an outlet of the hydrogen tank and a hydrogen supply line connected to the excess flow valve, and configured to supply hydrogen stored in the hydrogen tank to a fuel cell connected to the hydrogen supply line, the method comprising:
- determining, by a controller, whether the excess flow valve is closed based on an amount of hydrogen consumed in the fuel cell and a pressure reduction rate in the hydrogen supply line when a pressure of the hydrogen tank is greater than a pressure of the hydrogen supply line;
- and
- suspending, by the controller, an operation of the fuel cell until the excess flow valve recovers to an opened state when the controller concludes that the excess flow valve is in a closed state and then restarting the fuel cell when the excess flow valve recovers to the opened state from the closed state,
- wherein the controller is configured to operate a vehicle in an electric vehicle mode until the excess flow valve recovers to the opened state when the excess flow valve is in the closed state.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.