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US 12,525,629 B2Granted
Fuel cell system and valve control method for fuel cell system
AssigneeHonda Motor Co., Ltd.
InventorsKazuhide Inoue, Kazusa Koga, Takuto Nakagawa
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A control unit of a fuel cell system estimates an amount of nitrogen in an anode flow field, performs a first comparison by comparing the estimated amount of nitrogen with a first threshold amount, performs a second comparison by comparing a target power generation amount as a target amount of power generation by a fuel cell stack with a second threshold amount in a case where the estimated amount of nitrogen in the anode flow field exceeds the first threshold amount in the first comparison, and controls opening and closing of a first valve and opening and closing of the second valve based on a result of the first comparison and a result of the second comparison.
Claims6
A fuel cell system comprising:
- a fuel cell stack configured to generate electric power using an anode gas in an anode flow field and a cathode gas in a cathode flow field;
- an anode supply flow path configured to supply the anode gas to the anode flow field;
- a cathode supply flow path configured to supply the cathode gas to the cathode flow field;
- a circulation flow path configured to return the exhaust fluid discharged from the anode flow field to the anode supply flow path;
- a connection flow path configured to supply the exhaust fluid discharged from the anode flow field to the cathode supply flow path;
- an exhaust passage configured to discharge the exhaust fluid from the anode flow field to an outside;
- a first valve configured to open and close the connection flow path;
- a second valve configured to open and close the exhaust passage;
- and
- a control unit configured to control opening and closing of each of the first valve and the second valve,
- the fuel cell system further comprising a storage unit configured to store a first threshold amount of nitrogen on a basis of which whether to perform control for reducing nitrogen in the anode flow field is determined and a second threshold amount of power generation on a basis of which opening and closing of each of the first valve and second valve is determined,
- wherein the control unit:
- estimates an amount of nitrogen in the anode flow field;
- performs a first comparison by comparing the estimated amount of nitrogen with a first threshold amount;
- performs a second comparison by comparing a target power generation amount as a target amount of power generation by the fuel cell stack with a second threshold amount in a case where the estimated amount of nitrogen in the anode flow field exceeds the first threshold amount in the first comparison;
- and
- controls opening and closing of the first valve and opening and closing of the second valve based on a result of the first comparison and a result of the second comparison.
14 more elements
A valve control method for a fuel cell system, the fuel cell system comprising:
- a fuel cell stack configured to generate electric power using an anode gas in an anode flow field and a cathode gas in a cathode flow field;
- an anode supply flow path configured to supply the anode gas to the anode flow field;
- a cathode supply flow path configured to supply the cathode gas to the cathode flow field;
- a circulation flow path configured to return the exhaust fluid discharged from the anode flow field to the anode supply flow path;
- a connection flow path configured to supply the exhaust fluid discharged from the anode flow field to the cathode supply flow path;
- an exhaust passage configured to discharge the exhaust fluid from the anode flow field to an outside;
- a first valve configured to open and close the connection flow path;
- a second valve configured to open and close the exhaust passage;
- and
- a computer configured to control opening and closing of each of the first valve and the second valve,
- the valve control method comprising:
- causing the computer to:
- store a first threshold amount of nitrogen on a basis of which whether to perform control for reducing nitrogen in the anode flow field is determined and a second threshold amount of power generation on a basis of which opening and closing of each of the first valve and second valve is determined;
- estimate an amount of nitrogen in the anode flow field;
- perform a first comparison by comparing the estimated amount of nitrogen with the first threshold amount, performs a second comparison by comparing a target power generation amount as a target amount of power generation by the fuel cell stack with the second threshold amount in a case where the estimated amount of nitrogen in the anode flow field exceeds the first threshold amount in the first comparison;
- and
- control opening and closing of the first valve and opening and closing of the second valve based on a result of the first comparison and a result of the second comparison.
14 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.