# US 12,763,347 B2 · System and method for fuel cell

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- Number: US 12,763,347 B2
- Document ID: US12763347B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 18/116,702
- Filed: 2023-03-02
- Published: 2024-03-28
- Granted: 2026-10-13
- Earliest claimed: 2022-09-27
- Assignees: Hyundai Motor Company; Kia Corporation
- Applicants: Hyundai Motor Company; Kia Corporation
- Inventors: Jun Young Park
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12763347B2

## CPC

- H01M 8/04388: {of anode reactants at the inlet or inside the fuel cell}
- G05D 16/2013: {using throttling means as controlling means}
- H01M 8/04089: of gaseous reactants
- H01M 8/04201: {Reactant storage and supply, e.g. means for feeding, pipes}
- H01M 8/04447: {of anode reactants at the inlet or inside the fuel cell}
- H01M 8/04589: {of fuel cell stacks}
- H01M 8/04753: {of fuel cell reactants}
- H01M: PROCESSES OR MEANS, e.g. BATTERIES, FOR THE DIRECT CONVERSION OF CHEMICAL ENERGY INTO ELECTRICAL ENERGY
- G05D: SYSTEMS FOR CONTROLLING OR REGULATING NON-ELECTRIC VARIABLES

## Abstract

A fuel cell system including an ejector provided in a hydrogen supply line, a hydrogen pressure sensor provided in the hydrogen supply line at a front end portion of the ejector and configured to measure a pressure of hydrogen flowing in from a hydrogen tank, a supply valve provided in the hydrogen supply line at a front end portion of the hydrogen pressure sensor and configured to control a flow rate of the hydrogen supplied from the hydrogen tank to an anode of a fuel cell stack, a discharge valve provided in a hydrogen discharge line, and a controller that estimates the pressure of the hydrogen flowing into the anode of the fuel cell stack from a rear end portion of the ejector for each open or closed state of each of the supply and discharge valves, and controls the supply and discharge valves based on a pressure estimate value of the hydrogen, and a control method thereof.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A fuel cell system comprising:
an ejector provided in a hydrogen supply line;
a hydrogen pressure sensor provided in the hydrogen supply line at a front end portion of the ejector and configured to measure a pressure of hydrogen flowing in from a hydrogen tank connected to the hydrogen supply line;
a supply valve provided in the hydrogen supply line at a front end portion of the hydrogen pressure sensor and configured to control a flow rate of the hydrogen supplied from the hydrogen tank to an anode of a fuel cell stack of the fuel cell system;
a discharge valve provided in a hydrogen discharge line fluidically connected to the anode; and
a controller electrically connected to the supply valve and the discharge valve and configured to distinctly estimate the pressure of the hydrogen flowing into the anode of the fuel cell stack from a rear end portion of the ejector for each open or closed state of each of the supply and discharge valves, and to control the supply and discharge valves based on a pressure estimate value of the hydrogen,
wherein the controller is configured to determine a target supply pressure of the hydrogen and a target discharge flow rate of the hydrogen based on the pressure estimate value of the hydrogen, to control the supply valve based on the target supply pressure of the hydrogen, and to control the discharge valve based on the target discharge flow rate of the hydrogen.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The fuel cell system of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to estimate the pressure of the hydrogen measured by the hydrogen pressure sensor as an initial pressure of the hydrogen flowing into the anode of the fuel cell stack from the rear end portion of the ejector.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The fuel cell system of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to derive a target supply flow rate of the hydrogen based on a required current of the fuel cell stack, and to determine the target supply pressure of the hydrogen based on the target supply flow rate of the hydrogen and the pressure estimate value of the hydrogen.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The fuel cell system of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to derive a concentration estimate value of the hydrogen inside the anode based on the pressure estimate value of the hydrogen, and to determine the target discharge flow rate of the hydrogen based on the concentration estimate value of the hydrogen.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The fuel cell system of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to derive a change amount in flow rate of gas inside the anode for each open or closed state of each of the supply valve and the discharge valve, to determine a change amount in the pressure inside the anode based on the derived change amount in the flow rate of the gas, and to estimate the pressure of the hydrogen flowing into the anode of the fuel cell stack from the rear end portion of the ejector based on the determined change amount in the pressure.

### Claim 6 (depends on 5)

The fuel cell system of claim 5, wherein the controller is configured to determine a consumption amount of the hydrogen inside the anode and a supply amount of the hydrogen supplied into the anode in a state in which the supply valve is open and the discharge valve is closed, and to derive a change amount in flow rate of the gas inside the anode based on the determined consumption amount of the hydrogen and the determined supply amount of the hydrogen.

### Claim 7 (depends on 6)

The fuel cell system of claim 6, wherein the controller is configured to determine the consumption amount of the hydrogen inside the anode based on an output current of the fuel cell stack in a state in which the supply valve is open and the discharge valve is closed, and to determine the supply amount of the hydrogen supplied into the anode based on the pressure estimate value of the hydrogen and the pressure of the hydrogen measured by the hydrogen pressure sensor in a state in which the supply valve is open and the discharge valve is closed.

### Claim 8 (depends on 5)

The fuel cell system of claim 5, wherein the controller is configured to determine a consumption amount of the hydrogen inside the anode and a discharge amount of the gas discharged through the discharge valve in a state in which the supply valve is closed and the discharge valve is open, and to derive the change amount in the flow rate of the gas inside the anode based on the determined consumption amount of the hydrogen and the determined discharge amount of the gas.

### Claim 9 (depends on 8)

The fuel cell system of claim 8, wherein the controller is configured to determine the consumption amount of the hydrogen inside the anode based on an output current of the fuel cell stack in a state in which the supply valve is closed and the discharge valve is open, and to determine the discharge amount of the gas discharged through the discharge valve based on the pressure estimate value of the hydrogen and a pressure difference between an inlet and outlet of the discharge valve in a state in which the supply valve is closed and the discharge valve is open.

### Claim 10 (depends on 5)

The fuel cell system of claim 5, wherein the controller is configured to determine the consumption amount of the hydrogen inside the anode based on an output current of the fuel cell stack in a state in which the supply valve and the discharge valve are closed, and to derive the change amount in the flow rate of the gas inside the anode based on the determined consumption amount of the hydrogen.