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US 2019/0296376 A1Published application
Fuel cell system and control method thereof
AssigneeHonda Motor Co., Ltd.
InventorsKazuya Mizumoto, Koichi Kato, Yoichiro Saito
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A fuel cell system includes a nozzle for guiding a fuel gas injected from a first injector and a second injector to a diffuser. An injector control portion performs a first injection control mode when a fuel cell stack is in a first load state. When the fuel cell stack is in a second load state, the injector control portion switches between a second injection control mode and a third injection control mode depending on the circumstances.
Claims13
A fuel cell system comprising:
- a fuel cell for producing power by an electrochemical reaction between a fuel gas and an oxygen-containing gas;
- a fuel gas supply path for guiding the fuel gas to the fuel cell;
- a plurality of injectors disposed in parallel on the fuel gas supply path;
- one ejector disposed downstream of the plurality of injectors on the fuel gas supply path;
- and
- a circulation flow path for guiding a fuel off-gas discharged from the fuel cell to the ejector,
- the ejector comprising:
- a diffuser;
- and
- a nozzle for guiding the fuel gas injected from the plurality of injectors to the diffuser,
- the fuel cell system comprising:
- a load judge portion configured to judge whether the fuel cell is in a first load state or in a second load state in which a load is higher than in the first load state;
- and
- an injector control portion configured to control the plurality of injectors,
- wherein, when the fuel cell is in the first load state, the injector control portion controls the plurality of injectors so as to perform a first injection control mode in which the plurality of injectors intermittently inject the fuel gas in an alternate manner, once at a time or multiple times at a time, and
- when the fuel cell is in the second load state, the injector control portion controls the plurality of injectors in a manner switchable between a second injection control mode in which injections of the fuel gas from the plurality of injectors are started substantially simultaneously and a third injection control mode in which the injections of the fuel gas from the plurality of injectors are started at shifted points of time.
13 more elements
A control method of a fuel cell system, the fuel cell system comprising:
- a fuel cell for producing power by an electrochemical reaction between a fuel gas and an oxygen-containing gas;
- a fuel gas supply path for guiding the fuel gas to the fuel cell;
- a plurality of injectors disposed in parallel on the fuel gas supply path;
- one ejector disposed downstream of the plurality of injectors on the fuel gas supply path;
- and
- a circulation flow path for guiding a fuel off-gas discharged from the fuel cell to the ejector,
- the ejector comprising:
- a diffuser;
- and
- a nozzle for guiding the fuel gas injected from the plurality of injectors to the diffuser,
- the control method comprising:
- a load judging step of judging whether the fuel cell is in a first load state or in a second load state in which a load is higher than in the first load state;
- and
- a fuel gas supply step of supplying the fuel gas to the fuel cell by controlling the plurality of injectors,
- wherein, when the fuel cell is in the first load state, the fuel gas supply step performs a first injection control mode in which the plurality of injectors intermittently inject the fuel gas in an alternate manner, once at a time or multiple times at a time, and
- when the fuel cell is in the second load state, the fuel gas supply step performs a second injection control mode in which injections of the fuel gas from the plurality of injectors are started substantially simultaneously and a third injection control mode in which the injections of the fuel gas from the plurality of injectors are started at shifted points of time, in such a manner that the second injection control mode and the third injection control mode can be switched depending on a circumstance.
13 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.