A control unit
AssigneeVolvo Truck Corporation
InventorsRohan NEILSON, Pranav ARYA
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The control unit is adapted to predict a future power requirement from the fuel cell system over a future time range and to issue information to the cathode recirculation arrangement in response to the predicted future power requirement. The information is indicative of whether the cathode recirculation arrangement should assume a condition so as to allow fluid communication between the cathode outlet and the cathode inlet or so as to prevent fluid communication between the cathode outlet and the cathode inlet.
Claims32
A control unit for a fuel cell system, said fuel cell system being adapted to produce electric power and comprising an anode and a cathode, said anode being adapted to receive fuel and said cathode being adapted to receive an oxidant, said fuel cell system comprising a cathode inlet, adapted to guide fluid comprising said oxidant towards said cathode, and a cathode outlet, adapted to guide fluid away from said cathode, said fuel cell system further comprising a cathode recirculation arrangement adapted to selectively allow or prevent fluid communication between said cathode outlet and said cathode inlet in response to information issued from said control unit, wherein said control unit is adapted to predict a future power requirement from said fuel cell system over a future time range and to issue information to said cathode recirculation arrangement in response to said predicted future power requirement, said information being indicative of whether said cathode recirculation arrangement should assume a condition so as to allow fluid communication between said cathode outlet and said cathode inlet or so as to prevent fluid communication between said cathode outlet and said cathode inlet.
A method for controlling a fuel cell system, said fuel cell system being adapted to produce electric power and comprising an anode and a cathode, said anode being adapted to receive fuel and said cathode being adapted to receive an oxidant, said fuel cell system comprising a cathode inlet, adapted to guide fluid comprising said oxidant towards said cathode, and a cathode outlet, adapted to guide fluid away from said cathode, said fuel cell system further comprising a cathode recirculation arrangement adapted to selectively allow a fluid communication between said cathode outlet and said cathode inlet, comprising predicting a future power requirement from said fuel cell system over a future time range and controlling said cathode recirculation arrangement in response to said prediction.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.