Hydrogen (h2) fuel tank system control for improved h2 vehicle efficiency and range

A hydrogen fuel system requiring high pressure hydrogen injection and configured to provide brake energy recovery, the hydrogen fuel system having a plurality of hydrogen fuel tanks, the hydrogen fuel system comprising:

• a controller;
• a plurality of hydrogen fuel tanks, each of the plurality of hydrogen fuel tanks controlled by a fuel tank valve, each fuel tank valve controlled by the controller;
• a hydrogen pump controlled by the controller and configured to pump fuel to at least one hydrogen fuel tank of the plurality of hydrogen fuel tanks from other hydrogen fuel tanks of the plurality of fuel tanks;
• a pump valve between the hydrogen pump and the other hydrogen fuel tanks;
• a first valve between the fuel tank valves of the other hydrogen fuel tanks and a hydrogen fuel consumer;
• and
• a second valve between the fuel tank valve of the at least one hydrogen fuel tank and the hydrogen fuel consumer;
• wherein the controller is configured to:
• control the first valve, the second valve, and the fuel tank valves of one or more hydrogen fuel tanks of the other hydrogen fuel tanks and the at least one hydrogen fuel tank to provide fuel in parallel to the hydrogen fuel consumer by opening the first valve, the second valve, the fuel tank valve of the at least one hydrogen fuel tank, and one or more fuel tank valves of the other hydrogen fuel tanks;
• determine when an intermediate tank pressure threshold has been reached in the one or more hydrogen fuel tanks of the other hydrogen fuel tanks and the at least one hydrogen fuel tank, the intermediate tank pressure threshold being a threshold between a full tank and an empty tank;
• responsive to the intermediate tank pressure threshold being reached in all of the one or more hydrogen fuel tanks of the other hydrogen fuel tanks and the at least one hydrogen fuel tank, remove the at least one hydrogen fuel tank from providing fuel to the hydrogen fuel consumer by closing the second valve while using at least one of the one or more hydrogen fuel tank of the other hydrogen fuel tanks to provide hydrogen fuel to the hydrogen fuel consumer;
• when an engine brake event has been detected, open the pump valve, close the first valve and activate the pump to pump hydrogen from at least one of the one or more hydrogen fuel tanks of the other hydrogen fuel tanks into the at least one hydrogen fuel tank during the engine brake event.

A computer program product comprising a non-transitory storage medium including program code to be executed by processing circuitry of a controller, whereby execution of the program code causes the controller to perform operations comprising:

• controlling one or more hydrogen fuel tanks of the plurality of hydrogen fuel tanks and at least one hydrogen fuel tank to provide fuel in parallel to the hydrogen fuel consumer;
• determining when an intermediate tank pressure threshold has been reached in all of the one or more hydrogen fuel tanks and the at the least one hydrogen fuel tank, wherein the intermediate tank pressure threshold is a threshold between a full tank and an empty tank;
• responsive to the intermediate tank pressure threshold being reached in all of the one or more hydrogen fuel tanks and the at the least one hydrogen fuel tank, removing the at least one hydrogen fuel tank from providing fuel to the hydrogen fuel consumer while using one or more hydrogen fuel tanks of the plurality of hydrogen fuel tanks to provide hydrogen fuel to the hydrogen fuel consumer;
• when an engine brake event has been detected, activating a pump to pump hydrogen from at least one of the one or more hydrogen fuel tanks into the at least one hydrogen fuel tank during the engine brake event.