Vehicle application for air storage cathode carbon loss estimation
AssigneeGM Global Technology Operations LLC
InventorsAndrew J. Maslyn, Paul Taichiang Yu, Rohit Makharia
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A system and method for estimating an amount of carbon support loss in fuel cells of a fuel cell stack in a vehicle, for example, during vehicle off-times. The system and method include estimating an amount of time that a hydrogen concentration in the fuel cell stack is zero and calculating an amount of carbon loss based on the amount of time that the hydrogen concentration in the fuel cell stack is zero.
Claims16
A method for using an estimation of an amount of carbon support loss in fuel cells of a fuel cell stack in a vehicle, said method comprising:
- providing a controller in the vehicle that is programmed for:
- estimating an amount of time that a hydrogen concentration in the fuel cell stack is zero;
- calculating an amount of carbon loss based on the amount of time that the hydrogen concentration in the fuel cell stack is zero;
- adding the amount of carbon loss that occurs each time the vehicle is in an off-state and the hydrogen concentration is zero to give a total cathode carbon loss estimation;
- and
- taking remedial actions if the total carbon loss estimation is greater than a predetermined carbon loss limit, wherein the remedial actions include voltage recovery with mitigation strategies, hydrogen addition after shutdown and reconditioning of the fuel cell stack.
A method for using an estimation of an amount of carbon loss in fuel cells of a fuel cell stack in a vehicle, said method comprising:
- providing a controller in the vehicle that is programmed for:
- determining that the vehicle is in a vehicle off-state;
- estimating an amount of time that a hydrogen concentration in the fuel cell stack is zero when the vehicle is in the vehicle off-state;
- calculating an event carbon loss based on the amount of time that the hydrogen concentration in the fuel cell stack is zero;
- adding the event carbon loss to an air storage carbon loss value to determine a total air storage carbon loss;
- and
- causing one or more remedial actions to occur if the amount of the total air storage carbon loss is greater than a predetermined threshold.
A fuel cell system that uses an estimation of an amount of carbon support loss in fuel cells of a fuel cell stack in a vehicle, said system comprising:
- a controller programmed to provide:
- means for determining that the vehicle is in a vehicle off-state;
- means for estimating an amount of time that a hydrogen concentration in the fuel cell stack is zero when the vehicle is in the vehicle off-state;
- means for calculating an event carbon loss based on the amount of time that the hydrogen concentration in the fuel cell stack is zero;
- means for adding the event carbon loss to an air storage carbon loss value to determine a total air storage carbon loss;
- and
- means for causing one or more remedial actions to occur if the amount of the total air storage carbon loss is greater than a predetermined threshold.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.