阅读说明：本技术 燃料电池系统及燃料电池系统的堆模块的更换方法 (Fuel cell system and method for replacing stack module of fuel cell system ) 是由 徐埈硕 孙镕斗 于 2019-09-29 设计创作，主要内容包括：本发明公开一种能够在不停止燃料电池系统的运行的情况下维护堆模块的燃料电池系统及燃料电池系统的堆模块的更换方法。该燃料电池系统包括：多个堆模块,并联连接到氢气管路和空气管路,多个堆模块中的两个或更多个堆模块连接以形成组；以及逆变器,连接到堆模块组并且能够被接通和断开。(Disclosed are a fuel cell system capable of maintaining a stack module without stopping the operation of the fuel cell system, and a method for replacing the stack module of the fuel cell system. The fuel cell system includes: a plurality of stack modules connected in parallel to the hydrogen line and the air line, two or more of the plurality of stack modules being connected to form a group; and an inverter connected to the stack module group and capable of being turned on and off.)

1. A fuel cell system comprising:

a plurality of stack modules connected in parallel to the hydrogen line and the air line; and

a plurality of inverters respectively connected to the plurality of stack modules and capable of being turned on and off.

2. The fuel cell system according to claim 1,

a main relay is connected between each of the plurality of stack modules and the inverter for each stack module, respectively, and a bypass relay is connected to bypass the plurality of stack modules and the main relay paired with each other.

3. The fuel cell system according to claim 2,

a first end of each of the plurality of stack modules is directly connected with a first end of each of the main relays, and both ends of each of the bypass relays are respectively connected to a second end of each of the plurality of stack modules and a second end of each of the main relays.

4. A fuel cell system comprising:

a plurality of stack modules connected in parallel to the hydrogen line and the air line, wherein two or more stack modules of the plurality of stack modules are connected to form a group; and

an inverter connected to the stack module group and capable of being turned on and off.

5. The fuel cell system according to claim 4,

two or more of the plurality of stack modules are connected in series to form the stack module group.

6. The fuel cell system according to claim 5,

a main relay is connected between each of the plurality of stack modules and the inverter for each stack module, respectively, and

a bypass relay is connected to bypass the plurality of stack modules and the main relay paired with each other.

7. The fuel cell system according to claim 5,

a first end of each of the plurality of stack modules is directly connected to a first end of each of the main relays, and

both ends of each of the bypass relays are respectively connected to the second end of each of the plurality of stack modules and the second end of each of the main relays.

8. The fuel cell system according to claim 4,

the plurality of stack modules are connected in parallel to form the stack module group.

9. The fuel cell system according to claim 4,

a main relay is connected between each of the plurality of stack modules and the inverter for each stack module, respectively.

10. The fuel cell system according to claim 4,

a fuel blocking valve is disposed on the hydrogen line for each stack module, and

a blower is disposed on the air line for each stack module.

11. A replacement method of a stack module of a fuel cell system according to claim 1, comprising:

the controller respectively monitors the stack modules; and

When an abnormality of the stack module is detected, the controller stops an inverter connected to the stack module in which the abnormality occurs and electrically opens the stack module.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

after the stack module is electrically disconnected, the controller stops a blower configured to supply air to the stack module;

the controller opens a fuel cutoff valve configured to regulate the supply of hydrogen fuel to the stack module; and

when the stack module is replaced, the controller drives the stopped inverter to operate the stack module again.

13. A replacement method of a stack module of a fuel cell system according to claim 6, comprising:

the controller respectively monitors the stack modules; and

when an abnormality of the stack module is detected, the controller turns off a main relay connected to the stack module in which the abnormality occurs, turns on a bypass relay, and electrically disconnects the stack module.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

after the stack module is electrically disconnected, the controller stops a blower configured to supply air to the stack module;

The controller opens a fuel cutoff valve configured to regulate the supply of hydrogen fuel to the stack module; and

when the stack module is replaced, the controller turns off the turned-on bypass relay and turns on the turned-off main relay to operate the stack module again.

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a fuel cell system capable of maintaining a stack module without stopping the operation of the fuel cell system, and a replacement method of the stack module of the fuel cell system.

Background

In a fuel cell system for power generation, a stack module may generate and supply power. The fuel cell stack includes a stack main relay for supplying or blocking electric power to the stack. When the fuel cell system is normally operated, the operation is performed in a state where the stack main relay is connected. Meanwhile, when maintenance work such as repair or replacement of the fuel cell stack is required, the operation of the fuel cell system is stopped to perform the maintenance work of the stack after the remaining voltage of the stack is completely exhausted.

However, in such a fuel cell system, since the operation of the fuel cell system is stopped whenever maintenance of the stack is required, the operation rate of the system may be reduced. In addition, as the number of system stops increases, the performance of the system components and stack modules may deteriorate.

The information disclosed in this section is only for enhancement of understanding of the general background of the invention and should not be taken as an acknowledgement or any form of suggestion that this information forms the prior art that is known to a person skilled in the art.

Disclosure of Invention

The invention provides a fuel cell system capable of maintaining a stack module without stopping the operation of the fuel cell system, and a method for replacing the stack module of the fuel cell system.

In accordance with an aspect of the present invention, the above and other objects can be accomplished by the provision of a fuel cell system, which can include: a plurality of stack modules connected in parallel to the hydrogen line and the air line; and a plurality of inverters respectively connected to the plurality of stack modules and capable of being turned on and off.

In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, the above and other objects can be accomplished by the provision of a fuel cell system, which can include: a plurality of stack modules connected in parallel to the hydrogen line and the air line, two or more of the plurality of stack modules being connected to form a group; and an inverter connected to the stack module group and capable of being turned on and off.

A plurality of stack modules may be connected in series to form a stack module group. The main relay may be connected between each of the plurality of stack modules and the inverter for each of the stack modules, respectively, and the bypass relay may be connected to bypass the plurality of stack modules and the main relay paired with each other. The first end of each of the plurality of stack modules may be directly connected with the first end of each of the main relays, and both ends of each of the bypass relays may be respectively connected to the second end of each of the plurality of stack modules and the second end of each of the main relays.

A plurality of stack modules may be connected in parallel to form a stack module group. The main relay may be connected between each of the plurality of stack modules and the inverter for each of the stack modules, respectively. A fuel cutoff valve may be provided on the hydrogen line for each stack module and a blower may be provided on the air line for each stack module.

In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, the above and other objects can be accomplished by the provision of a method of replacing a stack module of a fuel cell system, which can include: the controller respectively monitors the stack modules; and when an abnormality of the stack module is detected, the controller stops an inverter connected to the stack module in which the abnormality occurs and electrically opens the stack module.

The method may further comprise: stopping a blower configured to supply air to the stack module after the stack module is electrically disconnected; disconnecting a fuel blocking valve configured to regulate the supply of hydrogen fuel to the stack module; and driving the stopped inverter to operate the stack module again when the stack module is replaced.

In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, the above and other objects can be accomplished by the provision of a method of replacing a stack module of a fuel cell system, which can include: the controller respectively monitors the stack modules; and when an abnormality of the stack module is detected, the controller turns off a main relay connected to the stack module in which the abnormality occurs, turns on a bypass relay, and electrically disconnects the stack module.

The method may further comprise: stopping a blower configured to supply air to the stack module after the stack module is electrically disconnected; disconnecting a fuel blocking valve configured to regulate the supply of hydrogen fuel to the stack module; and when the stack module is replaced, turning off the turned-on bypass relay and turning on the turned-off main relay to operate the stack module again.

Drawings

The above and other objects, features and other advantages of the present invention will be more clearly understood from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a view showing the configuration of a fuel cell system according to an exemplary embodiment of the invention;

fig. 2 is a view showing the configuration of a fuel cell system according to an exemplary embodiment of the invention;

fig. 3 is a view illustrating a configuration of stack modules connected in series in the fuel cell system shown in fig. 2 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a view illustrating an operation of bypassing a failed stack module by a bypass relay in FIG. 3 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 5 is a view illustrating a configuration of stack modules connected in parallel in the fuel cell system shown in fig. 2 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 6 is a view illustrating an operation of blocking current flow to a failed stack module in fig. 5 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 7 is a view illustrating a replacement process of a stack module in the configuration of the fuel cell system shown in fig. 1 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 8 is a view illustrating a replacement process of a stack module in the configuration of the fuel cell system shown in fig. 2 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; and

fig. 9 is a view conceptually showing a connection relationship between components controlled by a controller according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

Detailed Description

It will be understood that the term "vehicle" or "vehicular" or other similar terms as used herein generally include motor vehicles, such as passenger vehicles including Sport Utility Vehicles (SUVs), buses, trucks, various commercial vehicles, watercraft including a variety of boats and ships, aircraft, and the like, and includes hybrid vehicles, electric vehicles, plug-in hybrid vehicles, hydrogen-powered vehicles, and other alternative fuel (e.g., fuel derived from sources other than petroleum) vehicles. As referred to herein, a hybrid vehicle is a vehicle having two or more power sources, such as a gasoline and electric hybrid vehicle.

While the exemplary embodiments are described as using multiple units to execute the exemplary process, it will be understood that the exemplary process may also be executed by one or more modules. In addition, it will be understood that the term "controller/control unit" refers to a hardware device that includes a memory and a processor. The memory is configured to store modules and the processor is specifically configured to execute the modules to perform one or more processes described further below.

Further, the control logic of the present disclosure may be embodied as a non-transitory computer readable medium on a computer readable medium containing executable program instructions executed by a processor, controller/control unit, or the like. Examples of computer readable media include, but are not limited to, ROM, RAM, Compact Disc (CD) -ROM, magnetic tape, floppy disk, flash drive, smart card, and optical data storage. The computer readable recording medium CAN also be distributed over network coupled computer systems so that the computer readable medium is stored and executed in a distributed fashion, such as through a telematics server or a Controller Area Network (CAN).

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the disclosure. As used herein, the singular forms "a", "an" and "the" are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms "comprises" and/or "comprising," when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof. As used herein, the term "and/or" includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

Unless specifically stated or otherwise apparent from the context, the term "about" as used herein is understood to be within the normal tolerance of the art, e.g., within 2 standard deviations of the mean. "about" can be understood as being within 10%, 9%, 8%, 7%, 6%, 5%, 4%, 3%, 2%, 1%, 0.5%, 0.1%, 0.05% or 0.01% of the stated value. Unless otherwise clear from the context, all numbers provided herein are modified by the term "about".

Exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

The fuel cell system of the present invention is a high-capacity power generation system including a plurality of stack modules 1 and an inverter 3. Fig. 1 is a view showing the configuration of a first example embodiment of a fuel cell system according to the invention. Referring to the drawings, first, the stack module 1 generates electricity using hydrogen as fuel. A plurality of stack modules may be provided and connected in parallel to the hydrogen line 5 and the air line 7.

For example, a fuel cutoff valve 9 may be provided on the hydrogen pipe 5 of each stack module 1 so that hydrogen fuel supplied to each stack module 1 can be supplied and cutoff individually. A blower 11 may be provided on the air line 7 of each stack module 1 so that the air supply to each stack module 1 can be supplied and blocked individually. In particular, the inverters 3 may be configured to convert Direct Current (DC) generated by the stack module 1 into Alternating Current (AC), and are respectively provided at rear ends of the stack module 1 and can be turned on and off. The fuel cell system may be configured to be connected to a grid (grid).

Fig. 2 is a view showing the configuration of a second example embodiment of a fuel cell system according to the invention. Referring to the drawings, a plurality of stack modules 1 may be provided, and the plurality of stack modules 1 may be connected in parallel to the hydrogen line 5 and the air line 7. Two or more stack modules 1 may be connected to form a group. In addition, the inverter 3 may be provided at the rear end of the stack module 1 for each stack module 1 group, and may be turned on and off.

According to the above configuration, in the present invention, since the inverters 3 can be connected to the stack modules 1, respectively, the inverters 3 can be independently stopped, thereby independently blocking the power of the stack module 1 or the stack module 1 group. Therefore, when there is a stack module 1 in which an abnormality occurs among the stack modules 1 constituting the fuel cell system, it is possible to stop only the inverter 3 connected to the stack module 1 in which the abnormality occurs and replace or repair the stack module 1. In other words, not all inverters need to be stopped in order to service one of the stack modules.

In particular, when the stack module 1 malfunctions, the stack module can be maintained without stopping the operation of the fuel cell system, thereby improving the operation rate of the fuel cell system. In addition, the number of times the fuel cell system is stopped is reduced, thereby preventing performance degradation of the system components and the stack module 1.

A replacement process of the failed stack module 1 in the fuel cell system shown in fig. 1 will be described with reference to fig. 7 and 9. The controller CLR may be configured to monitor each stack module 1 to diagnose an abnormality or malfunction of the stack module 1. For example, when an abnormality (e.g., a failure, a malfunction, or the like) occurs in the first stack module 1a as a result of monitoring the stack modules 1, the inverter 3 connected to the first stack module 1a may be stopped to enable the current flowing in the electric wire to bypass the first stack module 1a, thereby electrically disconnecting the first stack module 1 a.

Subsequently, the blower 11 configured to supply air to the first stack module 1a may be stopped to discharge the air from the first stack module 1 a. In addition, the fuel cutoff valve 9 configured to regulate the supply of hydrogen fuel to the first stack module may be turned off to cut off the supply of hydrogen fuel to the first stack module 1 a. Thereafter, information indicating that the first stack module 1a is completely electrically disconnected may be displayed or voice-outputted, then the first stack module 1a may be replaced with a new one, and the stopped inverter 3 may be operated after the replacement, thereby operating the first stack module 1a again.

For reference, the controller according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention may be implemented by a nonvolatile memory (not shown) configured to store data regarding algorithms for performing operations of components of a vehicle or software commands for performing the algorithms, and a processor (not shown) configured to perform the operations described below using the data stored in the memory. In particular, the memory and the processor may be implemented as separate chips. Alternatively, the memory and the processor may be integrally implemented as a single chip. The processor may include one or more processors.

Further, in the fuel cell system according to the second example embodiment of the invention, a plurality of stack modules 1 may be connected in series to form a stack module 1 group. In particular, in a fuel cell system in which a plurality of stack modules 1 form a group, when some of the stack modules 1 fail, a current is bypassed around the failed stack module 1 by on/off of a relay, thereby allowing the stack to be replaced or repaired without stopping the operation of the fuel cell system.

Therefore, in the present invention, as shown in fig. 3, for each stack module 1, the main relays R1 and R2 may be connected between the stack module 1 and the inverter 3, respectively, and the bypass relays R3 and R4 may be connected to bypass the stack module 1 and the main relays R1 and R2 that are paired with each other. Specifically, the first end of each stack module 1 may be directly connected with the first end of each of the main relays R1 and R2, and both ends of each of the bypass relays R3 and R4 may be connected to the second end of each stack module 1 and the second end of each of the main relays R1 and R2, respectively.

For example, two stack modules, i.e., a first stack module 1a and a second stack module 1b, may be connected in series to form a group, the front end of the first stack module 1a may be directly connected with the first main relay R1, and both ends of the first bypass relay R3 are connected to the front end of the first main relay R1 and the rear end of the first stack module 1a, respectively. In addition, the front end of the second stack module 1b may be directly connected with the second main relay R2, and both ends of the second bypass relay R4 may be connected to the front end of the second main relay R2 and the rear end of the second stack module 1b, respectively.

The first stack module 1a and the second stack module 1b may be connected in series with a second main relay R2 interposed therebetween. In other words, as shown in fig. 3, when the fuel cell system is normally operated, the operation may be performed in a state where the first and second main relays R1 and R2 are turned on and the first and second bypass relays R3 and R4 are turned off, thereby transmitting the power generated in the first and second stack modules 1a and 1b to the inverter 3.

However, when some of the stack modules 1 in the fuel cell system of fig. 3 fail, a current bypasses the failed stack module 1 by the operation of the relays provided in the stack module 1. For example, as shown in fig. 4, when the first stack module 1a malfunctions, the first main relay R1 may be turned off, the first bypass relay R3 may be turned on, the second main relay R2 may be maintained in the on state, and the second bypass relay R4 may be maintained in the off state.

Therefore, the second stack module 1b continuously generates power. The power generated in the normal stack module bypasses the first stack module 1a, thereby allowing the failed first stack module 1a to be replaced or repaired without stopping the fuel cell system. Meanwhile, in the fuel cell system according to the second example embodiment of the invention, a plurality of stack modules 1 may be connected in parallel to form a stack module 1 group.

In particular, in a fuel cell system in which a plurality of stack modules 1 form a group, when some of the plurality of stack modules 1 fail, power is bypassed around the failed stack module 1 by turning on/off a relay, thereby allowing the stack to be replaced or repaired without stopping the operation of the fuel cell system. Therefore, in the present invention, as shown in fig. 5, for each stack module 1, main relays R1 and R2 may be connected between the stack module 1 and the inverter 3, respectively.

For example, when two stack modules, i.e., a first stack module 1a and a second stack module 1b, are connected in parallel to form a group, the front end of the first stack module 1a may be directly connected with the first main relay R1, and the front end of the second stack module 1b may be directly connected with the second main relay R2. The front ends of the first and second main relays R1 and R2 may be connected in parallel, and the rear ends of the first and second stack modules 1a and 1b may be connected in parallel.

In other words, when the fuel cell system is normally operated, as shown in fig. 5, the operation may be performed in a state where the first and second main relays R1 and R2 are turned on, thereby transmitting the electric power generated in the first and second stack modules 1a and 1b to the inverter 3. However, when some of the stack modules 1 in the fuel cell system of fig. 5 fail, a current bypasses the failed stack module 1 by the operation of the relays provided in the stack module 1.

For example, as shown in fig. 6, when the first stack module 1a malfunctions, the first main relay R1 may be turned off and the second main relay R2 may be maintained in the on state. Therefore, the second stack module 1b continuously generates power. The power generated in the normal stack module bypasses the first stack module 1a, thereby allowing the failed first stack module 1a to be replaced or repaired without stopping the fuel cell system.

The replacement process of the failed stack module 1 in the fuel cell system shown in fig. 4 and 5 will be described with reference to fig. 8 and 9. The controller CLR may be configured to monitor each stack module 1 to diagnose an abnormality of the stack module 1. For example, when an abnormality occurs in the first stack module 1a as a result of monitoring the stack module 1, as shown in fig. 4, the first main relay R1 connected to the first stack module 1a may be turned off, and the first bypass relay may be turned on, so that the current flowing in the electric wire bypasses the first stack module 1a, thereby electrically disconnecting the first stack module 1 a.

Subsequently, the blower 11 configured to supply air to the first stack module 1a may be stopped to discharge the air from the first stack module 1 a. In addition, the fuel cutoff valve 9 configured to regulate the supply of hydrogen fuel to the first stack module 1a may be turned off to cut off the supply of hydrogen fuel to the first stack module 1 a. Thereafter, information indicating that the first stack module 1a is completely electrically disconnected may be displayed or voice-outputted, the first stack module 1a may be replaced with a new stack module, then the first bypass relay R3 may be turned off, and the first main relay R1 may be turned on, thereby operating the first stack module 1a again.

As described above, when there is a stack module 1 in which an abnormality occurs among the stack modules 1 constituting the fuel cell system, the inverter 3 or the relay is operated to replace or repair the stack module 1 in which the malfunction occurs. When the stack module 1 malfunctions, the stack module 1 can be maintained without stopping the operation of the fuel cell system, thereby improving the operation rate of the fuel cell system. In addition, the number of times the fuel cell system is stopped is reduced, thereby preventing performance degradation of the system components and the stack module 1.

Although the exemplary embodiments of the present invention have been disclosed for illustrative purposes, those skilled in the art will appreciate that various modifications, additions and substitutions are possible, without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention as disclosed in the accompanying claims.