CN111762035A

CN111762035A - Fuel cell system and fuel cell vehicle

Info

Publication number: CN111762035A
Application number: CN201910259879.4A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 段羽; 赵朕宇; 郝禹铭; 刘利宝
Original assignee: Great Wall Motor Co Ltd
Current assignee: Great Wall Motor Co Ltd
Priority date: 2019-04-02
Filing date: 2019-04-02
Publication date: 2020-10-13

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a fuel cell system including: a fuel cell stack configured to generate electrical energy; a power distribution unit coupled to the fuel cell stack and adapted to receive the electrical energy from the fuel cell stack; and a heater module configured to heat the fuel cell stack, wherein the heater module is directly mounted on the power distribution unit. Compared with the prior art, the technical scheme of each embodiment of the disclosure can achieve the following effects: the compactness of the system is improved: reducing the length of the cable; the external mechanical connections, which do not pass through the core of the heater module, can avoid electrical shorts.

Description

Fuel cell system and fuel cell vehicle

Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to the field of fuel cell technology, and more particularly, to a fuel cell system and a fuel cell vehicle in which a heater module and a power distribution unit are directly mounted together.

Background

The fuel cell converts the Gibbs free energy in the chemical energy of the fuel into electric energy through electrochemical reaction, and is not limited by Carnot cycle effect, so the efficiency is high; in addition, fuel cells use fuel and oxygen as raw materials; meanwhile, no mechanical transmission part is arranged, so that no noise pollution is caused, and the discharged harmful gas is less. It follows that fuel cells are a promising power generation technology from the viewpoint of energy saving and ecological environment protection.

A fuel cell stack typically includes a set of fuel cells stacked together to provide the electrical power required by the fuel cell system for various applications, such as fuel cell vehicles. A Power Distribution Unit (PDU) is typically electrically connected to the fuel cell stack and functions to distribute electrical Power generated by the fuel cell stack to various load units in the fuel cell system. The heater module is also part of the fuel cell system and functions as an electrical energy sink (electrical energy sink) that provides dissipated energy to the fuel cell stack in the form of thermal energy. Another function of the heater modules of the prior art is to effectively control the fuel cell voltage at start-up and shut-down, which makes the fuel cell more efficient and protects the electro-catalytic layer. Typically in a fuel cell vehicle, electrical connections are made between the heater module and the power distribution unit.

Since there are a variety of different types of fuel cell system components, each of which takes up space, efforts are required toward miniaturization of fuel cell systems, which can be useful in contributing to system compactness. Also, various connections exist between fuel cell system components, such as mechanical or electrical connections, reducing the number of such connections, reducing the length of the cables, will reduce the cost of the system and the complexity of the system.

The statements in the background section are merely prior art as they are known to the inventors and do not, of course, represent prior art in the field.

SUMMARY

In view of at least one of the drawbacks of the prior art, the present disclosure proposes a fuel cell system comprising: a fuel cell stack configured to generate electrical energy; a power distribution unit coupled to the fuel cell stack and adapted to receive the electrical energy from the fuel cell stack; and a heater module configured to heat the fuel cell stack, wherein the heater module is directly mounted on the power distribution unit.

According to one aspect of the present disclosure, wherein the heater module is configured to regulate a voltage of the fuel cell stack.

According to one aspect of the present disclosure, wherein the heater module has a coolant inlet and a coolant outlet.

According to one aspect of the present disclosure, wherein the heater module is provided with a plurality of mounting lugs.

According to an aspect of the present disclosure, wherein the heater module is connected with the power distribution unit by a bolt, wherein the bolt is located at an edge of the heater module.

According to one aspect of the present disclosure, wherein the heater module includes a positive temperature coefficient element.

The present disclosure also relates to a fuel cell vehicle including the fuel cell system as described above.

Compared with the prior art, the technical scheme of each embodiment of the disclosure can achieve the following effects:

1. the compactness of the system is improved:

2. reducing the length of the cable;

3. the external mechanical connections, which do not pass through the core of the heater module, can avoid electrical shorts.

Drawings

The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of the disclosure, illustrate embodiments of the disclosure and together with the description serve to explain the disclosure and are not to limit the disclosure. In the drawings:

fig. 1 shows a perspective view of a fuel cell system according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure;

fig. 2 shows a perspective view of another angle of the fuel cell system according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure;

fig. 3 shows a top view of a fuel cell system according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure; and

fig. 4 shows a top view of a heater module in a fuel cell system according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure.

List of reference numerals:

10 a fuel cell system; 11 a power distribution unit; 12 a heater module; 13 a fuel cell stack; 125 lugs; 112 lugs; 111 a high voltage wire harness; 121 a coolant inlet; 122 a coolant outlet; 124 high voltage wiring harness; 123 low voltage wiring harness.

Detailed Description

In the following, only certain exemplary embodiments are briefly described. As those skilled in the art can appreciate, the described embodiments can be modified in various different ways, without departing from the spirit or scope of the present disclosure. Accordingly, the drawings and description are to be regarded as illustrative in nature, and not as restrictive.

In the description of the present disclosure, it is to be understood that the terms "center", "longitudinal", "lateral", "length", "width", "thickness", "upper", "lower", "front", "rear", "left", "right", "straight", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inner", "outer", "clockwise", "counterclockwise", and the like, indicate orientations or positional relationships based on those shown in the drawings, and are only for convenience of description and simplicity of description, but do not indicate or imply that the device or element being referred to must have a particular orientation, be constructed in a particular orientation, and be operated, and therefore should not be considered as limiting the present disclosure. Furthermore, the terms "first", "second" and "first" are used for descriptive purposes only and are not to be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of technical features indicated. Thus, features defined as "first", "second", may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of the described features. In the description of the present disclosure, "a plurality" means two or more unless specifically limited otherwise.

Throughout the description of the present disclosure, it is to be noted that, unless otherwise expressly specified or limited, the terms "mounted," "connected," and "connected" are to be construed broadly, e.g., as meaning either a fixed connection, a removable connection, or an integral connection, either mechanically, electrically, or otherwise in communication with one another; either directly or indirectly through intervening media, either internally or in any other relationship. The specific meaning of the above terms in the present disclosure can be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art as appropriate.

In the present disclosure, unless expressly stated or limited otherwise, the first feature "on" or "under" the second feature may comprise the first and second features being in direct contact, or may comprise the first and second features being in contact, not directly, but via another feature in between. Also, the first feature being "on," "above" and "over" the second feature includes the first feature being directly on and obliquely above the second feature, or merely indicating that the first feature is at a higher level than the second feature. A first feature being "under," "below," and "beneath" a second feature includes the first feature being directly above and obliquely above the second feature, or simply meaning that the first feature is at a lesser level than the second feature.

The following disclosure provides many different embodiments or examples for implementing different features of the disclosure. To simplify the disclosure of the present disclosure, specific example components and arrangements are described below. Of course, they are merely examples and are not intended to limit the present disclosure. Moreover, the present disclosure may repeat reference numerals and/or reference letters in the various examples, which have been repeated for purposes of simplicity and clarity and do not in themselves dictate a relationship between the various embodiments and/or arrangements discussed. In addition, the present disclosure provides examples of various specific processes and materials, but one of ordinary skill in the art may recognize applications of other processes and/or use of other materials.

The preferred embodiments of the present disclosure will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings, and it should be understood that the preferred embodiments described herein are merely for purposes of illustrating and explaining the present disclosure and are not intended to limit the present disclosure.

None of the prior art discloses directly mounting a heater module with a power distribution unit. The present disclosure proposes a scheme of directly mounting a Power Distribution Unit (PDU) and a heater module together, which may contribute to realization of minimization of a fuel cell used in a vehicle system. The space occupation can be reduced, the length of the cable can be reduced, and the complexity of the electric connection can be reduced. Associated mechanical accessories may also be reduced. The heater module includes mounting lugs that may be bolted together with corresponding mounting lugs on the power distribution unit.

In a fuel cell system, such as a fuel cell vehicle, a power distribution unit needs to be electrically connected to a DC/DC converter and needs to be connected together with a heater module. The power distribution unit includes various electrical power connections, a set of connections for connecting the power distribution unit to the DC/DC converter, a High Voltage (HV) harness for connecting to the heater module, and a low voltage harness for connecting to the heater module. The heater module cell has electrical as well as fluid flow connections.

In the present disclosure, the inventors propose a direct connection between a power distribution unit and a heater module, in order to achieve which the heater module is provided with a plurality of mounting lugs which can be bolted together with corresponding mounting lugs of the power distribution unit.

Although the present disclosure describes bolted connections between the power distribution unit and the heater module, the present disclosure may encompass any type of direct connection.

First embodiment

A fuel cell system 10 according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure is described below with reference to fig. 1 to 4. As shown in fig. 1-4, the fuel cell system 10 includes a fuel cell stack 13 (shown in fig. 3), a power distribution unit 11, and a heater module 12.

The fuel cell stack 13 typically includes, for example, a stack of fuel cells stacked together to provide the electrical power required by the fuel cell system for various applications (e.g., fuel cell vehicles). The Power Distribution Unit (PDU)11 is typically electrically connected or coupled to the fuel cell stack 13, as shown in fig. 3, and functions to receive the electrical power from the fuel cell stack 13 and distribute the electrical power generated by the fuel cell stack 13 to various load units in the fuel cell system, as well as various accessories external to the fuel cell system that require electrical power. The heater module 12 is also part of the fuel cell system and functions to provide dissipated energy to the fuel cell stack in the form of thermal energy, heating the fuel cell stack.

The inventors therein have conceived that the heater module 12 may be directly mounted on the power distribution unit 11, so that the compactness of the fuel cell system 10 may be improved and the length of the cable may be reduced. Typically in a fuel cell vehicle, electrical connections are made between the heater module and the power distribution unit. The present disclosure, however, directly mounting the heater module 12 with the power distribution unit 11 is a very significant improvement.

It should be noted that fig. 3 only schematically illustrates the electrical connection relationship between the power distribution unit 11 and the fuel cell stack 13, and is not intended to limit the mechanical connection manner between the power distribution unit 11 and the fuel cell stack 11.

One skilled in the art can conceive of various ways to mount the heater module 12 directly on the power distribution unit 11. Fig. 1, 2, and 4 show a connection manner according to a preferred embodiment of the present disclosure, which is described in detail as follows.

As shown in fig. 1, 2, and 4, the heater module 12 has one or more lugs 125, and the lugs 125 have holes therein. Correspondingly, the power distribution module 11 also has one or more lugs 112, and the lugs 112 have holes therein. The heater module 12 can be mounted directly on the power distribution unit 11 by screwing screws into holes in the

lugs

125 and 112 and fastening them on the other side by nuts. Or alternatively, the lugs 125 have threaded holes, and the heater module 12 can be directly mounted on the power distribution unit 11 by screwing screws into the threaded holes in the lugs 125, without the need for nuts on the other side, simplifying the structure. In addition, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the number of lugs 112 and the number of lugs 125 need not be equal or correspond, and may be more or less than the number of lugs 125. It is within the scope of the present disclosure that the number of lugs 112 is less than the number of lugs 125 shown in fig. 1. Alternatively, instead of the

lugs

112 and 125, the power distribution module may be provided with flanges with holes or threaded holes so that the heater module 12 can be directly mounted on the power distribution unit 11 by screws.

According to a preferred embodiment, the heater module 12 can be mounted directly on the power distribution unit 11 in other ways, for example by providing a snap on edge, fastening the two together and releasing it when necessary.

According to a preferred embodiment of the present disclosure, the connection structure of the heater module 12 and the power distribution unit 11, such as the lugs 112, the lugs 125, and the screws, are located at the edges of the heater module and the power distribution unit 11, not passing through the centers of the heater module and the power distribution unit 11. This avoids the occurrence of electrical shorts, since the external mechanical connection does not pass through the core of the heater module and the unit cell.

According to a preferred embodiment of the present disclosure, the power distribution unit 11 includes a high voltage harness 111 thereon, as shown in fig. 1, the high voltage harness 111 is configured to connect the power distribution unit 11 to a DC/DC converter.

According to a preferred embodiment of the present disclosure, the heater module 12 is configured to regulate the voltage of the fuel cell stack 13, for example, to control the fuel cell voltage at start-up and shut-down, which makes the fuel cell more efficient and protects the electrocatalytic layer.

According to a preferred embodiment of the present disclosure, the heater module 12 is adapted to receive a coolant. As shown for example in fig. 2, the heater module 12 has a coolant inlet 121 and a coolant outlet 122. The coolant enters the coolant inlet 121, exchanges heat therein, absorbs excessive heat, and then flows out of the coolant outlet 122.

According to a preferred embodiment of the present disclosure, the heater module 12 further includes a high voltage wire harness 124 and a low voltage wire harness 123, wherein the high voltage wire harness 124 is used for electrically connecting from the heater module 12 to the power distribution unit 11, and the low voltage wire harness 123 is used for electrically connecting from the heater module 12 to the power distribution unit 11.

According to a preferred embodiment of the present disclosure, the heater module 12 includes a Positive Temperature Coefficient (PTC) element. The positive temperature coefficient element may be used, for example, as a shorting resistor in the heater module 12. The ptc element may be, for example, an element whose resistance value increases sharply with an increase in temperature after a certain temperature (curie temperature). The ptc element can, for example, control the stack voltage at start-up so that it generates more heat and thus quickly reaches an efficient operating temperature. The ptc element can operate by limiting the voltage of the fuel cell, which allows the stack to efficiently generate heat and counteract the generated current, and the resistive heat provided by the ptc element can help the stack to quickly reach normal operating temperatures.

Second embodiment

A second embodiment of the present disclosure relates to a fuel cell vehicle including the fuel cell system as described above.

1. the compactness of the system is improved:

2. reducing the length of the cable;

The above description is only exemplary of the present disclosure and should not be taken as limiting the disclosure, as any modification, equivalent replacement, or improvement made within the spirit and principle of the present disclosure should be included in the scope of protection of the present disclosure.

Finally, it should be noted that: although the present disclosure has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that changes may be made in the embodiments and/or equivalents thereof without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure. Any modification, equivalent replacement, improvement and the like made within the spirit and principle of the present disclosure should be included in the protection scope of the present disclosure.

Claims

1. A fuel cell system comprising:

a fuel cell stack configured to generate electrical energy;

a power distribution unit coupled to the fuel cell stack and adapted to receive the electrical energy from the fuel cell stack; and

a heater module configured to heat the fuel cell stack,

wherein the heater module is mounted directly on the power distribution unit.

2. The fuel cell system of claim 1, wherein the heater module is configured to regulate a voltage of the fuel cell stack.

3. The fuel cell system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the heater module has a coolant inlet and a coolant outlet.

4. The fuel cell system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the heater module is provided with a plurality of mounting lugs.

5. The fuel cell system of claim 4, wherein the heater module is connected to the power distribution unit by a bolt, wherein the bolt passes through the mounting lug at an edge of the heater module.

6. The fuel cell system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the heater module includes a positive temperature coefficient element.

7. A fuel cell vehicle comprising the fuel cell system according to any one of claims 1 to 6.