KR20220074209A - Operation control system and method of fuel cell - Google Patents

Abstract

a plurality of fuel cell stacks each receiving fuel gas and oxidizing gas to generate electric power; a driving device electrically connected to the plurality of fuel cell stacks and driven by receiving power generated from the plurality of fuel cell stacks; a high voltage battery for supplying power to a driving device while being charged or discharged by power generated from a plurality of fuel cells; a monitoring unit for monitoring whether the high voltage battery can be charged or discharged; and a power generation control unit for controlling the fuel cell stack to generate power from some of the plurality of fuel cell stacks based on whether the high voltage battery monitored by the monitoring unit can be charged or discharged, and the required power or required current of the driving device. A fuel cell operation control system and method are introduced.

Description

Fuel cell operation control system and method {OPERATION CONTROL SYSTEM AND METHOD OF FUEL CELL}

The present invention relates to a fuel cell operation control system and method, and more particularly, to a strategy for operating a fuel cell stack when charging and discharging of a high voltage battery is impossible in a fuel cell system including a plurality of fuel cell stacks.

A fuel cell is a type of power generation device that directly converts chemical energy generated by oxidation of fuel into electrical energy. It is basically the same as a chemical cell in that it uses oxidation and reduction reactions, but unlike a chemical cell in which the cell reaction is carried out inside a closed system, the reactants are continuously supplied from the outside and the reaction products are continuously removed to the outside of the system. There is a difference. Recently, a fuel cell power generation system has been put to practical use, and since the reaction product of the fuel cell is pure water, research for using it as an energy source for an eco-friendly vehicle is being actively conducted.

The fuel cell system includes a fuel cell stack that generates electrical energy through a chemical reaction, an air supply device that supplies air to an air electrode of the fuel cell stack, and a fuel supply device that supplies hydrogen to a hydrogen electrode of the fuel cell stack. That is, air containing oxygen is supplied to the cathode of the fuel cell stack, and hydrogen is supplied to the anode of the fuel cell stack.

Recently, as the required output of a commercial fuel cell vehicle (bus, truck, etc.) increases, a plurality of fuel cell stacks are used in a fuel cell system to improve output.

Specifically, in a fuel cell system including a plurality of fuel cell stacks, auxiliary devices (air compressor, cooling pump, etc.) for driving each fuel cell stack and a controller for controlling them are separately provided, and in each fuel cell stack, A converter for controlling the generated power is also separately provided so that each fuel cell stack can be driven independently.

However, according to the prior art, when charging and discharging of a high voltage battery electrically connected to a plurality of fuel cell stacks is impossible, the fuel cell stack is exposed to high potential and deteriorates, or to prevent such a problem, the fuel cell system must be shut down. There was a problem.

The matters described as the background art above are only for improving the understanding of the background of the present invention, and should not be accepted as acknowledging that they correspond to the prior art already known to those of ordinary skill in the art.

KR 10-1807124 B1

The present invention has been proposed to solve this problem, and an object of the present invention is to provide a fuel cell operation control strategy for driving a driving device using a plurality of fuel cell stacks even if a high voltage battery fails.

A fuel cell operation control system according to the present invention for achieving the above object includes: a plurality of fuel cell stacks for generating electric power by receiving fuel gas and oxidizing gas, respectively; a driving device electrically connected to the plurality of fuel cell stacks and driven by receiving power generated from the plurality of fuel cell stacks; a high voltage battery for supplying power to a driving device while being charged or discharged by power generated from a plurality of fuel cells; a monitoring unit for monitoring whether the high voltage battery can be charged or discharged; and a power generation control unit controlling the fuel cell stack to generate electric power from some of the plurality of fuel cell stacks based on whether the high voltage battery monitored by the monitoring unit can be charged or discharged and the required power or required current of the driving device. .

The power generation control unit may control some of the plurality of fuel cell stacks to maintain power generation when the monitoring unit monitors that charging or discharging of the high voltage battery is impossible.

The power generation control unit may control a portion of the plurality of fuel cell stacks to stop power generation when the required power or the required current of the driving device is equal to or less than a preset first power or first current.

A stack selection unit for selecting a part of the fuel cell stack to stop power generation among the plurality of fuel cell stacks based on the power generation state or the cooling state of the fuel cell stack; further comprising, in the power generation control unit, the part selected by the stack selection unit It can be controlled to stop power generation in the fuel cell stack of

The power generation control unit controls generation of the fuel cell stack to output power or current of the same size from the plurality of fuel cell stacks, and the stack selection unit includes a relatively small amount of power or current output from the plurality of fuel cell stacks. The fuel cell stack can be selected as the part of the fuel cell stack that will stop generating electricity.

The stack selector may select a fuel cell stack having a relatively large difference between the temperature of the fuel cell stack or the temperature of the coolant cooling the fuel cell stack and the target temperature as some of the fuel cell stacks to stop power generation.

a plurality of auxiliary devices provided in each of the plurality of fuel cell stacks, electrically connected to the plurality of fuel cell stacks or high voltage batteries, and cooling the fuel cell stack during operation or supplying fuel gas and oxidizing gas to the fuel cell stack; and a consumption control unit configured to consume power generated from the fuel cell stack by controlling auxiliary devices provided in some fuel cell stacks where power generation has been stopped.

In the consumption control unit, when the temperature of some of the fuel cell stacks where power generation is stopped or the temperature of the coolant that cools the fuel cell stack is within a temperature range including the target temperature, the air introduced from the auxiliary equipment bypasses the fuel cell stack. Power can be consumed by driving the air compressor to pass.

In the consumption control unit, when the temperature of some of the fuel cell stacks where power generation has been stopped or the temperature of the coolant that cools the fuel cell stack is higher than the target temperature, the power consumption can be consumed by driving the coolant pump that flows the coolant among the accessories. have.

In the consumption control unit, when the temperature of some of the fuel cell stacks where power generation is stopped or the temperature of the coolant that cools the fuel cell stack is lower than the target temperature, the power consumption can be consumed by driving the COD heater that heats the coolant among the accessories. have.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a fuel cell operation control method comprising: monitoring whether a high voltage battery electrically connected to a plurality of fuel cell stacks can be charged or discharged; receiving power or current required for a driving device driven by receiving power generated from a plurality of fuel cell stacks; and controlling the fuel cell stack to generate power from some of the plurality of fuel cell stacks based on whether the monitored high voltage battery can be charged or discharged and the power or current required of the received driving device.

In the step of controlling the fuel cell stack, when it is monitored that charging or discharging of the high voltage battery is impossible in the monitoring step, a portion of the plurality of fuel cell stacks may be controlled to maintain power generation.

In the step of controlling the fuel cell stack, when the required power or the required current of the driving device input in the step of receiving the required power or the required current is equal to or less than a preset first power or the first current, some of the plurality of fuel cell stacks are powered It can be controlled to stop power generation.

Prior to the step of controlling the fuel cell stack, selecting a part of the fuel cell stack to stop power generation from among the plurality of fuel cell stacks based on the power generation state or the cooling state of the fuel cell stack; further comprising, In the step of controlling the stack, it is possible to control to stop power generation in some selected fuel cell stacks.

After the step of controlling the fuel cell stack, power generated from the fuel cell stack by cooling some fuel cell stacks whose power generation is stopped during operation or by controlling an auxiliary device that supplies fuel gas and oxidizing gas to the fuel cell stack It may further include; the step of consuming.

According to the fuel cell operation control system and method of the present invention, even if the high voltage battery fails, exposure of the fuel cell stack to a high potential is prevented, and thus durability of the fuel cell stack is improved.

In addition, even when the high voltage battery fails, the fuel cell vehicle is prevented from shutting down while satisfying the required electric power, thereby improving the marketability.

1 is a block diagram of a fuel cell operation control system according to an embodiment of the present invention.
2 is a view showing a control section divided according to the required power or the required current of the driving device according to an embodiment of the present invention.
3 to 4 are diagrams illustrating a driving mode in a control section according to an embodiment of the present invention.
5 is a diagram illustrating an operation mode in a state in which charging or discharging of a high voltage battery is impossible according to an embodiment of the present invention.
6 is a block diagram illustrating a fuel cell stack and an auxiliary device according to an embodiment of the present invention.
7 is a flowchart of a method for controlling operation of a fuel cell according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Specific structural or functional descriptions of the embodiments of the present invention disclosed in the present specification or application are only exemplified for the purpose of describing the embodiments according to the present invention, and the embodiments according to the present invention may be implemented in various forms. and should not be construed as being limited to the embodiments described in the present specification or application.

Since the embodiment according to the present invention can have various changes and can have various forms, specific embodiments are illustrated in the drawings and described in detail in the present specification or application. However, this is not intended to limit the embodiment according to the concept of the present invention with respect to a specific disclosed form, and should be understood to include all changes, equivalents or substitutes included in the spirit and scope of the present invention.

Terms such as first and/or second may be used to describe various elements, but the elements should not be limited by the terms. The above terms are used only for the purpose of distinguishing one element from another element, for example, without departing from the scope of the present invention, a first element may be called a second element, and similarly The second component may also be referred to as the first component.

When an element is referred to as being “connected” or “connected” to another element, it is understood that it may be directly connected or connected to the other element, but other elements may exist in between. it should be On the other hand, when it is said that a certain element is "directly connected" or "directly connected" to another element, it should be understood that the other element does not exist in the middle. Other expressions describing the relationship between elements, such as "between" and "immediately between" or "neighboring to" and "directly adjacent to", etc., should be interpreted similarly.

The terms used herein are used only to describe specific embodiments, and are not intended to limit the present invention. The singular expression includes the plural expression unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. In the present specification, terms such as “comprise” or “have” are intended to designate that the described feature, number, step, operation, component, part, or a combination thereof exists, and includes one or more other features or numbers. , it should be understood that it does not preclude the existence or addition of steps, operations, components, parts, or combinations thereof.

Unless defined otherwise, all terms used herein, including technical and scientific terms, have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. Terms such as those defined in commonly used dictionaries should be interpreted as having meanings consistent with the context of the related art, and unless explicitly defined in the present specification, they are not to be interpreted in an ideal or excessively formal meaning. .

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail by describing preferred embodiments of the present invention with reference to the accompanying drawings. Like reference numerals in each figure indicate like elements.

1 is a configuration diagram of a fuel cell operation control system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 1 , a fuel cell operation control system according to an embodiment of the present invention includes: a plurality of fuel cell stacks 10 for generating electric power by receiving fuel gas and oxidizing gas, respectively; a driving device 20 electrically connected to the plurality of fuel cell stacks 10 and driven by receiving power generated from the plurality of fuel cell stacks 10 ; a high voltage battery 30 for supplying power to the driving device 20 while being charged or discharged by power generated from a plurality of fuel cells; a monitoring unit 40 for monitoring whether the high voltage battery 30 can be charged or discharged; And based on whether charging or discharging of the high voltage battery 30 monitored by the monitoring unit 40 is possible and the required power or required current of the driving device 20 to generate power in some of the plurality of fuel cell stacks 10 . and a power generation control unit 50 for controlling the fuel cell stack 10 .

The monitoring unit 40, the power generation control unit 50, the stack selection unit 60, and the consumption control unit 80 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention is an algorithm configured to control the operation of various components of the vehicle or the algorithm It may be implemented through a non-volatile memory (not shown) configured to store data related to the reproduced software instruction and a processor (not shown) configured to perform operations described below using the data stored in the memory. Here, the memory and the processor may be implemented as separate chips. Alternatively, the memory and processor may be implemented as a single chip integrated with each other. A processor may take the form of one or more processors.

The plurality of fuel cell stacks 10 are individually provided with auxiliary devices 70 (BOP), and can generate electric power by receiving hydrogen gas and oxygen gas, respectively.

The fuel cell stack 10 may be formed by stacking a plurality of cells. Specifically, the plurality of cells may be electrically connected in series to increase the output voltage, and the plurality of fuel cell stacks 10 may be electrically connected in parallel to increase the output current.

In one embodiment, two fuel cell stacks 10 may be included, and each fuel cell stack 10 may have the same power generation capacity.

The driving device 20 may be a motor mounted on a fuel cell vehicle to generate driving force of the vehicle. The motor may be electrically connected to the fuel cell stack 10 and the high voltage battery 30 through an inverter to receive power.

In addition, the driving device 20 may include various devices such as an air conditioning air conditioner, an air conditioning blower, a PTC heater mounted on a vehicle and receiving power. In particular, the driving device 20 may include the accessory device 70 .

That is, here, the required power or the required current of the driving device 20 may be the sum of the electric power or current required for power generation of the fuel cell stack 10 and the electric power or current required for the entire vehicle.

The high voltage battery 30 is a device for charging electric energy or discharging the charged electric energy, and is electrically connected to a plurality of fuel cell stacks 10 to receive power, and generates electricity from the plurality of fuel cell stacks 10 . When the power or current is greater than the required power or the required current, power may be supplied to the driving device 20 by assisting the fuel cell stack 10 .

The monitoring unit 40 may monitor the state of the high voltage battery 30 . The monitoring unit 40 may monitor a state of charge (SOC) of the high voltage battery 30 or monitor whether the high voltage battery 30 is in a chargeable state or a dischargeable state.

Here, whether the high-voltage battery 30 is in a chargeable state or a discharging state is determined by determining whether the high-voltage battery 30 is temporarily unable to be charged or discharged due to a physical failure of the high-voltage battery 30, temperature conditions, or the amount of charge. may include

In one embodiment, the monitoring unit 40 may be a battery management system (BMS) that controls the high voltage battery 30 .

The power generation control unit 50 may control the plurality of fuel cell stacks 10 , and in particular, control whether or not the plurality of fuel cell stacks 10 generate electric power. Specifically, the power generation control unit 50 may control to generate power in some or all of the plurality of fuel cell stacks 10 based on the required power or the required current of the driving device 20 .

In addition, the power generation control unit 50 further considers whether charging or discharging of the high voltage battery 30 monitored by the monitoring unit 40 is possible, and controls to generate power in some or all of the plurality of fuel cell stacks 10 . can

2 is a view showing a control section divided according to the required power or current required of the driving device 20 according to an embodiment of the present invention, Figures 3 to 4 are in the control section according to an embodiment of the present invention. The driving mode is shown.

2 to 4 , the power generation control unit 50 may control to generate power in some or all of the plurality of fuel cell stacks 10 based on the required power or the required current of the driving device 20 . .

In particular, as shown in FIG. 2 , whether the required power or the required current of the driving device 20 is equal to or less than the preset first power or the first current (first section), the first power or the first current and the second power Alternatively, it may be divided into a plurality of sections depending on whether it is between the second currents (second section), or whether it is greater than the second power or the second current (third section).

That is, it may be divided into a first section, a second section, and a third section according to the magnitude of the required power or the required current of the driving device 20 . Here, for example, the first current may be 15 [A], and the second current may be preset to 70 [A].

When the high voltage battery 30 can be charged or discharged, in the third section in which the required power or the required current of the driving device 20 is greatest, the power generation control unit 50, as shown in FIG. 3 , includes a plurality of fuel cell stacks 10 . while simultaneously generating electric power, it is possible to supply electric power to the driving device 20 through discharging of the high voltage battery 30 . That is, the power generation control unit 50 may simultaneously supply the power generated by the plurality of fuel cell stacks 10 and the discharge power of the high voltage battery 30 to the driving device 20 .

In addition, the power generation control unit 50 stops all power generation in the plurality of fuel cell stacks 10 in the first section when charging or discharging of the high voltage battery 30 is possible, as shown in FIG. 4 , and the high voltage battery 30 . Only the driving device 20 can be supplied with power.

The power generation control unit 50 may supply power to the driving device 20 while simultaneously generating power in the plurality of fuel cell stacks 10 in the second section when charging or discharging of the high voltage battery 30 is possible. In particular, the power generation control unit 50 may satisfy the power demand or current demand of the driving device 20 by controlling the power generation of the plurality of fuel cell stacks 10 in the FC only mode.

5 is a diagram illustrating an operation mode in a state in which charging or discharging of the high voltage battery 30 is impossible according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring further to FIG. 5 , when the monitoring unit 40 monitors that charging or discharging of the high voltage battery 30 is impossible, that is, charging power to the high voltage battery 30 or discharging from the high voltage battery 30 is impossible In this case, the control mode using the high voltage battery 30 as shown in FIGS. 3 to 4 may not be possible.

The power generation control unit 50 may control some of the plurality of fuel cell stacks 10 to maintain power generation when the monitoring unit 40 monitors that charging or discharging of the high voltage battery 30 is impossible.

The power generation control unit 50 controls the generation of the plurality of fuel cell stacks 10 in the FC only mode to satisfy the required power or current of the driving device 20 , and to resume generation of the fuel cell stack 10 . Since power is required for this purpose, some of the plurality of fuel cell stacks 10 may be controlled to maintain power generation.

That is, the power generation control unit 50 may control the at least one fuel cell stack 10 to maintain power generation and not stop the power generation of all fuel cell stacks 10 .

In addition, in the power generation control unit 50 , when the required power or the required current of the driving device 20 is equal to or less than the preset first power or the first current (in the first section), some of the plurality of fuel cell stacks 10 generate power. can be controlled to stop.

When the required power or the required current of the driving device 20 is equal to or less than the preset first power or the first current, power generation may be stopped in some of the plurality of fuel cell stacks 10 and power generation may be maintained only in the remaining portions. . Here, only a very small amount of power may be generated through the low flow rate control in the remaining part that maintains power generation.

Here, the preset first power or first current is a very small degree close to no-load, and when the high voltage battery 30 is in a normal state, all of the plurality of fuel cell stacks 10 are stopped, and the high voltage battery 30 is discharged. may be possible.

However, when the power generation control unit 50 is unable to charge or discharge the high voltage battery 30, some fuel cell stacks 10 stop generating power, and at least one fuel cell stack 10 maintains power generation. can be controlled

In the power generation control unit 50, when the required power or current of the driving device 20 is greater than the preset first power or the first current, and is less than or equal to the preset second power or the second current (second section), a plurality of It is possible to control the fuel cell stack 10 to generate electric power at the same time. In particular, the power generation control unit 50 may control the power generation of the plurality of fuel cell stacks 10 so that the required power or the required current of the driving device 20 is satisfied.

The power generation control unit 50 may limit the driving of the driving device 20 when the required power or the required current of the driving device 20 exceeds the preset second power or the second current (third section). Specifically, since it is impossible to support the power of the high voltage battery 30 , the power generation control unit 50 controls so that the generated power is maximized in the plurality of fuel cell stacks 10 , and at the same time reduces the power consumption of the driving device 20 . The operation may be limited to less than or equal to the maximum generated power of the plurality of fuel cell stacks 10 .

It further includes; a stack selection unit 60 for selecting a part of the fuel cell stack 10 to stop power generation among the plurality of fuel cell stacks 10 based on the power generation state or the cooling state of the fuel cell stack 10 . And, the power generation control unit 50 may control to stop power generation in some fuel cell stacks 10 selected by the stack selection unit 60 .

The stack selector 60 may select a part of the fuel cell stack 10 to stop power generation when power generation is stopped in some of the fuel cell stacks 10 among the plurality of fuel cell stacks 10 .

Specifically, the stack selection unit 60 may select a part of the fuel cell stack 10 to stop power generation based on the power generation state or the cooling state of the fuel cell stack 10 .

The power generation control unit 50 controls the generation of the fuel cell stack 10 to output power or current of the same size from the plurality of fuel cell stacks 10 , and the stack selection unit 60 includes the plurality of fuel cell stacks. The fuel cell stack 10 having a relatively small amount of power or current output in ( 10 ) may be selected as a part of the fuel cell stack 10 to stop power generation.

Specifically, the plurality of fuel cell stacks 10 may be electrically connected in parallel and have the same output voltage. In addition, the power generation control unit 50 may control the power generation of the fuel cell stack 10 to output power or current of the same size from the plurality of fuel cell stacks 10 .

In an embodiment, the stack selector 60 compares the magnitudes of power or current output from the plurality of fuel cell stacks 10 with each other, and determines the magnitude of power or current output from among the plurality of fuel cell stacks 10 . A relatively small fuel cell stack 10 may be selected as a portion of the fuel cell stack 10 to stop power generation.

It may be estimated that deterioration of the fuel cell stack 10 in which the output power or current is relatively small in a state in which the same power is requested is deteriorated. Accordingly, by selecting the stack selector 60 to stop power generation of the deteriorated fuel cell stack 10 , a voltage sweeping effect of the fuel cell stack 10 in which power generation is stopped can be expected. Accordingly, there is an effect that the reversible deterioration of the fuel cell stack 10 is recovered.

In another embodiment, the stack selector 60 selects the fuel cell stack 10 having a relatively large difference between the temperature of the fuel cell stack 10 or the temperature of the coolant for cooling the fuel cell stack 10 and the target temperature. A part of the fuel cell stack 10 to stop power generation may be selected.

The fuel cell stack 10 may be cooled by the coolant flowing through the coolant line. A method of directly sensing the temperature of the fuel cell stack 10 is also possible, but in general, the temperature of the fuel cell stack 10 can be estimated based on the temperature of the coolant. In particular, the temperature of the fuel cell stack 10 may be estimated by measuring the temperature of the coolant discharged through the fuel cell stack 10 .

The temperature of the fuel cell stack 10 or the coolant may be controlled to follow the target temperature. The target temperature may be a preset value or may be changed according to the required power generation amount of the fuel cell stack 10 . In particular, the consumption control unit 80, which will be described later, cools the fuel cell stack 10 or the cooling water by using the cooling water pump 72, the radiator fan, etc. for flowing the cooling water included in the accessory device 70, or of the cooling water line. The temperature of the fuel cell stack 10 or the cooling water may be raised by using the COD heater 73 immersed in the cooling water.

More specifically, when the required power or the required current of the driving device 20 is less than or equal to the preset first power or the first current, surplus power is generated even when power is generated only in some of the fuel cell stacks 10 , and this It must be consumed in the device 70 .

In particular, the consumption control unit 80 may consume surplus power by using the auxiliary device 70 provided in the fuel cell stack 10 that has stopped generating power. The consumption control unit 80 is configured to control the fuel cell stack 10 in the fuel cell stack 10 in which the difference between the temperature of the fuel cell stack 10 or the temperature of the coolant for cooling the fuel cell stack 10 and the target temperature is relatively large. Alternatively, the surplus power may be consumed using the auxiliary device 70 by heating or cooling the cooling water.

It is provided in each of the plurality of fuel cell stacks 10 , is electrically connected to the plurality of fuel cell stacks 10 or the high voltage battery 30 , and cools the fuel cell stack 10 or the fuel cell stack 10 during operation. a plurality of auxiliary devices 70 for supplying fuel gas and oxidizing gas; and a consumption control unit 80 that consumes power generated from the fuel cell stack 10 by controlling the auxiliary devices 70 provided in some fuel cell stacks 10 where power generation has been stopped. have.

The auxiliary device 70 is provided in each of the plurality of fuel cell stacks 10 , and may be included in plurality. The auxiliary device 70 includes an air compressor 71 for supplying air to the fuel cell stack 10, a coolant pump 72 included in a cooling system for cooling the fuel cell stack 10, a radiator fan, and a COD heater ( 73) may be included.

In the case of the fuel cell stack 10 in which power generation is maintained, the fuel cell stack 10 may be cooled or fuel gas and oxidizing gas may be supplied to the fuel cell stack 10 according to the required amount of power generation. The consumption control unit 80 consumes surplus power among the power generated in the fuel cell stack 10 in which power generation is maintained through the auxiliary device 70 provided in some fuel cell stacks 10 where power generation is stopped. can do it

6 is a configuration diagram illustrating a fuel cell stack 10 and an auxiliary device 70 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring further to FIG. 6 , in the consumption control unit 80 , the temperature of a portion of the fuel cell stack 10 where power generation is stopped or the temperature of the coolant for cooling the fuel cell stack 10 is a temperature range including the target temperature. In this case, power may be consumed by driving the air compressor 71 so that the air introduced from the accessory device 70 bypasses the fuel cell stack 10 .

The temperature of a portion of the fuel cell stack 10 where power generation is stopped or the temperature of the coolant for cooling the fuel cell stack 10 is within a preset temperature range including the target temperature (for example, the target temperature of -10°C to If the target temperature is in the range of +10°C), it may be difficult to increase or cool the fuel cell stack 10 or the coolant. Accordingly, the consumption control unit 80 may consume power by driving the air compressor (71).

The air compressor 71 may supply air containing an oxidizing gas to the cathode of the fuel cell stack 10 through an air supply line. However, a bypass line for bypassing the cathode of the fuel cell stack 10 may be further provided in the air supply line.

The consumption control unit 80 drives the air compressor 71 so that the air introduced from among the auxiliary devices 70 provided in some fuel cell stacks 10 in which power generation is stopped bypasses the fuel cell stack 10 . can do.

Accordingly, power may be consumed by driving the air compressor 71 without supplying air to the fuel cell stack 10 in which power generation is stopped.

In addition, in the consumption control unit 80 , when the temperature of a portion of the fuel cell stack 10 in which power generation is stopped or the temperature of the coolant for cooling the fuel cell stack 10 is higher than the target temperature, among the auxiliary devices 70 , Power may be consumed by driving the cooling water pump 72 that flows the cooling water.

Specifically, when the temperature of the fuel cell stack 10 in which power generation is stopped or the temperature of the coolant for cooling the fuel cell stack 10 is higher than the target temperature, the consumption control unit 80, particularly the fuel cell stack 10 ) or the temperature of the coolant for cooling the fuel cell stack 10 is above the target temperature +10° C. may consume power.

In another embodiment, the consumption control unit 80 may consume power through driving of a radiator fan included in the accessory device 70 .

In addition, in the consumption control unit 80 , when the temperature of some of the fuel cell stacks 10 for which power generation is stopped or the temperature of the coolant for cooling the fuel cell stack 10 is lower than the target temperature, among the auxiliary devices 70 , Power can be consumed by driving the COD heater 73 that heats the cooling water.

When the temperature of the fuel cell stack 10 in which power generation is stopped or the temperature of the coolant for cooling the fuel cell stack 10 is lower than the target temperature, the consumption control unit 80, particularly the temperature of the fuel cell stack 10 Alternatively, when the temperature of the coolant for cooling the fuel cell stack 10 is below the target temperature of -10°C, power is consumed in the accessory device 70 by raising the temperature of some fuel cell stacks 10 or the coolant in which power generation is stopped. can do it

The consumption control unit 80 increases the temperature of the fuel cell stack 10 or the coolant of the fuel cell stack 10 by driving the COD heaters 73 provided in some of the fuel cell stacks 10 where power generation is stopped, and at the same time , it may consume surplus power.

7 is a flowchart of a method for controlling operation of a fuel cell according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring further to FIG. 7 , the method for controlling the operation of a fuel cell according to an embodiment of the present invention includes the steps of monitoring whether charging or discharging of the high voltage battery 30 electrically connected to the plurality of fuel cell stacks 10 is possible ( S100); receiving the power required or current required of the driving device 20 driven by receiving power generated from the plurality of fuel cell stacks 10 ( S200 ); and a fuel cell stack ( 10) controlling the step (S400); includes.

In the step (S400) of controlling the fuel cell stack 10, when it is monitored that charging or discharging of the high voltage battery 30 is impossible in the monitoring step (S100), some of the plurality of fuel cell stacks 10 generate electric power can be controlled to maintain

In the step of controlling the fuel cell stack 10 ( S400 ), the required power or the required current of the driving device 20 received in the step ( S200 ) of receiving the required power or the required current is a preset first power or first power. When the current is equal to or less than the current ( S210 ), some of the plurality of fuel cell stacks 10 may be controlled to stop power generation.

In the step of controlling the fuel cell stack 10 ( S400 ), the required power or the required current of the driving device 20 received in the step ( S200 ) of receiving the required power or the required current is a preset first power or first power. If the current exceeds the preset second power or the second current (S220), it is possible to control the plurality of fuel cell stacks 10 to simultaneously generate power (S700).

In the step of controlling the fuel cell stack 10 ( S400 ), the required power or the required current of the driving device 20 received in the step ( S200 ) of receiving the required power or the required current is a preset second power or second power. If the current is exceeded, the driving device 20 may be limitedly driven by controlling power generation from the plurality of fuel cell stacks 10 at the same time and limiting power consumption of the driving device 20 ( S800 ).

Before the step of controlling the fuel cell stack 10 ( S400 ), some fuel cell stacks to stop power generation among the plurality of fuel cell stacks 10 based on the power generation state or the cooling state of the fuel cell stack 10 . The step of selecting (10) (S300) further includes; in the step of controlling the fuel cell stack 10, it is possible to control to stop power generation in some selected fuel cell stacks 10.

After the step (S400) of controlling the fuel cell stack 10, cooling some fuel cell stacks 10 in which power generation is stopped during operation or supplying fuel gas and oxidizing gas to the fuel cell stack 10 Consuming power generated by the fuel cell stack 10 by controlling the flow device 70 (S600); may further include.

Before the step of consuming power generated by the fuel cell stack 10 ( S600 ), the temperature of a portion of the fuel cell stack 10 where power generation is stopped or the temperature of the coolant for cooling the fuel cell stack 10 is targeted Comparing with the temperature (S500) may be further included.

In the comparing step (S500), when the temperature obtained by subtracting the temperature of the fuel cell stack 10 or the coolant from the target temperature is greater than the preset first reference temperature (X) (S510), the fuel cell stack 10 generates power It is possible to drive the COD heater 73 in the step of consuming the power (S600) (S610).

In the comparison step (S500), when the temperature obtained by subtracting the temperature of the fuel cell stack 10 or the coolant from the target temperature is smaller than the second preset reference temperature (Y) (S520), the fuel cell stack 10 generates power. The cooling water pump 72 may be driven in the step of consuming power (S600) (S620).

In the comparison step (S500), when the temperature obtained by subtracting the temperature of the fuel cell stack 10 or the coolant from the target temperature is between the preset first reference temperature (X) and the second reference temperature (Y), the fuel cell stack In step (S600) of consuming the power generated in (10), it is possible to control to bypass the air of the air compressor (71) while driving the air compressor (71) (S630).

Although shown and described with respect to specific embodiments of the present invention, it is within the art that the present invention can be variously improved and changed without departing from the spirit of the present invention provided by the following claims. It will be obvious to those of ordinary skill in the art.

10: fuel cell stack 20: driving device
30: high voltage battery 40: monitoring unit
50: power generation control unit 60: stack selection unit
70: accessory device 80: consumption control unit

Claims (15)

a plurality of fuel cell stacks each receiving fuel gas and oxidizing gas to generate electric power;
a driving device electrically connected to the plurality of fuel cell stacks and driven by receiving power generated from the plurality of fuel cell stacks;
a high voltage battery for supplying power to a driving device while being charged or discharged by power generated from a plurality of fuel cells;
a monitoring unit for monitoring whether the high voltage battery can be charged or discharged; and
Fuel including a; Battery operation control system. The method according to claim 1,
In the power generation control unit, when the monitoring unit monitors that charging or discharging of the high voltage battery is impossible, a part of the plurality of fuel cell stacks is controlled to maintain power generation. The method according to claim 1,
The power generation control unit controls a portion of the plurality of fuel cell stacks to stop generating power when the required power or the required current of the driving device is equal to or less than a preset first power or the first current. 4. The method according to claim 3,
Further comprising; a stack selection unit for selecting a part of the fuel cell stack to stop power generation among the plurality of fuel cell stacks based on the power generation state or the cooling state of the fuel cell stack;
In the power generation control unit, the fuel cell operation control system, characterized in that the control to stop power generation in some fuel cell stacks selected by the stack selection unit. 5. The method according to claim 4,
The power generation control unit controls the power generation of the fuel cell stack to output power or current of the same size from the plurality of fuel cell stacks,
A fuel cell operation control system, characterized in that the stack selection unit selects a fuel cell stack having a relatively small amount of power or current output from the plurality of fuel cell stacks as a part of the fuel cell stack to stop power generation. 5. The method according to claim 4,
In the stack selection unit, the fuel cell stack having a relatively large difference between the temperature of the fuel cell stack or the temperature of the coolant for cooling the fuel cell stack and the target temperature is selected as a part of the fuel cell stack to stop power generation. fuel cell operation control system. 4. The method according to claim 3,
a plurality of auxiliary devices provided in each of the plurality of fuel cell stacks, electrically connected to the plurality of fuel cell stacks or high voltage batteries, and cooling the fuel cell stack during operation or supplying fuel gas and oxidizing gas to the fuel cell stack; and
The fuel cell operation control system according to claim 1, further comprising: a consumption control unit configured to consume power generated from the fuel cell stack by controlling auxiliary devices provided in some fuel cell stacks where power generation has been stopped. 8. The method of claim 7,
In the consumption control unit, when the temperature of some of the fuel cell stacks where power generation is stopped or the temperature of the coolant cooling the fuel cell stack is within a temperature range including the target temperature, the air introduced from the auxiliary equipment bypasses the fuel cell stack. A fuel cell operation control system, characterized in that power is consumed by driving the air compressor to pass. 8. The method of claim 7,
In the consumption control unit, when the temperature of some of the fuel cell stacks where power generation is stopped or the temperature of the coolant for cooling the fuel cell stack is higher than the target temperature, the consumption control unit consumes power by driving the coolant pump that flows the coolant among the accessories. A fuel cell operation control system. 8. The method of claim 7,
In the consumption control unit, when the temperature of some of the fuel cell stacks where power generation is stopped or the temperature of the coolant that cools the fuel cell stack is lower than the target temperature, the consumption control unit consumes power by driving the COD heater that heats the coolant among the accessories. A fuel cell operation control system. monitoring whether high voltage batteries electrically connected to the plurality of fuel cell stacks can be charged or discharged;
receiving power or current required of a driving device driven by receiving power generated from a plurality of fuel cell stacks; and
A fuel cell comprising a; Driving control method. 12. The method of claim 11,
In the step of controlling the fuel cell stack, when it is monitored that charging or discharging of the high voltage battery is impossible in the monitoring step, controlling a part of the plurality of fuel cell stacks to maintain power generation. . 12. The method of claim 11,
In the step of controlling the fuel cell stack, when the required power or the required current of the driving device input in the step of receiving the required power or the required current is equal to or less than a preset first power or the first current, some of the plurality of fuel cell stacks are powered A method of controlling the operation of a fuel cell, characterized in that controlling the power generation to be stopped. 12. The method of claim 11,
Prior to the step of controlling the fuel cell stack, selecting a part of the fuel cell stack to stop power generation among the plurality of fuel cell stacks based on the power generation state or the cooling state of the fuel cell stack;
In the step of controlling the fuel cell stack, the operation control method of the fuel cell, characterized in that the control to stop power generation in some selected fuel cell stacks. 12. The method of claim 11,
After the step of controlling the fuel cell stack, power generated from the fuel cell stack by cooling some fuel cell stacks whose power generation is stopped during operation or by controlling an auxiliary device that supplies fuel gas and oxidizing gas to the fuel cell stack Consuming the fuel cell operation control method, characterized in that it further comprises.

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