Gm Global Technolgoy Operations, Inc.

John P Salvador

Balasubramanian Lakshmanan

Sriram Ganapathy

Abdullah Basar Alp

David A Arthur

Frank Leo

William Henry Pettit

Bruce Jeffrey Clingerman

Steven D Burch

Hubert Gasteiger

Joseph Nicholas Lovria

Thomas A Greszler

Manish Sinha

Gary M Robb

Derek R Lebzelter

Ronald L James

Akbar Chowdhury

David R Savage

Jeffrey Allan Rock

Steven G Goebel

Oliver Maier

Pinkhas A Rapaport

Daniel I Harris

John C Fagley

Brian A Litteer

Kiran Mallavarapu

Jon R Sienkowski

Daniel T Folmsbee

Balsu Lakshmanan

Andrew D Bosco

Lesley A Paine

Glenn William Skala

George R Woody

Thomas W Tighe

Darrell W Burleigh

Paul Taichiang Yu

Craig S Gittleman

Matthew C Kirklin

Daniel J Darga

Frederick T Wagner

Victor W Logan

Gerald E Voecks

Peter Kilian

Seth E Lerner

Rodney Lynn Borup

Volker Formanski

Andrew J Maslyn

Jason R Kolodziej

Matthew K Hortop

Remy Fontaine

Jun Cai

James W Dandalides

Edward George Himes

Thomas Herbig

Jaehak Jung

Loren Devries

Joe C Machuca

Bernd Krause

Tayoung Choi

Uwe Hannesen

John P Nolan

Josef Kallo

William S Marley

Dieter Kaimann

Bram Peters

Brian McMurrough

Kilian Simbeck

A fuel cell system is provided that includes a fuel cell stack and an air compressor in communication with a cathode inlet, a hydrogen source in communication with an anode inlet, and a start-up battery adapted to power the air compressor. The start-up battery is at least one of a low-voltage battery and a high-voltage battery. A pressure sensor is in communication with the air compressor and adapted to measure a compressor outlet pressure. A power conversion module is in electrical communication with the start-up battery and the air compressor. A controller is in communication with the power conversion module and adapted to set an air compressor speed based on an available electrical energy. A closed-loop method of operating the fuel cell system at start-up is also provided, wherein an anode purge is scheduled based on an air flow rate calculated from the compressor outlet pressure and the actual speed.

Closed-loop method for fuel cell system start-up with low voltage source

System and methods for controlling and optimizing coolant system parameters in a fuel cell system to obtain a requested cabin temperature in a fuel cell vehicle are presented. A method for managing a temperature in a vehicle cabin may include receiving an indication relating to a desired vehicle cabin temperature and a plurality of measured operating parameters. Based on the measured operating parameters, a projected output temperature of a cabin heat exchanger may be estimated. A determination may be made that the projected output temperature of the cabin heat exchanger is less than the indication. Based on the determination a fuel cell coolant parameter may be adjusted.

Systems and methods for controlling cabin heating in fuel cell vehicles

A method for reconditioning a fuel cell stack. The method includes periodically increasing the relative humidity level of the cathode input airflow to the stack to saturate the cell membrane electrode assemblies to be greater than the relative humidity levels during normal stack operating conditions. The method also includes providing hydrogen to the anode side of the fuel cell stack at system shut down while the membrane electrode assemblies are saturated without stack loads being applied so that the hydrogen crosses the cell membranes to the cathode side and reacts with oxygen to reduce stack contaminants.

In-situ fuel cell stack reconditioning

A fuel cell system including a fuel cell stack having a plurality of fuel cells, each of the fuel cells including an electrolyte membrane disposed between an anode and a cathode, an anode supply manifold in fluid communication with the anodes of the fuel cells, the anode supply manifold providing fluid communication between a source of hydrogen and the anodes, an anode exhaust manifold in fluid communication with the anodes of the fuel cells, and a fan in fluid communication with the anodes of the fuel cells, wherein the fan controls a flow of fluid through the anodes of the fuel cells after the fuel cell system is shutdown.

Shutdown strategy to avoid carbon corrosion due to slow hydrogen/air intrusion rates

A system and method for determining a maximum average cell voltage set-point for fuel cells in a fuel cell stack that considers oxidation of the catalyst in the fuel cells. The method includes determining the average cell voltage, the stack current density (I) and an internal resistance (R) of membranes in the fuel cells to calculate an IR corrected average cell voltage. The IR corrected average cell voltage is then used to determine the oxidation state of the catalyst particles using, for example, an empirical model. The oxidation state of the particles is then used to calculate the maximum average cell voltage set-point of the fuel cells, which is used to set the minimum power requested from the fuel cell stack.

Method for determining an average cell voltage for fuel cells

A system and method for reducing the frequency of stack stand-by mode events, if necessary, as a fuel cell stack ages and experiences lower performance. The method determines an irreversible voltage loss of the fuel cell stack at predetermined time intervals and determines a stack voltage degradation variable based on the irreversible voltage loss. The method also determines if the stack voltage degradation variable indicates that the fuel cell stack will not meet predetermined stack end-of-life voltage requirements and calculates a maximum allowed voltage degradation rate of the fuel cell stack. The method calculates a maximum number of stand-by mode events per unit time that can be allowed to prevent the stack from exceeding the maximum allowed degradation rate and controls the number of stand-by mode events based on the calculated maximum number of stand-by mode events.

Adaptive limitation of standby mode to enhance fuel cell system life

System and methods for preventing battery depletion in a vehicle are disclosed. In certain embodiments, a method for preventing depletion of a battery included in a vehicle may include receiving a measurement of the SOC of the battery from an SOC sensor. A determination may be made as to whether the SOC of the battery has reached a threshold indicating that the battery is nearing depletion. Based on the determination, a notification may be transmitted to a remote device associated with a user of the vehicle. In certain embodiments, the user may use the notification to decide whether to remotely start a system of the vehicle to recharge the battery.

Systems and methods for preventing battery depletion in a vehicle

A method for providing a current density set-point for a fuel cell stack in response to a power request from the stack where the set-point is determined based on system parameters that identify the life and degradation of the stack. The method includes dividing a current density range of the fuel cell stack into a predetermined number of sample regions, and selecting the sample regions in order from low to high during the current set-point analysis. The method calculates an average cell voltage for the current density of the selected sample region, and stack power from the average cell voltage. The method then determines whether a power request signal is less than the stack power for the selected sample region and greater than the calculated power for the previous sample region, and if so, calculates the current density set-point at the requested power based on these values.

Algorithm for stack current controller based on polarization curve estimation of a fuel cell stack

A method for determining when to inject hydrogen gas into the anode side of a fuel cell stack associated with a fuel cell vehicle when the vehicle is off. The method includes estimating the concentration of hydrogen gas in the anode side of the fuel cell stack using a gas concentration model and determining if the estimated concentration of hydrogen gas is below a first predetermined threshold. If the estimated hydrogen gas is less than the threshold, then hydrogen gas is injected into the anode side from a hydrogen source. While the hydrogen gas is being injected, the method compares the estimated concentration of the hydrogen gas in the anode side to a desired concentration, and generates an error signal there between. If the error signal is greater than a second predetermined threshold, the algorithm continues to inject the hydrogen into the anode side of the fuel cell stack.

Feedback control of H2 injection during park based on gas concentration model

Dynamic voltage suppression in a fuel cell system

A system and method for detecting small hydrogen leaks in an anode of a fuel cell system. The method includes determining that a shut-down sequence has begun, and if so, deplete the cathode side of a fuel cell stack of oxygen. The method then increases the pressure of the anode side of the fuel cell stack to a predetermined set-point, and monitors the pressure decay of the anode side of the stack. The method compares the rate of pressure decay to an expected pressure decay rate, and if the measured pressure decay rate exceeds the expected pressure decay rate by a certain threshold, determines that a potential leak exists.

Detection of small anode leaks in fuel cell systems

A method of operating the fuel cell stack having an anode side and a cathode side by flowing hydrogen into the anode side and flowing air into the cathode side. The fuel cell produces electricity that is used to operate a primary electrical device. To shut down the stack in one embodiment, the primary electrical device is disconnected from the stack. The flow of air into the cathode side is stopped and positive hydrogen pressure is maintained on the anode side. The fuel cell stack is shorted and oxygen in the cathode side is allowed to be consumed by hydrogen. The inlet and outlet valves of the anode and the cathode sides are closed. Thereafter, the flow of hydrogen into the anode side is stopped and the flow of exhaust from the cathode side is stopped.

Method of mitigating fuel cell degradation due to startup and shutdown via hydrogen/nitrogen storage

A method of purging residual hydrogen from a fuel cell stack is disclosed. The method includes providing an air stream, providing a temporary nitrogen stream by removing oxygen from the air stream with an adsorbent bed and passing the nitrogen stream through the fuel cell stack.

Stack shutdown purge method

A method for reducing the probability of an air/hydrogen front in a fuel cell stack is disclosed that includes closing anode valves for an anode side of the fuel cell stack to permit a desired quantity of hydrogen to be left in the anode side upon shutdown and determining a schedule to inject hydrogen during the time the fuel cell stack is shutdown. The pressure on an anode input line is determined and a discrete amount of hydrogen is injected into the anode side of the stack according to the determined schedule by opening anode input line valves based on the determined pressure along the anode input line so as to inject the hydrogen into the anode side of the stack.

Fuel cell operational methods for hydrogen addition after shutdown

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Penfield, NY, United States of America

John P Salvador