Gm Global Technolgoy Operations, Inc.

Sriram Ganapathy

John P Salvador

Balasubramanian Lakshmanan

Frank Leo

Kiran Mallavarapu

Manish Sinha

David A Arthur

Tayoung Choi

Bruce Jeffrey Clingerman

Derek R Lebzelter

Yanyan Zhang

Joseph Nicholas Lovria

Jaehak Jung

David R Savage

Darrell W Burleigh

Pinkhas A Rapaport

Daniel I Harris

John C Fagley

Michael D Cartwright

Jason R Kolodziej

Jun Cai

Loren Devries

Daniel T Folmsbee

Pamela M Vecasey

Sanja Sljivar-Lovria

Michael J Kiefer

Stefan W Lixfeld

Brian McMurrough

A system and method that monitor the rate of a voltage drop of fuel cells in a fuel cell stack to determine whether the voltage drop is a result of cathode reactant starvation or anode reactant starvation. The method looks at a falling voltage of a fuel cell to determine whether the rate of the fall in voltage indicates that hydrogen starvation of the anode of the fuel cell is occurring. The method also looks at the actual voltage of the fuel cell that is falling to determine whether it is a below a predetermined minimum voltage threshold also indicating that hydrogen starvation of the anode of the fuel cell is occurring. If hydrogen starvation is occurring, the method performs power limiting of the fuel cell stack either based on the rate or the voltage level.

Selectively reacting to the minimum cell voltage drop rate in a fuel cell system

A system and method for converting a fuel cell stack power request signal to a stack current set-point that considers stack performance parameters. The method includes obtaining a power-current relationship curve of the fuel cell stack to provide stack parameters including exchange current density and mass transfer coefficient. The method then calculates a slope for the stack using the parameters from the power-current relationship curve estimation that includes calculating a cell voltage at two predetermined stack current densities. The method then calculates a change in current in response to the power request signal, the stack voltage, the stack current and the calculated slope, and uses the change in current to update the current set-point for the stack.

Adaptive method for conversion of external power request to current setpoint to a fuel cell system based on stack performance

Methods and systems for enhancing the performance of fuel cells in fuel cell vehicles. Some embodiments comprise a current control module for controlling the application of a load to the fuel cell and a voltage monitoring module for monitoring one or more voltages within the fuel cell. The current control module may be configured to apply a delay period before applying a load to the fuel cell after the fuel cell has reached an open circuit voltage. In other embodiments, a fixed delay period may be applied before applying a load to the fuel cell after the fuel cell has reached an open circuit voltage or, for example, an incremental set of delay periods that increase as measured temperature decreases.

Systems and methods for enhancing fuel cell vehicle startup

The present disclosure relates to systems and methods that may be used to predict a performance metric of a fuel cell. A system consistent with the present disclosure may include sensors in communication with the fuel cell stack, a performance metric prediction system, and a control system. The performance metric prediction system may determine a current density based on inputs provided by the sensors at a plurality of time periods, calculate a first parameter while the current density is below a lower threshold, and calculate a second parameter while the current density is above an upper threshold. The first parameter and the second parameter may be used to selectively adjust a fuel cell polarization curve over time. Based upon the polarization curve, a performance metric of the fuel cell stack may be predicted. The control system may implement a control action based upon the performance metric.

Systems and methods for predicting polarization curves in a fuel cell system

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

A system and method for determining the maximum allowed stack current limit rate for a fuel cell stack that considers cell voltage. The method includes estimating a fuel cell stack voltage based on a fuel cell resistance value, stack variables and a current request signal. The fuel cell resistance value can be modeled based on stack temperature and stack relative humidity. The stack variables can include exchange current density and mass transfer coefficient. The method then uses the estimated fuel cell voltage and a look-up table based on estimated voltage to determine a current rate limit value for changing the current of the stack. The method then adds the current rate limit value and the current request signal to obtain the current set-point.

Method to improve fuel cell system performance using cell voltage prediction of fuel cell stack

A system and method for determining when to trigger reconditioning of a fuel cell stack and when to disable the reconditioning of the fuel cell stack. In one embodiment, the stack reconditioning is triggered when a maximum stack power estimation falls below a first predetermined power threshold. The reconditioning of the stack can be disabled so it is not performed when the trigger occurs if the reconditioning process does not raise the maximum power estimation above a second predetermined power threshold or the time from one reconditioning trigger to a next reconditioning trigger is less than a predetermined time threshold, or both.

Method to automatically enable/disable stack reconditioning procedure based on fuel cell stack parameter estimation

A system and method for detecting a low performing cell in a fuel cell stack using measured cell voltages. The method includes determining that the fuel cell stack is running, the stack coolant temperature is above a certain temperature and the stack current density is within a relatively low power range. The method further includes calculating the average cell voltage, and determining whether the difference between the average cell voltage and the minimum cell voltage is greater than a predetermined threshold. If the difference between the average cell voltage and the minimum cell voltage is greater than the predetermined threshold and the minimum cell voltage is less than another predetermined threshold, then the method increments a low performing cell timer. A ratio of the low performing cell timer and a system run timer is calculated to identify a low performing cell.

Method to improve reliability of a fuel cell system using low performance cell detection at low power operation

A system for estimating parameters of a fuel cell stack. The system includes a stack health monitor for monitoring minimum cell voltage, stack voltage and current density of the fuel cell stack. The stack health monitor also indicates when a predetermined minimum cell voltage threshold level has been achieved. The system further includes a controller configured to control the fuel cell stack, where the controller determines and records the average fuel cell voltage. The controller generates and stores artificial data points proximate to the one or more predetermined minimum cell voltage threshold levels each time the minimum cell voltage drops below the one or more predetermined minimum cell voltage threshold levels so as to provide an estimation of the fuel cell stack parameters including a minimum cell voltage trend and a minimum cell voltage polarization curve.

Method to predict min cell voltage from discrete min cell voltage output of stack health monitor

An algorithm for determining a polarization curve of a fuel cell stack. When the fuel cell stack is running and certain data validity criteria have been met, the algorithm goes into a data collection mode where it collects stack data, such as stack current density, average cell voltage and minimum cell voltage. When the stack is shut down, the algorithm uses a cell voltage model to solve a least squares problem to estimate predetermined parameters that define the polarization curve. If the estimated parameters satisfy certain termination criteria, then the estimated parameters are stored to be used by a system controller to calculate the polarization curve of the stack.

Algorithm for online adaptive polarization curve estimation of a fuel cell stack

A system and method for maintaining the voltage of fuel cells in the fuel cell stack below a predetermined maximum voltage. The method determines a desired voltage set-point value that defines a predetermined maximum fuel cell voltage value and uses the voltage set-point value and an average fuel cell voltage to generate an error value there-between. The method generates a minimum gross power prediction value using the modified voltage set-point value to prevent the fuel cell voltages from going above the predetermined maximum fuel cell voltage value and generating a supplemental power value based on the minimum gross power prediction value and the error value to determine how much power needs to be drawn from the stack to maintain the fuel cell voltage below the predetermined maximum voltage value. The method uses the supplemental power value to charge the battery or operate an auxiliary load coupled to the stack.

Method to perform adaptive voltage suppression of a fuel cell stack based on stack parameters

An algorithm for determining the maximum net power available from a fuel cell stack as the stack degrades over time using an online adaptive estimation of a polarization curve of the stack. The algorithm separates the current density range of the stack into sample regions, and selects a first sample region from the far left of the estimated polarization curve. The algorithm then calculates the cell voltage for that current density sample region, and determines whether the calculated cell voltage is less than or equal to a predetermined cell voltage limit. If the calculated cell voltage is not less than the cell voltage limit, then the algorithm selects the next sample region along the polarization curve. When the calculated cell voltage does reach the cell voltage limit, then the algorithm uses that current density for the sample region being analyzed to calculate the maximum power of the fuel cell stack.

Method for maximum net power calculation for fuel cell system based on online polarization curve estimation

A system and method for estimating the amount of hydrogen and/or nitrogen in a fuel cell stack and stack volumes at system start-up and shut-down. The method defines the fuel cell stack and stack volumes as discrete volumes including an anode flow-field and anode plumbing volume, a cathode flow-field volume and a cathode header and plumbing volume. The method estimates the amount of hydrogen and/or nitrogen in the anode flow-field and anode plumbing volume, the cathode flow-field volume and the cathode header and plumbing volume when the fuel cell system is shut down, during a first stage when the hydrogen partial pressure between the anode and cathode is not in equilibrium and during a second stage when the hydrogen partial pressure between the anode and cathode is in equilibrium by considering various flows into and out of the volumes.

Online method to estimate hydrogen concentration estimation in fuel cell systems at shutdown and startup

A system and method for detecting and predicting low performing cells in a fuel cell stack. When the fuel cell stack is running and certain data validity criteria have been met, an algorithm collects the data, such as stack current density, average cell voltage and minimum cell voltage. This information is used to estimate predetermined parameters that define the stack polarization curve. The system defines a predetermined minimum current density that is used to identify a low performing cell. The system then calculates an average cell voltage and a minimum cell voltage at the minimum current density set-point, and calculates a cell voltage difference between the two. If the cell voltage difference is greater than a predetermined low voltage threshold and the minimum cell voltage is less than a predetermined high voltage threshold, the algorithm sets a flag identifying a potential for a low performing cell.

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Rochester, NY, United States of America

Sriram Ganapathy