Gm Global Technolgoy Operations, Inc.

Stephen D Pace

Jun Cai

Manish Sinha

Sergio E Garcia

Jeffrey J Gagliardo

Elizabeth Dicocco

A method for determining if there is a gas leak in an anode volume of a fuel cell stack in a fuel cell system. The method includes determining a total amount of gas loss in the anode volume of the fuel cell stack during a predetermined period of time, and monitoring losses of the gas from the anode volume during the predetermined period of time, such as reaction losses, crossover losses and overboard losses. The method also includes subtracting the losses of the gas from the total amount of gas loss to get an anode leak loss and comparing the anode leak loss to a predetermined threshold to identify a hydrogen gas leak.

Method to detect fuel cell gas leak

Systems and methods for detecting and validating a leak in a fuel cell system are presented. In certain embodiments, various fuel cell stack set points may be adjusted such that adequate Hflow data may be obtained to identify and validate an Hleak and/or a location of such a leak. In some embodiments, Hflow data may be obtained by adjusting certain fuel cell system operating parameters under a variety of operating conditions and/or modes and measuring flow data under such various operational conditions.

Systems and methods for detecting leaks in a fuel cell system

A system and method for determining whether a concentration estimation value of hydrogen gas in an anode sub-system of a fuel cell system is within a predetermined threshold of a valid hydrogen gas concentration, and if not, correcting the estimation value. The method includes providing a hydrogen gas concentration sensor value from a virtual sensor and calculating the hydrogen gas concentration estimation value using a gas concentration estimation model. The method also includes determining if a difference between the estimation value and the sensor value is greater than at least one threshold, and if so, causing an extended bleed event to occur that bleeds an anode exhaust gas to force the estimation value to be closer to the sensor value. The method also includes setting a diagnostic if multiple extended bleeds do not cause the estimation value and the sensor value to converge.

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Troy, MI, United States of America

Stephen D Pace