Method for model based exhaust mixing control in a fuel cell application

1. Field of the Invention

This invention relates generally to a system and method for controlling a nitrogen bleed from an anode sub-system in a fuel cell system and, more particularly, to a system and method for controlling a nitrogen bleed from an anode sub-system in a fuel cell system, where the method includes mixing the anode bleed gas with a cathode exhaust gas, and controlling the cathode input air based on the concentration of hydrogen in the anode bleed gas so as to maintain the concentration of hydrogen in the combined cathode and anode exhaust gas below a certain percentage.

2. Discussion of the Related Art

Hydrogen is a very attractive fuel because it is clean and can be used to efficiently produce electricity in a fuel cell. A hydrogen fuel cell is an electrochemical device that includes an anode and a cathode with an electrolyte therebetween. The anode receives hydrogen gas and the cathode receives oxygen or air. The hydrogen gas is dissociated in the anode to generate free protons and electrons. The protons pass through the electrolyte to the cathode. The protons react with the oxygen and the electrons in the cathode to generate water. The electrons from the anode cannot pass through the electrolyte, and thus are directed through a load to perform work before being sent to the cathode.

Proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFC) are a popular fuel cell for vehicles. The PEMFC generally includes a solid polymer electrolyte proton conducting membrane, such as a perfluorosulfonic acid membrane. The anode and cathode typically include finely divided catalytic particles, usually platinum (Pt), supported on carbon particles and mixed with an ionomer. The catalytic mixture is deposited on opposing sides of the membrane. The combination of the anode catalytic mixture, the cathode catalytic mixture and the membrane define a membrane electrode assembly (MEA). MEAs are relatively expensive to manufacture and require certain conditions for effective operation.

Several fuel cells are typically combined in a fuel cell stack to generate the desired power. For example, a typical fuel cell stack for a vehicle may have two hundred or more stacked fuel cells. The fuel cell stack receives a cathode input reactant gas, typically a flow of air forced through the stack by a compressor. Not all of the oxygen is consumed by the stack and some of the air is output as a cathode exhaust gas that may include water as a stack by-product. The fuel cell stack also receives an anode hydrogen reactant gas that flows into the anode side of the stack. The stack also includes flow channels through which a cooling fluid flows.

The fuel cell stack includes a series of bipolar plates positioned between the several MEAs in the stack, where the bipolar plates and the MEAs are positioned between two end plates. The bipolar plates include an anode side and a cathode side for adjacent fuel cells in the stack. Anode gas flow channels are provided on the anode side of the bipolar plates that allow the anode reactant gas to flow to the respective MEA. Cathode gas flow channels are provided on the cathode side of the bipolar plates that allow the cathode reactant gas to flow to the respective MEA. One end plate includes anode gas flow channels, and the other end plate includes cathode gas flow channels. The bipolar plates and end plates are made of a conductive material, such as stainless steel or a conductive composite. The end plates conduct the electricity generated by the fuel cells out of the stack. The bipolar plates also include flow channels through which a cooling fluid flows.

The MEAs are porous and thus allow nitrogen in the air from the cathode side of the stack to permeate therethrough and collect in the anode side of the stack, referred to in the industry as nitrogen cross-over. Nitrogen in the anode side of the fuel cell stack dilutes the hydrogen such that if the nitrogen concentration increases beyond a certain percentage, such as 50%, the fuel cell stack becomes unstable and may fail. It is known in the art to provide a bleed valve at the anode gas output of the fuel cell stack to remove nitrogen from the anode side of the stack.

The gas that is periodically bled from the anode side typically includes a considerable amount of hydrogen. Because the hydrogen will mix with air if it is vented to be in the environment, a potential combustible mixture may occur which provides obvious safety concerns. It is known in the art to direct the bled gas to a combustor to burn most or all of the hydrogen therein before the bled gas is exhausted to the environment. However, the combustor adds a significant cost and complexity to the fuel cell system, which is undesirable.

It is also known in the art to eliminate the combustor and directly mix the anode bleed gas with the cathode exhaust gas. If the anode bleed gas is directly mixed with the cathode exhaust gas without control, the amount of hydrogen in the anode exhaust gas is unknown. A hydrogen concentration sensor can be provided in the cathode exhaust gas line after the mixing point with the anode bleed gas to detect the concentration of hydrogen. The hydrogen concentration sensor would provide a signal to the controller during the bleed indicative of the concentration of hydrogen in the mixed exhaust gas. If the concentration of hydrogen was to high, the controller would increase the speed of the compressor to provide more cathode exhaust air to lower the concentration of hydrogen. If the compressor was unable to effectively keep the concentration of hydrogen below the safe limit for the stack load, then the controller would have to close the bleed valve. However, the hydrogen sensor would have to be inexpensive and be able to withstand the humidity of the exhaust gas. Currently, known hydrogen concentration sensors are unable to fulfill these requirements.

In accordance with the teachings of the present invention, a system and method are disclosed for controlling a bleed valve and a compressor in a fuel cell system during an anode bleed so as to maintain the concentration of hydrogen within a mixed cathode exhaust gas and anode bleed gas below a predetermined percentage. The system uses a valve orifice model to calculate the flow rate of the anode bleed gas through the bleed valve to identify how much airflow from the compressor is required to dilute the hydrogen in the mixed gas to be below the predetermined percentage. The system also takes sensor inaccuracies and production tolerances into account to ensure that the concentration of hydrogen in the mixed anode and cathode exhaust gas is below the determined percentage.

Additional features of the present invention will become apparent from the following description and appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.