CN112652792A

CN112652792A - Fuel cell, control method thereof, vehicle, and computer-readable storage medium

Info

Publication number: CN112652792A
Application number: CN202110157244.0A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 李飞强; 刘洪建; 张国强; 吕登辉; 丰收
Original assignee: Beijing Sinohytec Co Ltd
Current assignee: Beijing Sinohytec Co Ltd
Priority date: 2021-02-05
Filing date: 2021-02-05
Publication date: 2021-04-13

Abstract

The invention provides a fuel cell, a control method thereof, a vehicle, and a computer-readable storage medium. The fuel cell includes: a fuel cell stack provided with a gas inlet through which gas flows into the fuel cell stack and a gas outlet through which the gas is discharged out of the fuel cell stack; an exchanger comprising a first channel and a second channel, the exchanger configured to allow fluid within the second channel to humidify fluid within the first channel; wherein the first channel comprises a first inlet in communication with the environment and a first outlet in communication with the gas inlet, and the second channel comprises a second inlet in communication with the gas outlet and a second outlet in communication with the environment; and a valve comprising at least one of: a first valve having a valve port in communication with the environment, the first inlet, and the gas inlet, respectively; and a second valve having valve ports in communication with the environment, the second inlet, and the gas outlet, respectively. Through the embodiment of the disclosure, the humidity of the fuel cell stack can be accurately and quantitatively controlled, and the fuel cell stack is ensured to work in an optimal state.

Description

Fuel cell, control method thereof, vehicle, and computer-readable storage medium

Technical Field

The present invention relates to the field of vehicles, and in particular, to a fuel cell, a control method thereof, and a computer-readable storage medium.

Background

Fuel cell vehicles are a very interesting area in the automotive field. In the operation process of the fuel cell, the proton exchange membrane (or the electrolyte membrane) needs to maintain a certain water content to maintain the conduction of protons, so that inlet gas needs to be humidified to ensure that the proton membrane is reasonably wetted and the proton conductivity is enhanced. However, insufficient intake humidification leads to "dry film" and increased ohmic internal resistance of the film; if the inlet air humidification is too high, the problem of flooding inside the cell stack can be caused. Therefore, the degree of humidification of the intake air or the degree of humidification of the proton exchange membrane has an important influence on the efficiency, cold start, durability, overall performance, and the like of the fuel cell.

The membrane humidifier can be used for humidifying the inlet air of the fuel cell, but the membrane humidifier has the problem that the precise and quantitative control of the humidification degree is difficult in practical application, so that the performance improvement of the fuel cell system is limited. Accordingly, there is a need to provide an improved fuel cell to improve the efficiency, cold start performance, and durability of the fuel cell.

Disclosure of Invention

The invention provides a fuel cell, a control method thereof, a vehicle, and a computer-readable storage medium.

In a first aspect of the present disclosure, a fuel cell is provided. The fuel cell includes: a fuel cell stack provided with a gas inlet through which gas flows into the fuel cell stack and a gas outlet through which the gas is discharged out of the fuel cell stack; an exchanger comprising a first channel and a second channel, the exchanger configured to allow fluid within the second channel to humidify fluid within the first channel; wherein the first channel comprises a first inlet in communication with the environment and a first outlet in communication with the gas inlet, and the second channel comprises a second inlet in communication with the gas outlet and a second outlet in communication with the environment; and a valve comprising at least one of: a first valve having a valve port in communication with the environment, the first inlet, and the gas inlet, respectively; and a second valve having valve ports in communication with the environment, the second inlet, and the gas outlet, respectively.

According to the embodiment of the disclosure, the inlet air humidity of the fuel cell stack can be accurately and quantitatively controlled, and the cell stack is ensured to operate in an optimal humidity range.

In some embodiments, the first valve is a three-way valve and a spool of the first valve is adjustable to control the amount of ambient gas flowing into the first inlet and the gas inlet.

In some embodiments, the second valve is a three-way valve, and a spool of the second valve is adjustable to control an amount of gas discharged from the gas outlet that flows to the second inlet and to the environment.

In a second aspect of the present disclosure, a vehicle is provided. The vehicle includes: a fuel cell according to a first aspect of the present disclosure; a blower configured to supply gas to the fuel cell stack; and a motor configured to be driven by the electric power generated by the fuel cell.

In a third aspect of the present disclosure, a method for controlling a fuel cell, for example a method for controlling a fuel cell according to the first aspect of the present disclosure, is provided. The method comprises the following steps: receiving sensed characteristic information of the fuel cell stack; based on the feature information, performing at least one of: adjusting a position of a spool of the first valve to vary an amount of ambient gas flowing into the first inlet port and the gas inlet port; the spool position of the second valve is adjusted to control the amount of gas discharged from the gas outlet that flows to the second inlet and to the environment.

In some embodiments, adjusting the position of the spool of the first valve comprises: adjusting a position of a spool of the first valve to increase an amount of ambient air flowing into the first inlet and to decrease an amount of ambient air flowing directly into the gas inlet via the first valve; or adjusting the position of the spool of the first valve to reduce the amount of ambient air flowing into the first inlet and to increase the amount of ambient air flowing directly into the gas inlet via the first valve.

In some embodiments, adjusting the position of the spool of the second valve comprises: adjusting a position of a spool of the second valve to increase an amount of exhaust gas flowing into the second inlet and to decrease an amount of exhaust gas flowing directly to the environment via the second valve; or adjusting the position of the spool of the second valve to reduce the amount of exhaust gas flowing into the second inlet and increase the amount of exhaust gas flowing directly to the environment via the second valve.

In some embodiments, receiving sensed characteristic information of the fuel cell stack includes: the sensed internal resistance or power of the fuel cell stack is received. Preferably, receiving the sensed power of the fuel cell stack comprises receiving the sensed net output power of the fuel cell stack.

In some embodiments, the method further comprises: in response to shutdown of the fuel cell in a low temperature environment, performing at least one of: adjusting a position of a spool of the first valve to reduce an amount of ambient air flowing into the first inlet and to increase an amount of ambient air flowing directly into the gas inlet via the first valve; and adjusting a position of a spool of the second valve to reduce an amount of exhaust gas flowing into the second inlet and to increase an amount of exhaust gas flowing directly to the environment via the second valve.

In a fourth aspect of the present disclosure, a computer readable storage medium is provided, having stored thereon a computer program, which when executed by a processor, performs the method as in the first aspect of the present disclosure.

This summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in the detailed description. This summary is not intended to identify key features or essential features of the disclosure, nor is it intended to be used to limit the scope of the disclosure.

Drawings

The foregoing and other objects, features and advantages of the disclosure will be apparent from the following more particular descriptions of exemplary embodiments of the disclosure as illustrated in the accompanying drawings wherein like reference numbers generally represent like parts throughout the exemplary embodiments of the disclosure.

Fig. 1 shows a schematic block diagram of a fuel cell of an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 shows a schematic block diagram of another fuel cell of an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 3 shows a schematic block diagram of another fuel cell of an embodiment of the present disclosure; and

FIG. 4 shows a flowchart of an example method for controlling a fuel cell, according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

Like or corresponding reference characters designate like or corresponding parts throughout the several views.

Detailed Description

Embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in more detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. While embodiments of the present disclosure are shown in the drawings, it should be understood that the present disclosure may be embodied in various forms and should not be limited by the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the disclosure to those skilled in the art.

The term "include" and variations thereof as used herein is meant to be inclusive in an open-ended manner, i.e., "including but not limited to". Unless specifically stated otherwise, the term "or" means "and/or". The term "based on" means "based at least in part on". The terms "one example embodiment" and "one embodiment" mean "at least one example embodiment". The term "another embodiment" means "at least one additional embodiment". The terms "first," "second," and the like may refer to different or the same object. Other explicit and implicit definitions are also possible below.

The fuel cell automobile is an important development direction of new energy automobiles in the future. The membrane humidifier can be used for humidifying the inlet air of the fuel cell, but the membrane humidifier has the problem that the precise and quantitative control of the humidification degree is difficult in practical application, so that the performance improvement of the fuel cell system is limited.

Fig. 1 to 3 respectively show schematic block diagrams of a fuel cell of an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in fig. 1 to 3, the fuel cell includes a fuel cell stack 1, an exchanger 2, and a valve.

The fuel cell stack 1 is provided with a gas inlet 11 through which gas flows into the fuel cell stack 1 and a gas outlet 13 through which gas is discharged from the fuel cell stack 1. In some embodiments, the fuel cell stack 1 includes an electrolyte membrane (e.g., a polymer electrolyte membrane, otherwise known as a proton exchange membrane). In some embodiments, the gas supplied to the fuel cell stack 1 may be air or oxygen.

The exchanger 2 comprises a first channel and a second channel. The exchanger 2 allows the fluid in the second channel to humidify the fluid in the first channel. The first channel comprises a first inlet 21 communicating with the environment and a first outlet 22 communicating with the gas inlet 11, and the second channel comprises a second inlet 23 communicating with the gas outlet 13 and a second outlet 24 communicating with the environment.

In some embodiments, the exchanger 2 may be, for example, a membrane humidifier. In some embodiments, a bundle of hollow fiber membranes may be included within exchanger 2 such that fluid within the second channel humidifies and/or heats fluid within the first channel.

In some embodiments, the first passage is in fluid communication with the intake pipe 3 and the second passage is in fluid communication with the exhaust pipe 6.

The valves of the fuel cell comprise a first valve 4 and/or a second valve 7. The first valve 4 has valve ports communicating with the environment, the first inlet 21 and the gas inlet 11, respectively; the second valve 7 has valve ports communicating with the environment, the second inlet 23 and the gas outlet 13, respectively.

Thereby, ambient air may flow into the first inlet 21 or the gas inlet 11 separately via the first valve 4; or ambient air may flow into the first inlet 21 and the gas inlet 11 simultaneously via the first valve 4. Also, the gas discharged from the gas outlet 13 may flow into the second inlet 23 or the environment separately via the second valve 7; or gas discharged from the gas outlet 13 may flow into the second inlet 23 and the environment simultaneously via the second valve 7.

In some embodiments, the first valve 4 is a three-way valve, and the spool of the first valve 4 is adjustable to control the amount of ambient gas flowing into the first inlet 21 and the gas inlet 11.

In some embodiments, where the second valve 7 is a three-way valve, the spool of the second valve 7 is adjustable to control the amount of gas exiting the gas outlet 13 flowing to the second inlet 23 and ambient.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, a vehicle is also provided. The vehicle comprises a fuel cell according to the preamble, a blower configured to supply gas (e.g. air or oxygen) to the fuel cell stack 1; and a motor configured to be driven by the electric power generated by the fuel cell.

The term "vehicle" as used herein generally includes all types of fuel cell motor vehicles, such as passenger vehicles including sport utility vehicles, buses, trucks, various commercial vehicles, watercraft including boats and ships, aircraft, and the like, and includes hybrid fuel cell vehicles, plug-in assisted fuel cell hybrid electric vehicles, electric motor powered fuel cell vehicles, and other preferred fuel cell vehicles.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, there is also provided a method of controlling a fuel cell. Fig. 4 shows a flowchart of an example method 400 for controlling a fuel cell in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.

At block 402, the electronics receive sensed characteristic information of the fuel cell stack 1. In some embodiments, receiving the sensed characteristic information of the fuel cell stack 1 includes receiving a sensed internal resistance or power of the fuel cell stack 1. Preferably, receiving the sensed power of the fuel cell stack 1 includes receiving the sensed net output power of the fuel cell stack 1.

At block 404, the electronic device performs at least one of the following based on the feature information: adjusting the position of the spool of the first valve 4 to vary the amount of ambient gas flowing into the first inlet 21 and the gas inlet 11; and adjusting the spool position of the second valve 7 to control the amount of gas discharged from the gas outlet 13 that flows to the second inlet 23 and to the environment.

In some embodiments, adjusting the position of the spool of the first valve 4 comprises: adjusting the position of the spool of the first valve 4 to increase the amount of ambient air flowing into the first inlet 21 and to decrease the amount of ambient air flowing directly into the gas inlet 11 via the first valve 4; or the position of the spool of the first valve 4 is adjusted to reduce the amount of ambient air flowing into the first inlet 21 and to increase the amount of ambient air flowing directly into the gas inlet 11 via the first valve 4.

Therefore, the inlet air humidity of the fuel cell stack can be accurately and quantitatively controlled, and the electrolyte membrane of the fuel cell stack can be ensured to operate in the optimal humidity range.

In some embodiments, adjusting the position of the spool of the second valve 7 comprises: adjusting the position of the spool of the second valve 7 to increase the amount of exhaust gas flowing into the second inlet 23 and to decrease the amount of exhaust gas flowing directly to the environment via the second valve 7; or the position of the spool of the second valve 7 is adjusted to reduce the amount of exhaust gas flowing into the second inlet 23 and to increase the amount of exhaust gas flowing directly to the environment via the second valve 7. Therefore, the inlet air humidity of the fuel cell stack can be accurately and quantitatively controlled, and the electrolyte membrane of the fuel cell stack can be ensured to operate in the optimal humidity range.

In some embodiments, the method 400 further comprises, in response to shutdown of the fuel cell in a low temperature environment, performing at least one of: adjusting the position of the spool of the first valve 4 to reduce the amount of ambient air flowing into the first inlet 21 and to increase the amount of ambient air flowing directly into the gas inlet 11 via the first valve 4; and adjusting the position of the spool of the second valve 7 to reduce the amount of exhaust gas flowing into the second inlet 23 and to increase the amount of exhaust gas flowing directly to the environment via the second valve 7.

Therefore, when the fuel cell is shut down at low temperature, the water in the cell stack can be quickly discharged, and the low-temperature starting performance of the cell stack is improved.

The ohmic internal resistance is an important index for reflecting the operation state of the fuel cell stack 1 of the fuel cell, the ohmic internal resistance has a great relationship with the wetting degree of the electrolyte membrane, and the humidity of the electrolyte membrane can be indirectly evaluated through the ohmic internal resistance, so that a basis is provided for the humidity control of the electrolyte membrane.

When the water content of the electrolyte membrane of the fuel cell stack 1 is excessively high, the ohmic internal resistance of the fuel cell stack 1 will be significantly reduced; when the water content of the electrolyte membrane of the fuel cell stack 1 is too low, the ohmic internal resistance of the fuel cell stack 1 will be significantly increased, and both of the above conditions are not favorable for improving the performance of the fuel cell stack 1. Therefore, the bypass outlet opening degree of the first valve 4 and the bypass outlet opening degree of the second valve 7 are adjusted in accordance with the ohmic internal resistance signal fed back from the fuel cell stack based on the relational characteristics of the water content and the ohmic internal resistance of the electrolyte membrane of the fuel cell stack 1.

The corresponding relation between the opening degree of the bypass outlet of the first valve 4/the second valve 7 and the ohmic internal resistance of the fuel cell stack is established, so that the amount of humidified gas is quantitatively controlled, the water content of the electrolyte membrane of the fuel cell stack 1 is ensured to be controlled within the optimal humidity range, and the performance of the fuel cell is improved.

For example, when the ohmic internal resistance is detected to be too low (the water content of the membrane is too high), the opening degree of the bypass outlet of the first valve 4 may be increased, so that more intake air is directly introduced into the fuel cell stack 1 without passing through the exchanger 2 (e.g., a membrane humidifier), thereby reducing the humidity in the fuel cell stack 1; and/or the opening of the bypass outlet of the second valve 7 can be increased to allow more exhaust gas to be directly exhausted to the external environment without passing through the exchanger 2, and the humidity in the fuel cell stack 1 can also be reduced.

When the ohmic internal resistance is detected to be too high (the water content of the membrane is too low), the opening degree of the bypass outlet of the first valve 4 can be reduced, so that more inlet air enters the fuel cell stack 1 through the exchanger 2 (such as a membrane humidifier), and the humidity in the fuel cell stack 1 is increased; alternatively, the opening of the bypass outlet of the second valve 7 may be reduced to allow more exhaust gas to pass through the exchanger 2 to humidify the intake air, thereby increasing the humidity within the fuel cell stack 1.

Preferably or additionally, a relationship between the net output of the fuel cell stack 1 and the spool position of the first valve 4 and/or the second valve 7 may also be established, and by adjusting the spool position of the first valve 4 and/or the second valve 7, the optimal output of the fuel cell stack 1 under different operating conditions may be obtained. Thereby, a basis is provided for the humidity control of the electrolyte membrane (i.e., a basis is provided for adjusting the spool position of the first valve 4 and/or the second valve 7).

For example, under different working conditions, the bypass outlet opening of the first valve 4 or the bypass outlet opening of the second valve 7 is adjusted to maximize the net output power of the system, so as to obtain the corresponding relationship between the optimal power of the fuel cell stack 1 and the bypass outlet opening, and adjust the humidity in the fuel cell stack 1 according to the corresponding relationship.

As described above, when the fuel cell stack 1 is shut down in a low temperature environment, the humid and hot gas exhausted from the fuel cell stack 1 can be directly exhausted into the external environment without passing through the exchanger 2, so as to achieve the purpose of rapidly exhausting the moisture in the fuel cell stack 1, thereby improving the low temperature cold start performance of the fuel cell stack 1.

By way of example, specific implementations in accordance with certain embodiments of the present disclosure will be described below. It is to be understood that the following are only further illustrations of the embodiments of the disclosure and are not intended to limit the scope of the disclosure.

Example 1

Referring to fig. 1, a fuel cell according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is schematically shown, wherein a first valve 4 is mounted on the inlet pipe 3 before the inlet of the exchanger 2. The first valve 4 may be a three-way valve, one port of which communicates with the environment, one port of which communicates with the first inlet 21 of the exchanger, and the other port (bypass outlet) of the first valve 4 communicates with the gas inlet 11 of the fuel cell stack 1 through a pipe.

When the ohmic internal resistance fed back by the fuel cell stack 1 is less than 0.01-0.05 omega, the opening degree of the bypass outlet of the first valve 4 is gradually increased, so that more intake air directly enters the fuel cell stack 1 without passing through the exchanger 2, and the humidity in the fuel cell stack 1 is reduced. When the ohmic internal resistance fed back by the fuel cell stack 1 is larger than 0.15-0.2 omega, the opening degree of the bypass outlet of the first valve 4 is gradually reduced, so that more intake air enters the fuel cell stack 1 through the exchanger 2, and the humidity in the fuel cell stack 1 is improved. It should be understood that the foregoing numerical ranges are merely illustrative of embodiments of the present disclosure and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.

Preferably or additionally, under different working conditions, the bypass outlet opening of the first valve 4 is adjusted to maximize the net output power of the fuel cell stack 1, so as to obtain the corresponding relation between the maximum power (or the maximum net output power) and the bypass outlet opening of the first valve 4, and the humidity in the fuel cell stack 1 is adjusted according to the relation.

In some embodiments, when the fuel cell is shut down in a low-temperature environment, the first valve 4 is opened to bypass the outlet, and the outlet of the first valve 4 connected to the exchanger 2 is closed, so that all the intake air does not pass through the exchanger 2 but directly enters the fuel cell stack 1 for purging, thereby achieving the purpose of quickly discharging moisture in the fuel cell stack 1, and further improving the low-temperature cold start performance of the fuel cell stack 1.

Example 2

Referring to fig. 2, there is schematically shown a fuel cell according to another embodiment of the present disclosure, in which a second valve 7 is installed between the exchanger 2 and the fuel cell stack 1. The second valve 4 may be a three-way valve, one port of which communicates with the gas outlet 13 of the fuel cell stack 1, one port of which communicates with the second inlet 23 of the exchanger, and the other port (bypass outlet) of which communicates with the environment.

When the ohmic internal resistance fed back by the fuel cell stack 1 is less than 0.01-0.05 omega, the opening degree of the bypass outlet of the second valve 7 is gradually increased, so that more exhaust gas is directly exhausted to the external environment without passing through the exchanger 2, and the humidity in the fuel cell stack 1 is reduced. When the ohmic internal resistance fed back by the fuel cell stack 1 is larger than 0.15-0.2 omega, the opening degree of the bypass outlet of the second valve 7 is gradually reduced, so that more exhaust gas passes through the exchanger 2 to humidify the inlet gas, and the humidity in the fuel cell stack 1 is improved. It should be understood that the foregoing numerical ranges are merely illustrative of embodiments of the present disclosure and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.

Preferably or additionally, under different working conditions, the bypass outlet opening of the second valve 7 is adjusted to maximize the net output power of the fuel cell stack 1, so as to obtain the corresponding relation between the maximum power (or the maximum net output power) and the bypass outlet opening of the second valve 7, and the humidity in the fuel cell stack 1 is adjusted according to the relation.

In some embodiments, when the fuel cell is shut down in a low-temperature environment, the bypass outlet of the second valve 7 is opened, and the outlet of the second valve 7 connected to the exchanger 2 is closed, so that the humid hot gas exhausted by the fuel cell stack 1 does not pass through the exchanger 2 and is directly exhausted into the external environment, thereby achieving the purpose of quickly exhausting the moisture in the fuel cell stack 1, and further improving the low-temperature cold start performance of the fuel cell stack 1.

Example 3

Referring to fig. 3, a fuel cell according to another embodiment of the present disclosure is schematically shown, in which a first valve 4 and a second valve 7 are provided at the same time. The connection of the first valve 4 and the second valve 7 is implemented according to the connection in fig. 1 and 2, respectively, and will not be described again.

When the ohmic internal resistance fed back by the fuel cell stack 1 is less than 0.01-0.05 omega, gradually increasing the opening degree of a bypass outlet of the first valve 4, so that more intake air directly enters the fuel cell stack 1 without passing through the exchanger 2, and further reducing the humidity in the fuel cell stack 1; or/and at the same time, gradually increasing the opening of the bypass outlet of the second valve 7 to allow more exhaust gas to be directly exhausted to the external environment without passing through the exchanger 2, thereby reducing the humidity in the fuel cell stack 1. When the ohmic internal resistance fed back by the fuel cell stack 1 is larger than 0.15-0.2 omega, the opening degree of a bypass outlet of the first valve 4 is gradually reduced, so that more intake air enters the fuel cell stack 1 through the exchanger 2, and the humidity in the fuel cell stack 1 is improved; or/and at the same time, the opening degree of the bypass outlet of the second valve 7 is gradually reduced, so that more exhaust gas passes through the exchanger 2 to humidify the inlet gas, and the humidity in the fuel cell stack 1 is improved. It should be understood that the foregoing numerical ranges are merely illustrative of embodiments of the present disclosure and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.

Preferably or additionally, under different working conditions, the bypass outlet opening of the first valve 4 and/or the bypass outlet opening of the second valve 7 are/is adjusted to maximize the net output power of the fuel cell stack 1, so as to obtain the corresponding relation between the maximum power (or the maximum net output power) of the fuel cell stack 1 and the bypass outlet opening of the first valve 4/the second valve 7, and adjust the humidity in the fuel cell stack 1 according to the relation.

In some embodiments, when the fuel cell stack 1 is shut down in a low-temperature environment, the bypass outlet of the first valve 4 is opened, and the valve port of the first valve 4 connected with the exchanger 2 is closed, so that all intake air directly enters the fuel cell stack 1 for purging without passing through the exchanger 2; or/and simultaneously, the bypass outlet of the second valve 7 is opened, the valve port of the second valve 7 connected with the exchanger 2 is closed, so that the damp-heat gas exhausted by the fuel cell stack 1 does not pass through the exchanger 2 and is directly exhausted into the external environment, the aim of quickly exhausting the moisture in the fuel cell stack 1 is fulfilled, and the low-temperature cold start performance of the fuel cell stack 1 is improved.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, there is also provided a computer-readable storage medium. The computer readable storage medium has stored thereon a computer program which, when executed by a processor, implements the method 400 as disclosed above.

The various processes and processes described above, such as method 400, may be performed by a processing device. For example, in some embodiments, the method 400 may be implemented as a computer software program tangibly embodied in a machine-readable medium, such as a storage unit. In some embodiments, part or all of the computer program may be loaded and/or installed onto the electronic device via the ROM and/or the communication unit. When the computer program is loaded into RAM and executed by a CPU, one or more acts of method 400 described above may be performed.

The computer readable storage medium may be a tangible device that can hold and store the instructions for use by the instruction execution device. The computer readable storage medium may be, for example, but not limited to, an electronic memory device, a magnetic memory device, an optical memory device, an electromagnetic memory device, a semiconductor memory device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. More specific examples (a non-exhaustive list) of the computer readable storage medium would include the following: a portable computer diskette, a hard disk, a Random Access Memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or flash memory), a Static Random Access Memory (SRAM), a portable compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), a Digital Versatile Disc (DVD), a memory stick, a floppy disk, a mechanical coding device, such as punch cards or in-groove projection structures having instructions stored thereon, and any suitable combination of the foregoing. Computer-readable storage media as used herein is not to be construed as transitory signals per se, such as radio waves or other freely propagating electromagnetic waves, electromagnetic waves propagating through a waveguide or other transmission medium (e.g., optical pulses through a fiber optic cable), or electrical signals transmitted through electrical wires.

The computer-readable program instructions described herein may be downloaded from a computer-readable storage medium to a respective computing/processing device, or to an external computer or external storage device via a network, such as the internet, a local area network, a wide area network, and/or a wireless network. The network may include copper transmission cables, fiber optic transmission, wireless transmission, routers, firewalls, switches, gateway computers and/or edge servers. The network adapter card or network interface in each computing/processing device receives computer-readable program instructions from the network and forwards the computer-readable program instructions for storage in a computer-readable storage medium in the respective computing/processing device.

The computer program instructions for carrying out operations of the present disclosure may be assembler instructions, Instruction Set Architecture (ISA) instructions, machine-related instructions, microcode, firmware instructions, state setting data, or source or object code written in any combination of one or more programming languages, including an object oriented programming language such as Smalltalk, C + + or the like and conventional procedural programming languages, such as the "C" programming language or similar programming languages. The computer-readable program instructions may execute entirely on the user's computer, partly on the user's computer, as a stand-alone software package, partly on the user's computer and partly on a remote computer or entirely on the remote computer or server. In the case of a remote computer, the remote computer may be connected to the user's computer through any type of network, including a Local Area Network (LAN) or a Wide Area Network (WAN), or the connection may be made to an external computer (for example, through the Internet using an Internet service provider). In some embodiments, the electronic circuitry that can execute the computer-readable program instructions implements aspects of the present disclosure by utilizing the state information of the computer-readable program instructions to personalize the electronic circuitry, such as a programmable logic circuit, a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA), or a Programmable Logic Array (PLA).

Various aspects of the present disclosure are described herein with reference to flowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams of methods, apparatus (systems) and computer program products according to embodiments of the disclosure. It will be understood that each block of the flowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams, and combinations of blocks in the flowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams, can be implemented by computer-readable program instructions.

These computer-readable program instructions may be provided to a processing device of a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus to produce a machine, such that the instructions, which execute via the processing device of the computer or other programmable data processing apparatus, create means for implementing the functions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block or blocks. These computer-readable program instructions may also be stored in a computer-readable storage medium that can direct a computer, programmable data processing apparatus, and/or other devices to function in a particular manner, such that the computer-readable medium storing the instructions comprises an article of manufacture including instructions which implement the function/act specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block or blocks.

The computer readable program instructions may also be loaded onto a computer, other programmable data processing apparatus, or other devices to cause a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer, other programmable apparatus or other devices to produce a computer implemented process such that the instructions which execute on the computer, other programmable apparatus or other devices implement the functions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block or blocks.

The flowchart and block diagrams in the figures illustrate the architecture, functionality, and operation of possible implementations of systems, methods and computer program products according to various embodiments of the present disclosure. In this regard, each block in the flowchart or block diagrams may represent a module, segment, or portion of instructions, which comprises one or more executable instructions for implementing the specified logical function(s). In some alternative implementations, the functions noted in the block may occur out of the order noted in the figures. For example, two blocks shown in succession may, in fact, be executed substantially concurrently, or the blocks may sometimes be executed in the reverse order, depending upon the functionality involved. It will also be noted that each block of the block diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, and combinations of blocks in the block diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, can be implemented by special purpose hardware-based systems which perform the specified functions or acts, or combinations of special purpose hardware and computer instructions.

Having described embodiments of the present disclosure, the foregoing description is intended to be exemplary, not exhaustive, and not limited to the disclosed embodiments. Many modifications and variations will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the described embodiments. The terms used herein were chosen in order to best explain the principles of the embodiments, the practical application, or technical improvements to the techniques in the marketplace, or to enable others of ordinary skill in the art to understand the embodiments disclosed herein.

Claims

1. A fuel cell, comprising:

a fuel cell stack (1) provided with a gas inlet (11) through which gas flows into the fuel cell stack (1) and a gas outlet (13) through which gas is discharged from the fuel cell stack (1);

an exchanger (2) comprising a first channel and a second channel, the exchanger (2) being configured to allow fluid within the second channel to humidify fluid within the first channel; wherein the first channel comprises a first inlet (21) communicating with the environment and a first outlet (22) communicating with the gas inlet (11), and the second channel comprises a second inlet (23) communicating with the gas outlet (13) and a second outlet (24) communicating with the environment; and

a valve comprising at least one of:

a first valve (4) having ports communicating with the environment, a first inlet (21) and the gas inlet (11), respectively; and

a second valve (7) having valve ports communicating with the environment, the second inlet (23) and the gas outlet (13), respectively.

2. The fuel cell according to claim 1, wherein the first valve (4) is a three-way valve, a spool of the first valve (4) being adjustable to control the amount of ambient gas flowing into the first inlet (21) and the gas inlet (11).

3. A fuel cell according to claim 1, wherein the second valve (7) is a three-way valve, the spool of the second valve (7) being adjustable to control the amount of gas exhausted from the gas outlet (13) flowing to the second inlet (23) and to the environment.

4. A vehicle, comprising:

a fuel cell according to any one of claims 1 to 3;

a blower configured to supply gas to the fuel cell stack (1); and

a motor configured to be driven by the electric power generated by the fuel cell.

5. A method for controlling the fuel cell according to any one of claims 1 to 3, comprising:

receiving sensed characteristic information of the fuel cell stack (1); and

based on the feature information, performing at least one of:

adjusting the position of the spool of the first valve (4) to vary the amount of ambient gas flowing into the first inlet (21) and the gas inlet (11); and

adjusting a spool position of the second valve (7) to control an amount of gas discharged from the gas outlet (13) that flows to the second inlet (23) and the environment.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein adjusting the position of the spool of the first valve (4) comprises:

adjusting a position of a spool of the first valve (4) to increase an amount of ambient air flowing into the first inlet (21) and to decrease an amount of ambient air flowing directly into the gas inlet (11) via the first valve (4); or

Adjusting a position of a spool of the first valve (4) to reduce an amount of ambient air flowing into the first inlet (21) and to increase an amount of ambient air flowing directly into the gas inlet (11) via the first valve (4).

7. The method of claim 5, wherein adjusting the position of the spool of the second valve (7) comprises:

adjusting a position of a spool of the second valve (7) to increase an amount of the discharged gas flowing into the second inlet (23) and to decrease an amount of the discharged gas flowing directly to the environment via the second valve (7); or

Adjusting a position of a spool of the second valve (7) to reduce an amount of the discharged gas flowing into the second inlet (23) and to increase an amount of the discharged gas flowing directly to the environment via the second valve (7).

8. The method of claim 5, wherein receiving sensed characteristic information of the fuel cell stack (1) comprises:

receiving a sensed internal resistance or power of the fuel cell stack (1).

9. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

in response to the fuel cell shutting down in a low temperature environment, performing at least one of:

adjusting a position of a spool of the first valve (4) to reduce an amount of ambient air flowing into the first inlet (21) and to increase an amount of ambient air flowing directly into the gas inlet (11) via the first valve (4); and

10. A computer-readable storage medium, on which a computer program is stored which, when being executed by a processor, carries out the method according to any one of claims 5-10.