JP2015116877A - Fuel cell vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a fuel cell vehicle capable of improving cooling efficiency of the entire fuel cell vehicle.SOLUTION: A fuel cell vehicle includes: a first cooling circuit 100 supplying coolant to a fuel cell 20, and including an FC radiator 102 cooling the coolant by heat exchange with air; and a second cooling circuit 200 supplying coolant to a drive device 30 and an air conditioning device 40, and including an LT radiator 20 cooling the coolant by heat exchange with the air, the LT radiator 202 being provided on an air supply passage 13 upstream of the FC radiator 102, the air conditioning device 40 being provided in the second cooling circuit 200 downstream of the LT radiator 202 and upstream of the drive device 30.

Description

  The present invention relates to a fuel cell vehicle equipped with a fuel cell.

  Development of a fuel cell vehicle that is equipped with a fuel cell that generates electric power and that travels using the generated electric power is underway.

  A fuel cell generates heat by an electrochemical reaction during power generation. In particular, when the vehicle speed of the fuel cell vehicle is high or when the vehicle is climbing up, it is necessary to generate a larger amount of electric power, so that the electrochemical reaction becomes active and the fuel cell becomes hot due to heat. For this reason, in order to generate an electrochemical reaction stably and generate electric power, it is necessary to mount a cooling device for cooling the fuel cell in the fuel cell vehicle.

  In Patent Document 1 below, a coolant (cooling water) is supplied to the fuel cell to cool it, and the coolant that has become hot due to heat exchange with the fuel cell is exchanged by heat exchange with air in a radiator (FC radiator). A cooling fuel cell vehicle is disclosed. In addition to the above radiator, this fuel cell vehicle is equipped with a radiator (driving device radiator) that cools the refrigerant (cooling water) supplied to the driving equipment, a condenser that cools the refrigerant used in the air conditioning equipment, and the like. ing. By devising the arrangement of these radiators and capacitors, it is possible to suppress performance degradation while making the whole compact.

JP 2006-290063 A

  However, the fuel cell vehicle described in Patent Document 1 has room for improvement in terms of cooling efficiency in the entire fuel cell vehicle. That is, the fuel cell, drive device, and air-conditioning device to which the refrigerant is supplied supply the arrangement of the radiator and the refrigerant even though the calorific value and the appropriate operating temperature are different, and thus the temperature required for the refrigerant is also different. The circuit configuration was not optimized considering the difference.

  The present invention has been made in view of such problems, and an object thereof is to provide a fuel cell vehicle in which the cooling efficiency of the entire fuel cell vehicle is improved.

  In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, a fuel cell vehicle according to the present invention is a fuel cell vehicle, which generates a power and a driving force of the fuel cell vehicle using the power generated by the fuel cell. A first cooling circuit that supplies a refrigerant to the fuel cell, and that cools the refrigerant by heat exchange with air. A first cooling circuit having one radiator, and a second cooling circuit for supplying a refrigerant to the driving device and the air conditioning device, the second cooling circuit having a second radiator for cooling the refrigerant by heat exchange with air. A cooling circuit; and an air supply path for supplying air taken from the outside of the fuel cell vehicle to the first radiator and the second radiator, wherein the second radiator is the first radiator. Provided in the air supply passage at the upstream side of the air-conditioning equipment is a downstream side of the second radiator is characterized in that and is provided in the second cooling circuit at the upstream side of the driving device.

  In the fuel cell vehicle according to the present invention, since the refrigerant cooled by the second radiator is supplied not only to the driving device but also to the air conditioning device, the second radiator heats with high efficiency between the air taken in from the outside. It is necessary to exchange. In the present invention, the second radiator is provided in the air supply path on the upstream side of the first radiator, whereby a large flow rate and low temperature air is preferentially supplied to the second radiator, and the requirement is satisfied.

  In addition, the cooling of the refrigerant supplied to the driving device and the air conditioning device is not performed by the separate radiator or condenser, but is performed by the second radiator, so that the resistance of air supply to the first radiator in the air supply path is achieved. The number of parts to be reduced can be reduced. Thereby, the efficiency fall of the heat exchange in a 1st radiator can be suppressed.

  Furthermore, in the fuel cell vehicle according to the present invention, the air conditioning device is provided in the second cooling circuit on the downstream side of the second radiator and on the upstream side of the driving device. Thereby, the refrigerant cooled by the second radiator can be preferentially supplied to an air conditioning device that requires a refrigerant having a lower temperature, and the endothermic effect of the refrigerant can be used efficiently. As a result, the second radiator is not required to have an excessively high performance, and more air taken from the outside can be used for heat exchange with the first radiator. It becomes possible to improve the cooling efficiency of the entire vehicle.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the fuel cell vehicle which improved the cooling efficiency in the whole fuel cell vehicle can be provided.

It is a mimetic diagram showing the fuel cell vehicle concerning the embodiment of the present invention from the upper surface. It is a mimetic diagram showing the fuel cell vehicle concerning the embodiment of the present invention from the side. It is a schematic diagram showing a part of fuel cell vehicle concerning other embodiments of the present invention from the upper surface.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In order to facilitate understanding, the same components are denoted by the same reference numerals as much as possible in the drawings, and redundant description is omitted.

  FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a fuel cell vehicle 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention from the top surface, and FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating the fuel cell vehicle 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention from a side surface.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the fuel cell vehicle 10 (hereinafter, also simply referred to as “vehicle 10”) includes a fuel cell 20, a drive device 30, an air conditioner 40, a first cooling circuit 100, and a second cooling circuit. 200 and a fan 15.

  The fuel cell 20 generates an electric power by generating an electrochemical reaction with hydrogen and oxygen supplied from the outside. As the type of the fuel cell 20, various types such as a polymer electrolyte fuel cell and a solid oxide fuel cell can be adopted. Supply of oxygen to the fuel cell 20 is performed by supplying air from an air compressor (not shown) driven by an air compressor motor 23. Auxiliary equipment used for the operation of the fuel cell 20, such as this air compressor and a fuel pump (not shown) for supplying fuel to the fuel cell 20, has a driving power via an auxiliary inverter 21. Is supplied.

  The driving device 30 is a device that generates driving force for driving the vehicle 10 using the electric power generated by the fuel cell 20. The driving device 30 includes a driving motor inverter 31, a driving motor 32, a DC / DC converter 33, and the like. And a secondary battery 34. The traveling motor inverter 31 is, for example, a PWM inverter driven by a pulse width modulation method, and converts the DC power output from the fuel cell 20 into three-phase AC power. The traveling motor 32 generates driving force of the fuel cell 20 by rotating with the three-phase AC power supplied from the traveling motor inverter 31. The DC / DC converter 33 is a voltage converter that is connected in parallel to the fuel cell 20 with respect to the traveling motor 32 and has a function of adjusting a DC voltage input from the fuel cell 20 and outputting it to the secondary battery 34. . The secondary battery 34 is capable of charging the electric power supplied via the DC / DC converter 33 and discharging it to supply electric power to the traveling motor 32.

  The air conditioner 40 is a device that adjusts the temperature of a passenger compartment (not shown) of the vehicle 10, and includes a compressor 41, a water cooling condenser 42, an expansion valve 43, and an evaporator 44, which are air conditioning refrigerants. Is configured as a circulation flow path 46 through which is circulated. The compressor 41 compresses the air-conditioning refrigerant into a high-temperature and high-pressure gas state. The water-cooled condenser 42 is a heat exchanger that cools the compressed air-conditioning refrigerant by heat exchange with the cooling water to make a high-pressure liquid. The expansion valve 43 rapidly expands the cooled air-conditioning refrigerant to form a low-temperature and low-pressure mist. The evaporator 44 heat-exchanges the low-temperature and low-pressure air-conditioning refrigerant and the air in the passenger compartment, thereby evaporating the refrigerant into a low-temperature and low-pressure gas state.

  The first cooling circuit 100 is a circuit that supplies cooling water serving as a refrigerant to the fuel cell 20, and includes a connecting pipe 101, an FC radiator 102, and a cooling water pump 103. The connecting pipe 101 is a pipe through which cooling water flows, and is connected to the fuel cell 20 to form a circulation channel. The FC radiator 102 is a heat exchanger that cools the cooling water flowing through the FC radiator 102 by heat exchange with air. The FC radiator 102 is disposed in an air supply path 13 serving as a flow path of air taken from the outside of the vehicle 10 via the front grille 11 and is connected to the connecting pipe 101. The cooling water pump 103 is provided in the communication pipe 101, and pressurizes and circulates the cooling water in the communication pipe 101 by driving thereof.

  The second cooling circuit 200 is a circuit that supplies cooling water as a refrigerant to the driving device 30 and the air conditioning device 40, and includes a communication pipe 201, an LT radiator 202, a cooling water pump 203, and a switching valve 205. doing. The connecting pipe 201 is a pipe through which cooling water flows, and is connected to the water-cooled condenser 42, the traveling motor inverter 31, the auxiliary inverter 21, the DC / DC converter 33, the traveling motor 32, and the air compressor motor 23. Thus, a circulation channel is formed. The LT radiator 202 is a heat exchanger that cools the cooling water flowing inside through heat exchange with air. The LT radiator 202 is disposed in the air supply path 13 on the upstream side of the FC radiator 102 and is connected to the communication pipe 201. The cooling water pump 203 is provided in the connecting pipe 201 and pressurizes and circulates the cooling water in the connecting pipe 201 by driving thereof. The switching valve 205 is provided in the connecting pipe 201 and is switched so that the cooling water flowing from the air compressor motor 23 side in the connecting pipe 201 flows in either the direction indicated by the arrow A4 or the arrow A5.

  The fan 15 is disposed in the air supply path 13 on the downstream side of the FC radiator 102. The fan 15 takes in air from the front grill 11 by being rotated by a fan motor (not shown) attached to the rotating shaft.

  Next, cooling of the fuel cell 20, the drive device 30, and the air conditioning device 40 in the vehicle 10 configured as described above will be described.

  As the vehicle 10 travels in the forward direction indicated by arrow A1 in FIG. 1 and the fan 15 rotates, air is taken into the vehicle 10 from the front grill 11 as travel wind as indicated by arrow A2. The air taken into the vehicle 10 flows into the air supply path 13 and is supplied to the LT radiator 202 and the FC radiator 102 disposed in the air supply path 13 and functions as a heat exchange fluid. That is, this air passes through the LT radiator 202 from the front side to the rear side of the vehicle 10 to exchange heat with the cooling water inside the LT radiator 202, and then the FC radiator 102 is moved from the front side of the vehicle 10. By passing to the rear side, heat exchange is performed with the cooling water inside the FC radiator 102.

  The heat exchange in the LT radiator 202 and the FC radiator 102 will be described in detail with reference to FIG. Air is supplied as traveling wind to the vehicle 10 traveling in the forward direction indicated by the arrow A11 in the direction indicated by the arrow A21. In the air supply path 13, an LT radiator 202 and an FC radiator 102 are sequentially arranged from the upstream side. The LT radiator 202 has an inlet portion 202a, a main body portion 202b, and an outlet portion 202c. The FC radiator 102 has an inlet portion 102a, a main body portion 102b, and an outlet portion 102c. The LT radiator 202 and the FC radiator 102 are set so that their core areas are equal.

  The cooling water supplied to the LT radiator 202 flows into the main body portion 202b from an inlet portion 202a provided at the upper portion thereof. In the main body 202b, a flow path is formed in which the cooling water flows downward while reciprocating in the depth direction of the sheet of FIG. The cooling water flowing in the main body 202b is subjected to heat exchange via the main body 202b with the air passing through the LT radiator 202 so as to intersect with the cooling water, and then an outlet provided at the lower portion of the LT radiator 202. It flows out of the main body 202b from the portion 202c.

  Since the cooling water flowing through the upper portion 202U in the main body 202b of the LT radiator 202 is immediately after flowing into the main body 202b, it has not yet sufficiently exchanged heat with air and is at a relatively high temperature. On the other hand, the cooling water flowing through the lower portion 202L in the main body 202b of the LT radiator 202 is relatively low temperature because heat exchange with air is performed while flowing through the main body 202b.

  Therefore, in the air supply path 13 on the downstream side of the LT radiator 202, the air flowing through the upper AU is heated by the heat exchange with the relatively high-temperature cooling water in the LT radiator 202. The flowing air has a low temperature due to heat exchange with the relatively low-temperature cooling water in the LT radiator 202. For this reason, the air supplied to the main body portion 102b of the FC radiator 102 becomes hotter as the air supplied to the upper portion 102U.

  The cooling water supplied to the FC radiator 102 flows into the main body portion 102b from an inlet portion 102a provided at the top thereof. In the main body portion 102b, a flow path is formed in which the cooling water flows downward while reciprocating in the depth direction of the sheet of FIG. The cooling water flowing through the main body 102b is subjected to heat exchange via the main body 102b with the air passing through the LT radiator 102 so as to intersect with the cooling water, and then an outlet provided at the lower portion of the LT radiator 102. It flows out of the main body 102b from the portion 102c.

  Since the cooling water flowing through the upper part 102U in the main body part 102b of the FC radiator 102 is immediately after flowing into the main body part 102b, sufficient heat exchange with the air is not yet performed, and the temperature is relatively high. . On the other hand, the cooling water flowing through the lower portion 102L in the main body portion 102b of the FC radiator 102 is relatively low temperature because heat exchange is performed with air while flowing through the main body portion 102b.

  As described above, the air supplied to the main body 102b of the FC radiator 102 through the LT radiator 202 becomes higher as the air supplied to the upper part 102U. Accordingly, the relatively hot cooling water in the upper part 102U of the FC radiator 102 exchanges heat with the relatively hot air, and the relatively cool cooling water in the lower part 102L of the FC radiator 102 is heated with the relatively cool air and heat. It will be exchanged. This relationship approximates heat exchange in a so-called counterflow, in which air and water flow in opposite directions. For this reason, the cooling water passing through the FC radiator 102 can exchange heat with air with high efficiency.

  Further, the LT radiator 202 and the FC radiator 102 are arranged so that the LT radiator 202 completely covers the FC radiator 102 when viewed from the forward direction of the vehicle 10. For this reason, air can be smoothly discharged to the downstream side without entraining air in the air supply path 13 between the LT radiator 202 and the FC radiator 102.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the cooling water which has passed through the inside of the FC radiator 102 and has been cooled by heat exchange with air to become low temperature is pressurized by the cooling water pump 103 and supplied to the fuel cell 20. The cooling water flows into the fuel cell 20 and cools the fuel cell 20 by exchanging heat. Specifically, the cooling water exchanges heat with a cell stack (not shown) that causes an electrochemical reaction inside the fuel cell 20.

  The cooling water that has absorbed heat by this heat exchange and has reached a high temperature is discharged outside the fuel cell 20 and then returned to the inside of the FC radiator 102 again by the connecting pipe 101. Thus, by cooling the fuel cell 20 with the cooling water circulating through the first cooling circuit 100, the fuel cell 20 is maintained at an appropriate operating temperature and can stably generate electric power.

  Cooling water that has passed through the LT radiator 202 and has been cooled by heat exchange with air and having become low temperature is pressurized by the cooling water pump 203 and is first supplied to the water cooling condenser 42. Inside the water-cooled condenser 42, heat exchange between the cooling water circulating in the second cooling circuit 200 and the air-conditioning refrigerant flowing in the circulation flow path 46 of the air-conditioning device 40 is performed. By this heat exchange, the air-conditioning refrigerant in the circulation flow path 46 is cooled and then supplied to the expansion valve 43 to be used for adjusting the temperature of the passenger compartment by the air-conditioning device 40.

  The cooling water that has passed through the inside of the water-cooled condenser 42 is then supplied to the traveling motor inverter 31. During the operation of the travel motor inverter 31, a coil or the like provided therein generates heat due to the internal resistance and is at a high temperature. The cooling water exchanges heat by passing through a flow path provided inside the traveling motor inverter 31 to cool the traveling motor inverter 31 and maintain it at an appropriate operating temperature.

  The cooling water that has passed through the traveling motor inverter 31 is then supplied to the auxiliary inverter 21. Further, the cooling water that has passed through the auxiliary inverter 21 is then supplied to the DC / DC converter 33. Similar to the drive motor inverter 31, the auxiliary machine inverter 21 and the DC / DC converter 33 generate heat due to the internal resistance and are at a high temperature. For this reason, cooling water is sequentially supplied to these, and heat exchange is performed by passing through the flow paths provided in each of them, and cooling is performed to maintain an appropriate operating temperature.

  The cooling water that has passed through the DC / DC converter 33 is then supplied to the traveling motor 32. Further, the cooling water that has passed through the traveling motor 32 is then supplied to the air compressor motor 23. During the operation of the travel motor 32 and the air compressor motor 23, the coils and the like provided therein generate heat due to the internal resistance and are at a high temperature. The cooling water exchanges heat by passing through passages provided in the traveling motor 32 and the air compressor motor 23, and cools the traveling motor 32 and the air compressor motor 23 to maintain an appropriate operating temperature. doing.

  The cooling water that has passed through the air compressor motor 23 is then supplied to the switching valve 205. The switching valve 205 switches the flow path according to the state of each element provided in the second cooling circuit 200.

  Specifically, when the air conditioning device 40 does not perform cooling or heating of the passenger compartment, or when heating, the LT radiator 202 is first set while the drive device 30 is heated to the optimum operating temperature. In order to circulate the cooling water without cooling the cooling water, the cooling water is caused to flow in the direction indicated by the arrow A4 that bypasses the LT radiator 202. Here, the optimum operating temperature of the driving device 30 is appropriately determined depending on the heat resistance performance and operating efficiency of the driving device 30. After that, when the driving device 30 exceeds the optimum operating temperature, the cooling water flow direction is switched to the direction indicated by the arrow A5 in order to cool the cooling water in the LT radiator 202, and the flow including the LT radiator 202 is changed. Cooling water is circulated on the road.

  On the other hand, when the air conditioner 40 cools the passenger compartment, the cooling water is flown in the direction indicated by the arrow A5 in order to cool the cooling water by the LT radiator 202 from the beginning, and the flow path including the LT radiator 202 is flowed. To circulate the cooling water.

  In the vehicle 10 configured as described above, the cooling water cooled by the LT radiator 202 is supplied not only to the driving device 30 but also to the air conditioning device 40. Therefore, the LT radiator 202 is connected to the air taken in from the outside. It is necessary to exchange heat with high efficiency. In the vehicle 10, the LT radiator 202 is provided in the air supply path 13 on the upstream side of the FC radiator 102, whereby a large flow rate and low temperature air is preferentially supplied to the LT radiator 202, and the request is satisfied.

  Further, the cooling water supplied to the driving device 30 and the air conditioning device 40 is not cooled by separate radiators or condensers, but both are performed by the LT radiator 202, so that the air to the FC radiator 102 is supplied in the air supply path. It is possible to reduce the number of parts that become supply resistance. Thereby, it is possible to suppress a decrease in efficiency of heat exchange in the FC radiator 102.

  Further, in the vehicle 10, the air conditioning device 40 is provided in the second cooling circuit 200 on the downstream side of the LT radiator 202 and on the upstream side of the driving device 30. Thereby, the cooling water cooled by the LT radiator 202 can be preferentially supplied to the air conditioner 40 that requires a refrigerant having a lower temperature, and the endothermic effect of the cooling water can be efficiently used. As a result, the LT radiator 202 is not required to have excessively high performance, and more air taken from outside can be used for heat exchange with the FC radiator 102. It becomes possible to improve the overall cooling efficiency.

  The embodiments of the present invention have been described above with reference to specific examples. However, the present invention is not limited to these specific examples. In other words, those specific examples that have been appropriately modified by those skilled in the art are also included in the scope of the present invention as long as they have the characteristics of the present invention. Each element included in each of the specific examples described above and their arrangement, material, condition, shape, size, and the like are not limited to those illustrated, and can be appropriately changed.

  Furthermore, the elements included in each of the above-described embodiments can be combined as far as technically possible, and combinations thereof are included in the scope of the present invention as long as they include the features of the present invention.

  For example, the fuel cell vehicle according to the present invention may be configured as a fuel cell vehicle 10A shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is a schematic view showing a part of a fuel cell vehicle 10A according to another embodiment of the present invention from the top surface. The fuel cell vehicle 10A (hereinafter also simply referred to as “vehicle 10A”) is configured by adding a configuration to the vehicle 10, and the same configuration as the vehicle 10 is appropriately denoted by the same reference numeral, and description thereof is omitted.

  The fuel cell vehicle 10 </ b> A includes a third cooling circuit 300 in addition to the first cooling circuit 100 and the second cooling circuit 200. The third cooling circuit 300 includes a connecting pipe 301 and a side radiator 302. The connecting pipe 301 is a pipe through which cooling water flows, and is connected to the first cooling circuit 100 at the branch portion D and the junction portion J. The FC radiator 102 is a heat exchanger that cools the cooling water flowing through the FC radiator 102 by heat exchange with air.

As the vehicle 10A travels in the forward direction indicated by the arrow A1, air is taken into the vehicle 10 as traveling wind from the side grille 17 as indicated by the arrow A7.
The air flows into the side air supply path 18 and is supplied to the side radiator 302 disposed in the side air supply path 18 to function as a heat exchange fluid.

  The cooling water pressurized by the driving of the cooling water pump 103 of the first cooling circuit 100 and flowing in the connecting pipe 101 flows into the connecting pipe 301 of the third cooling circuit 300 from the branch portion D. The cooling water flows through the connecting pipe 301 and flows into the side radiator 302 and is cooled by heat exchange with air. The cooling water that has passed through the inside of the side radiator 302 flows through the connecting pipe 301 and returns from the junction J to the connecting pipe 101 of the first cooling circuit 100 again.

  According to the vehicle 10A configured as described above, the cooling water of the first cooling circuit 100 can be sufficiently cooled using the side radiator 302 when the cooling performance of the FC radiator 102 is not sufficient. Thus, even when the vehicle speed of the vehicle 10A is high, or when the vehicle 10A is climbing up, even when there is a possibility that the fuel cell 20 may become high temperature due to the necessity of generating larger electric power, the operating temperature is made appropriate. Can be cooled.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10, 10A: Fuel cell vehicle 13: Air supply path 20: Fuel cell 30: Drive equipment 40: Air-conditioning equipment 100: 1st cooling circuit 102: FC radiator (1st radiator)
200: Second cooling circuit 202: LT radiator (second radiator)

Claims (1)

A fuel cell vehicle,
A fuel cell for generating electric power;
A driving device that generates driving force of the fuel cell vehicle using electric power generated by the fuel cell;
An air conditioner that adjusts the temperature of a passenger compartment of the fuel cell vehicle, and a first cooling circuit that supplies refrigerant to the fuel cell, the first radiator having a first radiator that cools the refrigerant by heat exchange with air. A cooling circuit;
A second cooling circuit for supplying a refrigerant to the drive device and the air conditioner, the second cooling circuit having a second radiator for cooling the refrigerant by heat exchange with air;
An air supply path for supplying air taken from the outside of the fuel cell vehicle to the first radiator and the second radiator;
The second radiator is provided in the air supply path on the upstream side of the first radiator,
The fuel cell vehicle, wherein the air conditioning device is provided in the second cooling circuit on the downstream side of the second radiator and on the upstream side of the driving device.

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