A coupling and multi-mode thermal management system design and control for high-power fuel cell vehicles with utilizing waste heat

Abstract

In recent years, the thermal management system of fuel cell vehicles has garnered significant attention due to its profound impact on the overall economy, environmental adaptability, and vehicle durability. In this study, an integrated thermal management system utilizing waste heat for fuel cell vehicles was developed to improve the environmental adaptability and energy efficiency. The system integrates multiple thermal management system loops, including fuel cell system, battery, electric drive system, and cabin. A heat exchanger was designed to achieve the recovery of waste heat from fuel cell and efficient management of each loop. The integrated design of a six-way valve can enable flexible decoupling management of multiple heat management loops and rational utilization of waste heat from the electric drive system. Additionally, an active disturbance rejection control (ADRC) for energy consumption optimization was proposed to address the high energy consumption of electrical accessories in fuel cell thermal management and the external thermal disturbances introduced by heat exchangers. For the integrated thermal management of the battery and electric drive system, a PID following mode control strategy was implemented. To address cabin thermal management challenges under various vehicle speed conditions, a fuzzy-PID cabin thermal management control strategy was proposed. Simulation studies indicate that in low ambient temperature of −10 °C, utilizing waste heat from fuel cells as the heat source for the heat pump air conditioning system to warm the battery reduced heating time by 50 % compared to direct heating methods. The heating time for the cabin was reduced by 70 %. In terms of thermal management energy consumption, the ADRC algorithm for optimizing energy consumption decreased thermal management energy consumption by 43.6 % compared to ADRC. When operating in waste heat recovery mode, the heating energy consumption ratio of the heat pump air conditioning system was 4, resulting in a 75 % reduction in energy consumption. The comprehensive improvement has enhanced the energy efficiency of the fuel cell power system and the entire vehicle, and improved the dynamic responsiveness and environmental adaptability of the thermal management system under low ambient temperature.