Power management systems for hydrogen hybrid locomotives and hydrogen hybrid locomotives using the same
US7971538B1 · kind B1 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Feb 10, 2010 |
| Grant date | Jul 5, 2011 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Feb 10, 2030 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
- CPC primaryY02T90/40
- WIPO fieldTransport
- WIPO sectorMechanical engineering
Abstract
A hydrogen hybrid locomotive including traction motors for moving the locomotive along a set of tracks, a set of batteries for providing electrical power to the traction motors, a hydrogen fuel cell power plant for charging the set of batteries, an air system having a variable speed compressor for providing air flow to the power plant, and a DC to DC converter for managing power distribution from the hydrogen fuel cell power plant to the batteries. A controller determines an amount of current required from the power plant to produce a selected amount of power, determines a stoic operating setpoint for the power plant based on the current required, sets the speed of a compressor within the air system to provide a selected amount of air flow to the power plant for the determined stoic operating setpoint, determines from a resulting actual air flow to the power module available power, and sets an operating setpoint of the DC to DC converter from the determined an available power.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.