HYBRID HYDROGEN POWER MODULE

Abstract

An apparatus for powering trucks including a power module skid and supporting structure for fitting on a truck. The skid housing hydrogen fuel cell modules, battery sub packs, cooling means and cooling management, and integrated power electronics, to provide an electrical drive train of the truck with a constant high voltage DC power supply. An integrated system using renewable energy to reduce greenhouse gases using one or more trucks, in which an integrated system includes: means for providing renewable energy; means for using the renewable energy to synthesise hydrogen; means for storing the synthesised hydrogen; The integrated system includes hybrid hydrogen power modules fitted to each truck including hydrogen fuel cell modules and battery sub packs so that the battery sub packs and the battery sub packs are recharged by the hydrogen fuel cells.

Claims

1.-31. (canceled)

32. A method for powering ultra heavy-duty trucks in a mine environment, in which each of a plurality of ultra heavy-duty trucks is provided with a power module skid coupled to said truck, each said power module skid includes a plurality of hydrogen cell modules, a plurality of battery sub packs, and integrated power electronics coupled to said plurality of hydrogen fuel cell modules and said plurality of battery sub packs and configured to provide to an electrical drive train of the ultra heavy-duty truck a constant, high voltage DC electrical output with a power of at least 0.5 MW and a voltage of between 400 V and 1500 V, the method comprising: loading hydrogen on to each of said plurality of ultra heavy-duty trucks; using the plurality of hydrogen fuel cell modules to generate electrical power from the hydrogen; supplying the generated electrical power to an electrical drive train of the truck to run the truck; and supplying the generated electrical power to the plurality of battery sub packs to recharge the battery sub packs.

33. The method of claim 32, wherein the plurality of hydrogen fuel cell modules in each of the plurality of ultra heavy-duty trucks are arranged in parallel and wherein the supplying the generated electrical power to the electrical drive train includes simultaneously using the plurality of parallel-arranged hydrogen fuel cell modules to provide power to a single DC link voltage to provide the power to the drive train of the truck.

34. The method of claim 32, further comprising: recharging the plurality of battery sub packs in each of the plurality of ultra heavy-duty trucks by taking energy from regenerative braking of the truck.

35. An integrated system for using renewable energy in a mine environment to reduce the emission of greenhouse gases, in which environment, mined material is transported around the mine using a plurality of ultra heavy-duty trucks, the integrated system comprising: means for providing renewable energy; means for using renewable energy to synthesise hydrogen; means for storing the synthesised hydrogen; and a hybrid power module coupled to each of said ultra heavy-duty truck, said hybrid power module including a plurality of hydrogen fuel cell modules and a plurality of battery sub packs, the stored hydrogen being loaded on to each of the plurality of ultra heavy-duty trucks to feed the plurality of hydrogen fuel cell modules and the plurality of hydrogen fuel cell modules are used to recharge the plurality of battery sub packs during operation of the ultra heavy-duty truck such that the plurality of battery sub packs does not need to be removed or remotely charged.

36. The integrated system of claim 35, wherein the source of renewable energy is drawn from a local electrical grid, or is locally captured through one or more of a solar, wind, hydroelectric, geothermal, or nuclear source.

37. The integrated system of claim 35, wherein the mine environment further comprises a plant and the local capture of renewable energy is in excess of the demands of the plant and the excess energy is used to generate the hydrogen.

38. The integrated system of claim 35, wherein each of the plurality of ultra heavy-duty trucks further includes a hydrogen storage tank.

39. The integrated system of claim 35, wherein each of the hybrid power modules includes a cooling system configured to cool the plurality of hydrogen fuel cell modules.

40. The integrated system of claim 35, wherein the means for using renewal energy to synthesise the hydrogen synthesises the hydrogen by electrolysis of water.

41. A method for reducing the carbon footprint of a mining environment, in which the mining environment includes a plant and a mine in which material is transported between the mine and the plant by a plurality of ultra heavy-duty trucks, the method comprising: providing locally generated renewable energy; using the renewable energy to synthesise hydrogen; storing the hydrogen; and operating each of the plurality of ultra heavy-duty trucks by a hybrid hydrogen power module coupled to the truck that includes a plurality of hydrogen fuel cell modules and a plurality of battery sub packs, wherein the stored hydrogen is loaded on to each of the plurality of ultra heavy-duty trucks and is used to generate electrical power in the plurality of hydrogen fuel cell modules, the electrical power being used to operate the truck and to recharge the plurality of battery sub packs.

42. The method of claim 41, wherein the locally generated renewable energy is obtained directly from a local electrical grid, or is captured locally through one or more of a solar, wind, hydroelectric, geothermal, or nuclear source.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0021] FIG. 1 is a schematic illustration of a configuration of a power module skid according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0022] FIG. 2 is an electrical schematic of the power module of an embodiment of the present invention;

[0023] FIG. 3 is schematic of the present invention being used on a truck in a mine environment; and

[0024] FIG. 4 shows a graphical representation of the shift in energy for one cycle of the operation of the truck shown schematically in FIG. 3.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0025] Referring to FIG. 1, there is shown the integrated configuration of components on a skid according to an embodiment of the hybrid hydrogen power module according to the present invention. This skid module can be readily fitted in to an existing truck in place of the diesel generator currently used. It could also be used on a new truck, constructed specifically to utilize the hybrid system. The module consists of six major subsystem elements. Firstly, there is a power module skid and supporting structure for carrying the components and enabling them to be configured for operation once the skid has been fitted to the truck. Each skid in this embodiment includes eight hydrogen fuel cell modules located in the middle of the skid. These are fed by hydrogen from hydrogen storage tanks (not shown) which may be located at suitable locations on the truck. The position of these may vary depending the on the equipment attached to the truck and the environment and terrain in which the truck is operating. Each fuel cell will be fed from one or more hydrogen storage tank, preferably by several tanks so that operation of the fuel cell is not interrupted as a storage tank empties.

[0026] The skid also includes a fuel cell coolant management system. This may be arranged to be adjacent to the fuel cells, for example towards the front of the skid. By locating the coolant management system close to the fuel cell modules, there is minimum additional tubing and wiring and the cells can be maintained in their optimum operating window. The use of a fluid loop necessitates intimate contact between the heat source and the fluid line and therefore the fluid lines must be integrated into the system design to provide effective heat dissipation and management.

[0027] In the embodiment shown, the skid holds eight battery sub-packs such that there is one battery sub-pack for each hydrogen fuel cell module. The fuel cells operate in parallel and can therefore all be used to charge the batteries. The battery subpacks all work together and can be considered to serve as one large effective battery pack. The batteries are the heaviest components on the skid and therefore, for best balance, they are located at the bottom of the skid and some may be positioned under the fuel cell modules.

[0028] The components on the skid are controlled by integrated power electronics which in the present example are located in a cabinet towards the rear of the skid. These are out of the way of the fuel cells and can be positioned in any suitable location.

[0029] At the front of the skid is a power module radiator. This integrated multi-zone thermal radiator more efficiently manages the varying thermal needs of the power module components by providing a high local and well-connected thermal sink. This increases the efficiency of the cooling of the components on the skid.

[0030] The skid may additionally include one or more fuel cell boost convertors (not shown) between the fuel cell modules and the battery sub packs. If present, there is preferably one fuel cell boost convertor for each fuel cell. Such components help the power module have a high level of flexibility of components, as illustrated in FIG. 2.

[0031] As shown in FIG. 2, the hybrid power module of the present invention has a significant flexibility of its configuration to reflect the overall “balance of plant”; that is, the architecture of components on the skid is very flexible to enable changes in the number of fuel cell modules and number of battery sub-packs to be made and therefore adjust the overall battery energy storage capacity. The overall architecture enables multiple independent fuel cell modules to be simultaneously used to provide power to the same DC link voltage (labeled VBATT in FIG. 2) to which the power module battery provides power.

[0032] The system utilizes an individual DC/DC converter between each of the modules. While this converter boosts the module's output voltage, it also allows compensation for phase and output differences, enabling multiple modules to reside in parallel, each providing DC-link power capacity. The result is a shared output that can be regulated around voltage, current, and/or power requirements to meet the needs of the system. For example, it can provide a steady and consistent high voltage output between 400 and 1500 V, such as between 800 and 1500 V or 1200 and 1500 V and a total power output of greater than 1 MW, for example 2, 2.5 or 3 MW. This is the type of voltage and power output that is consistent with a large industrial application like a heavy-duty haul truck. By contrast, a single state of the art fuel cell module typically operates at less than 400 V with an output in the region of 100 kW. This alone would be too low to support a heavy-duty haul truck application. It is only through a configuration like that shown in FIG. 2 and described above that this type of power and voltage output is achievable.

[0033] The module of FIG. 1 replaces the haul truck's conventional diesel generator and provides the electrical drivetrain with a constant high-voltage DC power supply to facilitate the truck's drive, dump, and auxiliary support functions. The module resides within the volumetric and configurational constraints of the diesel generator that it replaces within the haul truck system. In addition, the module structurally interfaces with the truck using the same skid configuration as the diesel generator, allowing the new power module to assemble, integrate, and attach to the truck in a manner similar to the diesel generator.

[0034] The integrated power module configuration is one of the preferred embodiments of the present invention because it integrates all of the power generation and power management functions into a single system package, allowing the system to be fully characterized and commissioned without the need of the larger haul truck system. It also minimizes resistive power line losses from high-power harnesses in comparison to other distributed configurations, which would all require longer cable harness lengths resulting in decreased system efficiency. Further, the integrated multi-zone thermal radiator more efficiently manages the varying thermal needs of the power module components by providing a high local and well-connected thermal sink. Further, it utilizes existing primary structural interface and installation aids, requiring no new structural or configurational changes to the haul truck to enable module integration. This is an important aspect so that the truck systems can operate efficiently using the new power source without a substantial reconfiguration of the components on the truck.

[0035] FIG. 3 shows in schematic form, the operation of a truck fitted with the power module of the present invention. The numbers shown for the energy balances between the fuel cells and the batteries are for example only and are not intended to be limiting. Each truck begins at position 1 with full tank of hydrogen. It will be appreciated that the tank of hydrogen may comprise several hydrogen storage tanks which, combined, constitute the hydrogen load of the truck. When the truck drives uphill (position 2) it will drain energy from both the fuel cell and the battery. When the truck reaches a flat section (position 3) the fuel cell recharges the battery while also powering the truck. The fuel cell is therefore still using up energy, but some of the energy of the battery used in the uphill section is restored. On a downhill section (position 4), no energy is drawn from the fuel cell and the battery recharges further through the regeneration of energy via the braking system of the truck and the conversion of kinetic energy into stored electrical energy in the battery.

[0036] This cycle (positions 2, 3 and 4) can be repeated several times depending on the size and capacity of the hydrogen tank or tanks, and the environment in which the truck is being used and the relative amount of uphill, flat and downhill travel. In the example of possible operation and the cycling of energy from the hydrogen tanks to the battery shown in FIG. 3, the battery is always fully recharged in each cycle by the combination of energy from the hydrogen fuel cell and regenerative energy from downhill sections. The cycle can be repeated 9 times before the hydrogen tank is emptied (position 6) and has to be refueled (position 7). Typically, this refueling may take 15 minutes or less which is significantly quicker than the time it would take to remove and replace empty batteries (which are heavy), or the time it would take to recharge the batteries while still retained on the truck (may often require several hours to fully recharge the batteries once they are drained).

[0037] A graph of the possible use and transfer of energy between the battery and fuel cell in a hybrid system is shown in FIG. 4. As discussed above, on an uphill section, the battery is drained of energy, but this is then replaced when the truck is moving in a flat section where the fuel cell is used to recharge the battery and when the truck is moving in the downhill sections where both recharging by the fuel cell and regenerative charging take place.

[0038] In mine environments comprising mines and plants, there is an opportunity to significantly reduce the carbon footprint of the operation while at the same time improving operation of the plant. Currently, the operation of the plant will be powered exclusively by electricity from the local grid. Generally, this electricity will have been obtained from fossil fuels and their treatment at a power plant. Grid systems can be expensive and unreliable as the energy provided can be significantly affected by other users in the grid. Trucks are also powered by fossil fuel derived energy, in most cases by the use of diesel in a diesel generator.

[0039] In the present invention, there may be a substantial improvement to the carbon footprint through the use of solar energy to provide power for the plant. This may provide some or all of the power requirements for the plant, and may be topped up as necessary from the grid. The reduces the reliance on the grid and increases security of supply and also decreases the carbon footprint of the plant. Excess solar energy (beyond that used by the plant) is used to produce hydrogen, for example through electrolysis, and this hydrogen is then used in the hybrid system on the trucks as described above. This use of hydrogen in hydrogen fuel cells avoids the need for any diesel on the trucks leading to a significant reduction in greenhouse gas emissions.