IP Library › Granted Patent US 12,003,109
Granted Patent B2
US 12,003,109 · App. 17/792,693 · Granted Jun 4, 2024

Direct-current coupling hydrogen production system and control method therefor

Inventors: Yu Gu (Hefei, CN); Jiangsong Li (Hefei, CN); Jian Guo (Hefei, CN); Jun Xu (Hefei, CN)
Assignee: Sungrow Power Supply Co., Ltd.
H02J3/381H02J2300/24H02J2300/28
View Patent ↗
Loading inventors, assignments & file history…
Monitor This Case
Get email alerts when status or documents change.
Order Certified Copies
Most orders are placed with the USPTO same day — all within 24 business hours.
Order via The Patent Place →
Pre-filled with this patent's details
Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,003,109
App. No.
17/792,693
Granted
Jun 4, 2024
Kind
B2
Abstract

A direct-current coupling hydrogen production system includes at least one electricity generation system and multiple hydrogen production electrolyzer systems. The electricity generation system includes: a controller, N renewable energy systems, multiple conversion systems and a power switching unit. The power switching unit includes N input ports and M output ports. The controller is configured to control the power switching unit to supply the multiple hydrogen production electrolyzer systems through its output ports with electrical energy received through its input ports, or is configured to control the power switching unit to collect electrical energy received through its input ports and to supply the multiple hydrogen production electrolyzer systems through its output ports respectively corresponding to the hydrogen production electrolyzer systems with the collected electrical energy.

Claims (55)

1. A direct-current coupling hydrogen production system, comprising: at least one electricity generation system and a plurality of hydrogen production electrolyzer systems, wherein

the at least one electricity generation system each comprises: a controller, N renewable energy systems, a plurality of conversion systems and a power switching unit, and N is an integer greater than 1;

the plurality of conversion systems and the power switching unit each are arranged on an electrical energy transmission path from the N renewable energy systems to M hydrogen production electrolyzer systems, and M is an integer greater than 1;

the power switching unit comprises N input ports and M output ports; and

the controller is configured to:

acquire a maximum power point tracking MPPT value of each of the conversion systems;

determine a to-be-operated hydrogen production electrolyzer system among the M hydrogen production electrolyzer systems based on all the MPPT values and a minimum startup electrical parameter of a hydrogen production electrolyzer system; and

control the power switching unit to supply electrical energy to the to-be-operated hydrogen production electrolyzer system for hydrogen production, so that electrical energy received by each to-be-operated hydrogen production electrolyzer system is sufficient for hydrogen production, and all the to-be-operated hydrogen production electrolyzer system operates independently.

2. The direct-current coupling hydrogen production system according to claim 1 , wherein in a case that the plurality of conversion systems in each of the at least one electricity generation system are arranged at a front end of the power switching unit,

the number of the plurality of conversion systems is N;

output ports of the N renewable energy systems are connected to input ports of the N conversion systems in one-to-one correspondence;

output ports of the N conversion systems are connected to the N input ports of the power switching unit in one-to-one correspondence; and

the M output ports of the power switching unit are connected to input ports of the M hydrogen production electrolyzer systems in one-to-one correspondence.

3. The direct-current coupling hydrogen production system according to claim 1 , wherein in a case that the plurality of conversion systems in each of the at least one electricity generation system are arranged at a back end of the power switching unit,

the number of the plurality of conversion systems is M;

output ports of the N renewable energy systems are connected to the N input ports of the power switching unit in one-to-one correspondence;

the M output ports of the power switching unit are connected to input ports of the M conversion systems in one-to-one correspondence; and

output ports of the M conversion systems are connected to input ports of the M hydrogen production electrolyzer systems in one-to-one correspondence.

4. The direct-current coupling hydrogen production system according to claim 1 , further comprising:

at least one hydrogen storage tank configured to store hydrogen produced by the plurality of hydrogen production electrolyzer systems.

5. The direct-current coupling hydrogen production system according to claim 4 , wherein

the plurality of hydrogen production electrolyzer systems each are configured to discharge hydrogen at a cathode or an intermediate electrode of the hydrogen production electrolyzer system; and

a gas pipeline between the hydrogen storage tank and each of the plurality of hydrogen production electrolyzer systems is a metal pipeline or a non-metallic pipeline.

6. The direct-current coupling hydrogen production system according to claim 4 , wherein

the number of the hydrogen storage tank is one, and the plurality of hydrogen production electrolyzer systems are configured to share the one hydrogen storage tank to store hydrogen in a centralized manner; or

the number of the hydrogen storage tank is M, the plurality of hydrogen production electrolyzer systems correspond to the M hydrogen storage tanks in one to one correspondence, to store hydrogen in a distributed manner; or

the number of the hydrogen storage tank is greater than 1 and less than M, some of the plurality of hydrogen production electrolyzer systems are configured to share a same hydrogen storage tank, wherein hydrogen produced by a hydrogen production electrolyzer system among the plurality of hydrogen production electrolyzer systems that is connected to one hydrogen storage tank is stored separately from hydrogen produced by a hydrogen production electrolyzer system among the plurality of hydrogen production electrolyzer systems that is connected to another hydrogen storage tank.

7. The direct-current coupling hydrogen production system according to claim 1 , wherein

the power switching unit comprises at least N-1 bus switch modules and at least M-1 electrolyzer input switch modules;

one port of each of the M-1 electrolyzer input switch modules is connected to an output port among the M output ports of the power switching unit, and the other port of the electrolyzer input switch module is connected to an input port among the N input ports of the power switching unit; and

each of the bus switch modules is arranged between two input ports among the N input ports of the power switching unit.

8. The direct-current coupling hydrogen production system according to claim 7 , wherein

in a case that hydrogen is discharged at a cathode, a gas pipeline is a metal pipeline, and hydrogen is stored in a centralized manner, each of the M-1 electrolyzer input switch modules comprises a controllable switch arranged on an anode branch, and each of the N-1 bus switch modules comprises a controllable switch arranged on a positive branch; and

in a case that hydrogen is discharged at a cathode and a gas pipeline is a non-metal pipeline, or hydrogen is discharged at an immediate electrode, each of the M-1 electrolyzer input switch modules comprises a controllable switch arranged on anode branch and a controllable switch arranged on a cathode branch, and each of the N-1 bus switch modules comprises a controllable switch arranged on a positive branch and a controllable switch arranged on a negative branch.

9. The direct-current coupling hydrogen production system according to claim 8 , wherein the controllable switch is a controllable mechanical switch or a semiconductor switch.

10. The direct-current coupling hydrogen production system according to claim 1 , wherein for each of the N renewable energy systems,

the renewable energy system comprises: a wind power system and/or a solar power system;

in a case that the renewable energy system comprises the wind power system, a conversion system among the plurality of conversion systems that corresponds to the renewable energy system comprises an AC/DC converter connected to the wind power system; and

in a case that the renewable energy system comprises the solar power system, a conversion system among the plurality of conversion systems that corresponds to the renewable energy system comprises a DC/DC converter connected to the solar power system.

11. The direct-current coupling hydrogen production system according to claim 10 , wherein

the solar power system comprises a photovoltaic module and a direct-current combiner box, one port of the direct-current combiner box is connected to an output port of the photovoltaic module, and the other port of the direct-current combiner box serves as an output port of the solar power system; and

the wind power system comprises a blade and a permanent magnet synchronous generator or doubly fed induction generator, a port of the permanent magnet synchronous generator or doubly fed induction generator serves as an output port of the wind power system.

12. The direct-current coupling hydrogen production system according to claim 1 , wherein

the controller is a communication host in each of the plurality of conversion systems; or

the controller is a system controller independently arranged in the direct-current coupling hydrogen production system.

13. A method for controlling a direct-current coupling hydrogen production system, wherein the direct-current coupling hydrogen production system comprises at least one electricity generation system and a plurality of hydrogen production electrolyzer systems; the at least one electricity generation system each comprises: a controller, N renewable energy systems, a plurality of conversion systems and a power switching unit, and N is an integer greater than 1; the plurality of conversion systems and the power switching unit each are arranged on an electrical energy transmission path from the N renewable energy systems to M hydrogen production electrolyzer systems, and M is an integer greater than 1; the power switching unit comprises N input ports and M output ports; and the method comprises:

acquiring a maximum power point tracking MPPT value of each conversion system in the direct-current coupling hydrogen production system;

determining a to-be-operated hydrogen production electrolyzer system based on all the MPPT values and a minimum startup electrical parameter of a hydrogen production electrolyzer system in the direct-current coupling hydrogen production system; and

controlling the power switching unit in the direct-current coupling hydrogen production system to supply electrical energy to the to-be-operated hydrogen production electrolyzer system for hydrogen production, so that electrical energy received by each to-be-operated hydrogen production electrolyzer system is sufficient for hydrogen production, and all the to-be-operated hydrogen production electrolyzer system operates independently.

14. The method for controlling a direct-current coupling hydrogen production system according to claim 13 , wherein the power switching unit comprises at least M-1 electrolyzer input switch modules and at least N-1 bus switch modules; and

wherein the controlling the power switching unit in the direct-current coupling hydrogen production system to supply electrical energy to the to-be-operated hydrogen production electrolyzer system for hydrogen production, so that electrical energy received by each to-be-operated hydrogen production electrolyzer system is sufficient for hydrogen production, and all the to-be-operated hydrogen production electrolyzer system operates independently comprises:

controlling a bus switch module and an electrolyzer input switch module in the power switching unit to be turned on to connect an input port to an output port of the power switching unit so that all the to-be-operated hydrogen production electrolyzer system operates independently.

15. The method for controlling a direct-current coupling hydrogen production system according to claim 14 , wherein the controlling a bus switch module and an electrolyzer input switch module in the power switching unit to be turned on to connect an input port to an output port of the power switching unit so that all the to-be-operated hydrogen production electrolyzer system operates independently comprises:

controlling, in a case that the number of the to-be-operated hydrogen production electrolyzer system is 1, all bus switch modules and an electrolyzer input switch module that is connected to the to-be-operated hydrogen production electrolyzer system to be turned on, and all other electrolyzer input switch modules to be turned off, so that all input ports of the power switching unit each are connected to the output port of the power switching unit, and the to-be-operated hydrogen production electrolyzer system operates independently; and

controlling, for each to-be-operated hydrogen production electrolyzer system in a case that the number of the to-be-operated hydrogen production electrolyzer system is greater than 1, a bus switch module and an electrolyzer input switch module in a path for supplying electrical energy to the to-be-operated hydrogen production electrolyzer system to be turned on, and a bus switch module between paths to be turned off, so that an input port is connected to an output port of the power switching unit, and the to-be-operated hydrogen production electrolyzer systems operate independently from each other.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jul 19, 2022
From: GU, YU; LI, JIANGSONG; GUO, JIAN; XU, JUN
To: SUNGROW POWER SUPPLY CO., LTD.
Reel/Frame 060715/0668 →
Priority Claims (1)
CN 202010533744.5 · Jun 12, 2020 · national
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20230041986A1 · Feb 9, 2023