• Journal of Energy Engineering
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.113-121
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• 2016

Polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell(PEMFC) requires cooling system to maintain the proper operating temperature(about $65^{\circ}C{\sim}75^{\circ}C$) because the efficiency and power are affected by operating temperature. In order to retain the operating temperature of PEMFC, cooling system and coolant control logic are needed. Hardware-in-the-loop simulation(HILS) is one of effective methods to study and evaluate control algorithm. In this paper, the HILS system was designed to study the coolant control algorithm. The models of HILS system consisted of PEMFC, heat exchanger, and external environment associated with temperature. The hardwares in HILS system are 3-way valves, pumps, and a heat exchanger. The priority control and the control target temperature were investigated to improve the control performance using HILS. The 3-way valve in $1^{st}$ cooling circuit was selected as priority control target. The under limit value of $2^{nd}$ 3-way valve set as a function of PEMFC power and $2^{nd}$ circuit coolant temperature to correct temperature control performance. As a result, the temperature of PEMFC is stably controlled.

• Korean Journal of Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration Engineering
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• v.27 no.4
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• pp.213-219
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• 2015

A thermal storage tank with internal heat exchange coils is commonly used in solar thermal systems with a collector area below $100m^2$. The coils are installed in the lower part of the tank because the temperature of the upper part of the tank can drop if the outlet temperature of the collector becomes lower than the upper temperature of the tank, which is a kind of temperature reversal. As an alternative to the well-mixed storage tank with lower coil only, we have proposed a tank with lower and upper coils and have achieved superior thermal stratification in the tank, which results in increased collector efficiency and solar fraction. But, the phenomenon of temperature reversal was often observed in the tank when the load or solar radiation changed rapidly. In the present work, revised control was successfully applied, i.e., to heat only the lower coil using a three way valve if temperature reversal occurs and to operate the collector at a low flow rate when the quality of solar radiation is not good.