CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

The present application claims under 35 U.S.C. § 119(a) the benefit of Korean Patent Application No. 10-2019-0031976, filed Mar. 20, 2019, the entire contents of which are incorporated by reference herein.

BACKGROUND

1. Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to an air conditioning system using a fuel cell system to reduce energy consumption for air conditioning while allowing for production and use of electricity by supplying air to the fuel cell system.

2. Description of the Related Art

An air conditioning system controls the temperature, humidity, flow, and cleanliness of air in an interior or at a specific place in accordance with a particular purpose or use.

For example, the air conditioning systems of buildings include air supply equipment such as a fan or a blower for supplying air to the interior, so air sent by the air supply equipment is purified through an air filter and then supplied into the buildings and the air contaminated in the interior is discharged outside the buildings.

The energy for supplying air to the interior is mostly consumed by mechanical equipment that uses electrical energy such as a fan or a blower, so there is a need for a plan that can reduce energy consumption for air conditioning.

The description provided above as a related art of the present disclosure is just for helping understanding the background of the present disclosure and should not be construed as being included in the related art known by those skilled in the art.

SUMMARY

The present disclosure provides an air conditioning system using a fuel cell system to reduce energy consumption for air conditioning while allowing for production and use of electricity by supplying air to the fuel cell system.

In accordance with an aspect the present disclosure, an air conditioning system for a fuel cell system includes: an air intake line connected between an interior and an exterior of a building that requires air conditioning; an air blower disposed in the air intake line and supplying external air to the interior; a first intake shut-off valve configured to open or close the air intake line; a fuel cell system receiving air in the interior by operation of a fuel cell blower and producing electrical energy through a chemical reaction between the received air and hydrogen fuel; and a controller controlling operation of the first intake shut-off valve such that the air intake line is opened and external air is supplied to the interior when the fuel cell system is operated.

The air intake line may be divided into a first intake line and a second intake line, the air blower may be disposed in the first intake line, and the first intake shut-off valve may be disposed in the second intake line.

The air intake line may include a common line having a first end connected to the exterior, and a first diverging line and a second diverging line having first ends diverging from a second end of the common line and second ends connected to the interior, the first intake shut-off valve may be a 3-way valve and may be disposed at a diverging point of the first diverging line and the second diverging line, and the air blower may be disposed in the first diverging line.

The controller may control the operation of the first intake shut-off valve such that the first diverging line is opened when the air conditioning system is operated by operation of the air blower, and when the fuel cell system is operated without the air conditioning system being operated, the controller may control the operation of the first intake shut-off valve such that the second diverging line is opened.

An air conditioning system for a fuel cell system includes: an air intake line connected between an interior and an exterior of a building that requires air conditioning; an air blower disposed in the air intake line and supplying external air to the interior; a flow rate control unit detecting and controlling the flow rate of air flowing through the air intake line; a fuel cell system receiving air in the interior by operation of a fuel cell blower and producing electrical energy through a chemical reaction between the received air and hydrogen fuel; and a controller controlling the operation of the fuel cell system, the air blower, and the flow rate control unit based on the flow rate of air flowing into the interior through the air intake line when the fuel cell system is operated.

The flow rate control unit may include: a flow rate sensor disposed in the air intake line and detecting the flow rate of air flowing through the air intake line; and a proportional flow control valve disposed in the air intake line and operating to control the flow rate of air flowing through the air intake line.

The controller may decrease the amount of air blown by the fuel cell blower when the flow rate of air detected by the flow rate sensor satisfies a set value, and may control the degree of opening of the proportional flow control valve to a maximum and the amount of air blown by the air blower to increase when the flow rate of air detected by the flow rate sensor does not satisfy the set value.

The controller may control the degree of opening of the proportional flow control valve to the maximum and airflow amount by the air blower to increase when the fuel cell system is not operated.

The air intake line may include a common line having a first end connected to the exterior, and a first diverging line and a second diverging line having first ends diverging from a second end of the common line and second ends connected to the interior, the first intake shut-off valve may be a 3-way valve and may be disposed at a diverging point of the first diverging line and the second diverging line, and the air blower may be disposed in the first diverging line.

The controller may control the operation of the first intake shut-off valve such that the first diverging line is opened when the air conditioning system is operated by operation of the air blower, and when the fuel cell system is operated without the air conditioning system being operated, the controller may control the operation of the first intake shut-off valve such that the second diverging line is opened.

The air conditioning system may further include: an assistant exhaust line connected between the interior and the fuel cell system to discharge interior air to the fuel cell system; a fuel cell intake line connected to the assistant exhaust line to supply external air; and a second intake shut-off valve being a 3-way valve and disposed at the joint of the fuel cell intake line and the assistant exhaust line.

When the fuel cell system is operated without the air blower operated, the controller may control the second intake shut-off valve so that external air is supplied to the fuel cell system through the fuel cell intake line.

A humidity sensor and an oxygen sensor may be installed before the second intake shut-off valve to measure the humidity and oxygen density of the interior air flowing into the assistant exhaust line, and the controller may control the second intake shut-off valve such that external air is supplied to the fuel cell system through the fuel cell intake line when the values measured by the humidity sensor and the oxygen sensor do not satisfy set values.

The air intake line may include a common line having a first end connected to the exterior, and a first diverging line and a second diverging line having first ends diverging from a second end of the common line and second ends connected to the interior, the first intake shut-off valve may be a 3-way valve and may be disposed at a diverging point of the first diverging line and the second diverging line, and the air blower may be disposed in the first diverging line.

The controller may control the operation of the first intake shut-off valve such that the first diverging line is opened when the air conditioning system is operated by operation of the air blower, and when the fuel cell system is operated without the air conditioning system being operated, the controller may control the operation of the first intake shut-off valve such that the second diverging line is opened.

According to the present disclosure, since the fuel cell blower that is operated to operate fuel cells is also used for air conditioning, it is possible to reduce energy consumption for air conditioning, and it is also possible to use the electricity produced by operating the fuel cells, whereby energy can be saved.

