The performance of a 100 kW proton exchange membrane fuel cell designed for truck applications

Abstract

Fuel cell electric vehicles offer a potential solution for achieving the objectives of the energy transition currently underway, which entails replacing combustion vehicles with vehicles that are low in environmental impact. Thus, this market is expected to grow rapidly in the future. Today, there are a plethora of fuel cell types available on the market with a wide range of applications, including transportation, and stationary, portable, and emergency backup power. Among these fuel cells, Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells (PEMFC) have the potential for use in automotive applications due to their low operating temperatures as well as high power density. Furthermore, these PEMFC power sources are also available in various power ranges and capacities for diverse vehicle applications. However, selection of optimized configurations for truck applications is a challenging task due to cost-sensitivity and competitiveness in the Indian market. Therefore, considering the above scenario, a simulation study for PEMFC performance with vehicle operating conditions is necessary to finalize the suitable fuel cell power capacity for truck applications. Based on this study, a fuel cell electric vehicle model for trucks with > 30–40 tonnage applications is developed for the simulation study in this paper. Furthermore, steady state and transient simulations are conducted using GT-Suites version 2021 software on a 100 kW PEM fuel cell system. The developed model of fuel cell was found to be capable of supplying sufficient power for two lower steady-state cycles in regions with low power demand, and slightly more power was required for the third steady-state cycle. On the other hand, during the transient cycle run, the fuel cell in consideration was able to perform adequately and meet the required power demands. This study has kept other parameters constant in addition to temperature, pressure, and humidity. On the basis of this analysis, PEMFCs may find applications in automotive applications due to their low operating temperatures and high power density.