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Fuel cell systems and components general reasearch for vehicle applications ('FUERO')

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Definitions of today vehicle characteristics for the dimensioning of fuel cell components. From the definition of ICE vehicle powering components, the required characteristics of powering fuel cell system components have been calculated for several vehicle types.
An assessment of FC vehicles with respect conventional vehicles has been carried on by the results of the Fuero Project and projects belonging to the Cluster. Two issues have been carried on: energy efficiency (mainly from WP1) and market analysis. An assessment of existing technologies for fuel cell systems taken into consideration in the Cluster (benchmarking and developed) has been carried on.
A methodology to assess the environmental impact associated to the FCS (stack and hydrogen vessels) has been evaluated. This includes the evaluation of: - energy consumption - air pollution - emission in water - emission at soil Associated to a certain LCI (life cycle inventory) and manufacturing processes.
The management of a fuel cell vehicle has been analysed on two levels: the first from the driveline point of view, the second from the fuel cell system point of view. The energy management of a load leveller vehicle (fuel cell and energy storage as power sources) in different operational conditions has been analysed in order to implement the control strategies on the VMU according to driver requirements. Concerning the fuel cell system, the study focussed especially on two topics: - the influence of pressure and temperature on power requirements due to the air system - the humidification issue, looking at possible technological solutions to satisfy membrane water content requirements
This work was to identify criteria and methods for evaluating fuel cell components in order to get a common platform for evaluating components within their fields. Useful test procedures are vital in order to be able to test fuel cell components in an accurate way and to use the same definitions of measures such as efficiency and power density when benchmarking components. Test procedures were set-up for the following components: fuel processors, polymer electrolyte fuel cell (PEFC) stacks and compressor-expander units. They define how the measurement and tests shall be performed also in order to achieve useful data for modelling.
Vehicle Layout Studies. According to several architectural assumptions (compressed or liquid hydrogen tank, methanol or ethanol or gasoline fuel processor) the ICE of several vehicles (2 from CRF and 2 from PSA) has been replaced by fuel cell systems. The new vehicles have been designed.
A wide investigation of fuel cell components has been performed in the project in order to find suitable components for testing and to benchmark different types of components on the market. The following components were decided to be tested: fuel cell stacks, compressors and reformer catalysts. Five different polymer electrolyte fuel cell (PEFC) stacks were chosen with power outputs between 1 and 6 kW. Three of the stacks were run on hydrogen and two on simulated reformat. The results from the stacks seemed competitive to stacks on the market. The compressors tested were four air compressors suitable for fuel cell applications. The following compressor types were tested: a side channel blower, a claw compressor, a rotary vane compressor and twin-screw compressor. The selected machines seem to be suitable for different configurations of fuel cell systems, in terms both of power and pressure level. In particular the first three compressors are suitable for low fuel cell power application up to 12-15kW, while the twin-screw compressor is suitable for power up to 45-50kW. Reformer catalysts with isooctane (similar to gasoline) were also tested in order to investigate their capability of producing hydrogen at different conditions.

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