Objective Reductions in cost and improvements in both performance and reliability are the key factors on the road to the mass commercialisation of proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cells in Europe. These depend principally on the design and properties of cell com ponents and stacks that are developed by SMEs. In order to be able to design and construct as cheap, efficient and reliable a PEM fuel cell as possible, it is necessary to be able to understand qualitatively and predict quantitatively how it functions; to do this, and to do it in a more time- and cost-effective manner, SMEs' experimental methods must be complemented by modelling. This project aims to provide SMEs with validated modelling tools, in the form of computer software, which will enable them to dev elop better-performing fuel cell-related products more efficiently. In so doing, this will accelerate the longawaited wide-scale acceptance of PEM fuel cells as whole, and will in turn boost the core business of the SMEs themselves. The steps to the overa ll objective of the project will be: (i) to establish a focused SME priority list of key problems, associated with cell performance, stability and degradation, that they wish to see addressed; (ii) to address those problems by modelling; (iii) to progra m the derived models into user-friendly software; (iv) to carry out extensive parameter studies using the software for key operating conditions; (v) to perform experiments in order to validate the models; (vi) to demonstrate the optimisation, by experim ent and modelling, of an industrial PEM fuel cell stack. As compared to the state-of-the-art, the innovations will be modelling tools that: a. lead to savings in time for PEM fuel cell product development of 50-60%; b. lead to savings in cost for PEM fu el cell product development of 50-60%; c. lead to 30-50% improvements in PEM fuel cell performance; d. can predict how to optimise the operation of an industrial-use PEM fuel cell stack; e are as practically useful as, yet 90-95% more time-efficient tha n, existing modelling tools for PEM fuel cells. Fields of science natural sciencescomputer and information sciencessoftwarenatural sciencesmathematicspure mathematicsmathematical analysisnatural scienceschemical sciencespolymer sciencesnatural sciencescomputer and information sciencescomputational sciencemultiphysicsengineering and technologyenvironmental engineeringenergy and fuelsfuel cells Keywords Modelling tools Programme(s) FP6-SME - Horizontal research activities involving SMEs: Specific activities covering wider field of research under the Focusing and Integrating Community Research programme 2002-2006. Topic(s) SME-1 - Co-operative Research (all areas of science and technology) Call for proposal FP6-2002-SME-1 See other projects for this call Funding Scheme Cooperative - SMEs-Co-operative research contracts Coordinator CELLKRAFT EU contribution No data Address Bjoernnaesvaegen 21 STOCKHOLM Sweden See on map Total cost No data Participants (7) Sort alphabetically Sort by EU Contribution Expand all Collapse all COMSOL AB Sweden EU contribution No data Address Tegnèrgatan 23 STOCKHOLM See on map Total cost No data DAVID FUEL CELL COMPONENTS Spain EU contribution No data Address Pol. Ind. Nicomedes Garcia VALVERDE DEL MANJANO See on map Total cost No data ENVIRONMENT PARK S.P.A Italy EU contribution No data Address Galleria San Federico 54 TORINO (TURIN) See on map Total cost No data HYSYTECH S.R.L Italy EU contribution No data Address Via Livorno 60 TORINO See on map Total cost No data VOLVO TECHNOLOGY Sweden EU contribution No data Address Goetaverksgatan 10, M1.7 GOTHENBURG See on map Total cost No data KUNGL TEKNISKA HOEGSKOLAN Sweden EU contribution No data Address Valhallavagen 79 STOCKHOLM See on map Total cost No data FUNDACION INASMET Spain EU contribution No data Address Paseo Mikeletegi 2, Parque Tecnologico Miramon SAN SEBASTIAN See on map Total cost No data
