Periodic Reporting for period 1 - VIRTUAL-FCS (VIRTUAL & physical platform for Fuel Cell System development)
Periodo di rendicontazione: 2020-01-01 al 2021-06-30
Fuel cells have promise in transport applications ranging from delivery drones via ocean going ships to large scale power production, all in which they are competing with well-established technologies. As a complicated and disruptive technology, fuel cells require specialised knowledge to integrate into devices and systems. The mixture of interconnected sub‐systems that must precisely control gases, liquids, heat and electricity to the keep the fuel stack running optimally is challenging to design and operate. The design and prototyping process is often prohibitively complex, risky, long and expensive, hampering and slowing the adoption of fuel cell technologies in many fields. The VIRTUAL‐FCS project will address these challenges thereby accelerating the market introduction of the environmentally friendly fuel cell technology.
The overall objective of the VIRTUAL-FCS project is to make the design process of hybrid fuel cell and battery systems easier, cheaper and quicker through the development of a toolkit combining software and hardware parts for designing and optimising PEM fuel cells and battery hybrid systems. The platform will be entirely open-source, allowing everyone in both industry and research to benefit from and contribute to the future development of the framework. Machine learning will be integrated to process data from real PEM fuel cells hybrid powertrains, to improve parameterization of the models and to help identify critical aspects on lifetime and performance. The software tools will be developed in close calibration with end users and system integrators, securing a widespread use.
The overall objective of the VIRTUAL-FCS project is to make the design process of hybrid fuel cell and battery systems easier, cheaper and quicker through the development of a toolkit combining software and hardware parts for designing and optimising PEM fuel cells and battery hybrid systems. The platform will be entirely open-source, allowing everyone in both industry and research to benefit from and contribute to the future development of the framework. Machine learning will be integrated to process data from real PEM fuel cells hybrid powertrains, to improve parameterization of the models and to help identify critical aspects on lifetime and performance. The software tools will be developed in close calibration with end users and system integrators, securing a widespread use.
Within the first 18 months of the project, the initial version of the digital infrastructure for the cyber-physical platform was developed and released to the public for beta testing. The initial version is packaged in the form of a Modelica library that is compatible with free open-source Modelica environments including OpenModelica and OMPython. The initial release includes the following features:
• Complete set of component models necessary to model basic FCEV powertrains and vehicle performance, including thermal-electrochemical models for the fuel cell stack and battery pack.
• Integrated real-time functionality, with blocks supporting User-in-the-loop activities via control inputs from the keyboard, joystick, or spacemouse hardware.
• Examples demonstrating the construction of the library and specific use cases.
The code is hosted in a public repository on GitHub, which is also used to direct the collaborative development. Documentation is automatically generated from the Modelica library files and hosted at https://virtual-fcs.github.io/VirtualFCS/
For validation and demonstration of the software developed a hardware test bench is being prepared for the testing phase, using readily available equipment, generally used for transport applications. The physical system is prepared to be integrated in the system simulated in the software tools, task that will continue in the coming months.
Dissemination and exploitation:
A Preliminary communication, dissemination and exploitation plans have been released and will track the evolution of the project from the early proposal stage on until the submission of the final project report.
Logo, website, Word and PowerPoint templates for dissemination and communication activities are provided to keep a clear and consistent communication all along the project duration.
The release of the Virtual-FCS code has been accompanied by full documentation and webinars explaining the codes and the physics behind.
A critical review of Fuel cell stack and BOP Components has been prepared and published at the Journal of Power Sources (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpowsour.2021.230071)
• Complete set of component models necessary to model basic FCEV powertrains and vehicle performance, including thermal-electrochemical models for the fuel cell stack and battery pack.
• Integrated real-time functionality, with blocks supporting User-in-the-loop activities via control inputs from the keyboard, joystick, or spacemouse hardware.
• Examples demonstrating the construction of the library and specific use cases.
The code is hosted in a public repository on GitHub, which is also used to direct the collaborative development. Documentation is automatically generated from the Modelica library files and hosted at https://virtual-fcs.github.io/VirtualFCS/
For validation and demonstration of the software developed a hardware test bench is being prepared for the testing phase, using readily available equipment, generally used for transport applications. The physical system is prepared to be integrated in the system simulated in the software tools, task that will continue in the coming months.
Dissemination and exploitation:
A Preliminary communication, dissemination and exploitation plans have been released and will track the evolution of the project from the early proposal stage on until the submission of the final project report.
Logo, website, Word and PowerPoint templates for dissemination and communication activities are provided to keep a clear and consistent communication all along the project duration.
The release of the Virtual-FCS code has been accompanied by full documentation and webinars explaining the codes and the physics behind.
A critical review of Fuel cell stack and BOP Components has been prepared and published at the Journal of Power Sources (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpowsour.2021.230071)
Significant reduction of development times for new fuel cell battery hybrid systems. The advanced modelling, simulation and emulation tools developed in VIRTUAL‐FCS will enable end users with limited experience of fuel cell systems to design and implement new systems more quickly. Crucially for developing tools suitable for a wide range of end users the consortium contains four partners developing fuel cell systems in four different industries who will provide feedback during development to make the tools as useful as possible. The four industries involved are maritime, train, industrial vehicles and bus. The tools developed will have different levels of complexity for different end users making the tools useful for both experienced and novice fuel cell users.
A better understanding of hybridization strategies on the performance, reliability and durability including a benchmark of current methods. Both the lifetime modelling and real time simulation of systems will help to predict the impact that different hybridisation and energy management strategies will have on performance. State of the art reliability and durability predictions of individual components are key for results to be meaningful; these will be addressed thoroughly in the project. The end users will implement system models using the developed tools and training material to evaluate and demonstrate the approach and seek improvement's in their hybridisation strategies. This will involve investigating the hybridisation strategies for four use cases, including systems with multiple stacks.
A development platform for hybrid fuel cell systems with integration capabilities and corresponding simulation models. The real‐time software platform combined with a full range of emulated components will enable end users to seamlessly integrate of real, simulated and emulated components together in a mixed software‐hardware system. Because the range of possible end user applications is so broad and component specifications will vary so widely in the future rather than just producing the system/hardware to be used in the project, VIRTUAL‐FCS will publish the necessary steps for people to generate their own emulated components and systems using the techniques used in this project
Validation using a complete propulsion system that is an optimized and versatile combination of real or emulated components (stack and BOP, battery pack, power electronics and electric engine). The mixed hardware‐software simulations approach will be validated and demonstrated using a system that will be composed of components represent of a range of possible FCEV. As far as possible, the components will be chosen such that they are available to other users in the future. We note that the impact section contains some specific targets for fuel consumption. We note that lower hydrogen consumption is a poor metric if it compensated for with a larger battery and the end users in VIRTUAL‐FCS have a range of KPI their systems must meet. The overall goal is therefore to improve the performance and durability of hybrid‐systems generally.
A better understanding of hybridization strategies on the performance, reliability and durability including a benchmark of current methods. Both the lifetime modelling and real time simulation of systems will help to predict the impact that different hybridisation and energy management strategies will have on performance. State of the art reliability and durability predictions of individual components are key for results to be meaningful; these will be addressed thoroughly in the project. The end users will implement system models using the developed tools and training material to evaluate and demonstrate the approach and seek improvement's in their hybridisation strategies. This will involve investigating the hybridisation strategies for four use cases, including systems with multiple stacks.
A development platform for hybrid fuel cell systems with integration capabilities and corresponding simulation models. The real‐time software platform combined with a full range of emulated components will enable end users to seamlessly integrate of real, simulated and emulated components together in a mixed software‐hardware system. Because the range of possible end user applications is so broad and component specifications will vary so widely in the future rather than just producing the system/hardware to be used in the project, VIRTUAL‐FCS will publish the necessary steps for people to generate their own emulated components and systems using the techniques used in this project
Validation using a complete propulsion system that is an optimized and versatile combination of real or emulated components (stack and BOP, battery pack, power electronics and electric engine). The mixed hardware‐software simulations approach will be validated and demonstrated using a system that will be composed of components represent of a range of possible FCEV. As far as possible, the components will be chosen such that they are available to other users in the future. We note that the impact section contains some specific targets for fuel consumption. We note that lower hydrogen consumption is a poor metric if it compensated for with a larger battery and the end users in VIRTUAL‐FCS have a range of KPI their systems must meet. The overall goal is therefore to improve the performance and durability of hybrid‐systems generally.