Design, integration and performance analysis of an 80kW automotive fuel cell system

Being a promising alternative to internal combustion engines, the power output of a fuel cell stack is strongly dependent on its operating conditions. The fuel cell stack is integrated with auxiliary components to form a system that ensures optimal performance at the current layout. Here, we evaluated the key requirements of different components, designed and integrated an 80kW fuel cell system for automotive applications. The fuel cell system performance, with emphasis on the control accuracy of hydrogen and air sub-systems, is demonstrated. The system has peak power of 89.6 kW and peak energy efficiency of 57%. For the air subsystem, the air pressure and flow rate are controlled, both of which could achieve <5% control error. For steady state process, the control errors of the air flow rate and air pressure are <3% and <1 %, respectively. The control error of the hydrogen subsystem is within 2 %. This paper discusses the status of these system development activities and summarizes the results obtained to date.