Search results for "FUEL CELL"
showing 10 items of 260 documents
Grid integration of PEM fuel cell with multiphase switching for maximum power operation
2016
Energy storage in the form of electrolytic Hydrogen can play an important role for integration of intermittent renewable energy sources in the smart grid environment. Electrolytic Hydrogen can be used as a fuel in proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cell. In this work, a technique for multiphase switching of a DC-DC converter associated with grid integration of a PEM fuel cell stack for maximum power operation in non-dispatchable mode is proposed. The presented system consists of a PEM fuel cell stack which is operating in non-dispatchable mode of operation, DC-DC multiphase switching boost converter for maximum power operation and a grid tied three phase voltage source inverter (VSI). VSI …
Design and control of a novel multi-source renewable energy system
2014
In this paper, a novel multi-input, single-inductor architecture is proposed. An innovative hysteretic control strategy of both the output voltage and the sources operating point control is designed and tested. Benefits brought by the proposed architecture over existing solutions are widely investigated. As an example, the design of a 48 V dual input system which is fed by photovoltaic and thermo-electric generators is proposed. Design guidelines are given and simulation results are presented to test the efficiency of the proposed architecture.
Experimental characterization of PEM fuel cells by micro-models for the prediction of on-site performance
2009
This paper presents the results of an experimental analysis performed on a miniaturized, 6 We Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell (PEMFC) system, integrated with on-site hydrogen production by electrolysis; in particular, the effects of environmental parameters such as the external temperature and the humidity on the performance of fuel cells are investigated. PEMFC systems are zero-emissions power technologies when they are fed with pure hydrogen (at concentration higher than 97%); also, being the only results of system operation the produced electricity and some pure water, when produced by renewable sources hydrogen can be considered an attractive alternative to fossil fuels and may concu…
Controlled Fault-Tolerant Power Converters for Power Quality Enhancement
2013
Power quality depends generally on the interaction of electrical power with electrical equipments. If electrical equipments operate correctly and reliably without being damaged or stressed, a suitable level of power quality is assured. On the other hand, if the electrical equipment malfunctions, is unreliable, or is damaged during normal usage, power quality is poor and probably the economical loss could be important like the technical one. In the scenario of the Distributed Generation, power quality issues will be moreover important because an higher dissemination of power conditioning equipment will be requested and this obviously increases the sources of vulnerability of the electrical s…
PEM Fuel Cell System Model Predictive Control and real-time operation on a power emulator
2010
Fuel Cell Systems (FCS) seem to be among the most reliable devices to produce clean energy, although they still suffer for many problems, mostly related to the fragility of the Polymer Electrolyte Membrane (PEM). Particularly, this paper focuses on the oxygen starvation, that leads both a decrease of the FCS performance and a shortening in the FCS lifetime. The purpose is to use the Model Predictive Control (MPC) and its capacity of accounting for linear constraints for managing the air system without risking to damage the fuel cell. Two control inputs and no static feed-forward actions have been used. Results show that the MPC is able to avoid the oxygen starvation, even with a sudden incr…
Modelling of single cell solid oxide fuel cells using COMSOL multiphysics
2017
Solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) have the potential to become one of the efficient and cost effective systems for direct conversion of a wide variety of fuels to electricity. In this study, we developed a three-dimensional multiphysics model for a single cell SOFC using COMSOL multiphysics (version 5.2) software and performed simulations to examine the effect of gas flow patterns (radial flow and counter flow) in different operating temperatures (700° C, 800° C and 1000° C) for a planar anode supported SOFC. With the help of the simulation results, we have analyzed the electrical characteristics of the single cell SOFCs. From the simulation results, it is observable that the radial gas flow p…
Experimental test on a fuel cell powered brushless synchronous motor for automotive applications
2014
In this paper, a fuel cell powered motor emulator is proposed. The MATLAB/Simulink model including the fuel cell stack, the motor and drive models is described. The Urban Driving Cycle test is performed in MATLAB environment. Effective operating conditions of the whole fuel cell powered motor are accurately emulated according to actual regulations in force. The emulated current profile is used for experimental tests on a 5kW Nuvera PowerFlow stack. Thanks to the proposed approach, the motor and inverter drives are accurately emulated and the provided test-bench is used to evaluate performances of the stack under test for automotive applications. Simulation and experimental results are compa…
Life Cycle Assessment of Solid Oxide Fuel Cells and Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cells
2017
Abstract Fuel cells (FCs) are among the key technologies that Europe will have to rely on in order to comply with the most recent environmental targets inspired by decarbonization and circular economy. The assessment of the real advantages of using FCs for producing energy must include a reliable analysis of the energy and environmental impacts during the life cycle of these systems, including the raw materials supply, production, use, and disposal. In this context, the life cycle assessment (LCA) is a well-established methodology for assessing the eco-profile of products and services and for identifying the components and the life cycle steps having the largest contribution to energy and e…
Integrated Mathematical Model of Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell Stack (PEMFC) with Automotive Synchronous Electrical Power Drive
2008
In this work, the mathematical dynamical model of a PEMFC stack has been developed and implemented in Matlab environment. Lots of simulations have been executed in two different load conditions. Firstly with a resistive load and finally with a synchronous electrical power drive in automotive load conditions. The innovation in this field consists in the integration in PEMFC stack mathematical dynamic model of a synchronous electrical power drive one for automotive purposes. As regards the simulations with a synchronous electrical power drive, the complete mathematical model allows to evaluate the PEMFC stack performances and electrochemical efficiency. This represents a useful design tool.
A fuel cell-battery hybrid power supply for portable applications
2010
Today, academic and industrial research is addressed to fuel cell based hybrid power supply in many fields of applications including stationary, automotive and portable electronics. Increasing source runtime, speeding up the transient response while minimizing weight, volume and cost of the power supply system are key requirements of all applications. According to the particular application, the power management system is optimized for a specific feature. In this paper, a fuel cell–battery hybrid power supply for a Digital Camera is proposed, although the control algorithm can be efficiently applied to any portable device. Thanks to an innovative control on the input power, any fuel cell pr…