A generic sizing methodology for thermal management system in fuel cell vehicles using pinch analysis

Abstract

The escalating transport demand over the past decade has intensified the need to replace internal combustion (IC) engines with better alternatives like fuel cells that can simultaneously provide superior performance and diminished emissions. The radiators that are used in fuel cell-based electric vehicles are at least twice the size of IC engine radiators. This leads to vehicle overloading and an increase in fuel consumption. The undertaken study proposes a reduction in radiator size by storing thermal energy in phase change materials. This paper presents a generalized sizing method for the recommended thermal management system, using a simple mathematical approach based on Pinch Analysis. The optimization studies show the possibility to bring down the minimum radiator area requirement in a fuel cell vehicle like the 2022 Toyota Mirai by 5.5 times by using around 13 kg of Paraffin Wax along with it. The proposed methodology is realized by analyzing a few representative parameters like ambient temperature, drag area and curb weight of the vehicle, maximum allowable temperature rise in fuel cells, etc. In addition, the study also estimates the minimum required radiator areas for a few commercial fuel cell vehicles in the Indian environment.