Abstract
Proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) are seen a key player in the sustainable and clean aviation transition. They can supply the main mega-watt (MW) level electric power aboard with many advantages. To notably increase their system specific power, a new phase-change-heat-pump (PCHP) cooling strategy is proposed and compared with the conventional liquid cooling through a model-based study. The comparison is carried out in terms of the induced drag power on a PEMFC-jet hybrid engine layout. The results reveal a drag reduction of 1.528 MW under the PCHP cooling, which accounts for about 16% of the aircraft's net cruise power. This saving is mainly from the minimized capacity of the heat exchanger between the PEMFCs and ambient. Besides, the ramjet effect also contributes significantly in the drag reduction. Last but not least, the optimal operating current density of the PEMFCs under PCHP cooling is brought up by about 26.5%.
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