Dynamic simulation and optimization of hydrogen fueling operated by n-bank cascade fueling method

Abstract

The hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicle is fueled by the pressure difference in the fueling tank with high-pressure hydrogen compressed at the hydrogen fueling station, and the fueling delay occurs when the pressure difference becomes small. To resolve this, most hydrogen fueling stations minimize fueling time by cascade fueling method by installing two or three banks. Although there are protocols for hydrogen fueling, there are no guidelines for 3-bank operation, so each hydrogen fueling station has different ways to fuel. This study proposes a dynamic simulation model and open-source implementation in Python that can check the temperature and pressure changes of the fueling tank. To implement the n-bank model, we add factors that can be used as operating guidelines for fueling stations, such as supply pressure of the banks and switch moment. Through optimization studies on these factors using simulation models, we propose optimal operation guidelines for fueling stations.