Optimal design of inter-state hydrogen fuel cell vehicle fueling station with on-site hydrogen production

Abstract

With about 28% of all energy-related carbon dioxide emissions in 2018, the transportation sector is one of the major contributors to carbon dioxide production. Hydrogen fuel appears to be a promising alternative to fossil fuels in the direction of green transportation. As a result, one of the most important aspects of achieving this technology is developing an appropriate infrastructure to fuel this energy source. In this research, we plan to study and evaluate a hydrogen-releasing system (HRS) located in the middle of the road. This system is powered by the clean energy of the solar panel, generates hydrogen locally with the help of an electrolyzer, and contains both low-pressure and high-pressure reservoirs. TRNSYS software was used to model this system. Therefore, utilizing the trial-and-error method, the dimensions and operating parameters of each component of this system have been determined depending on the state of the energy supply from the panel and refueling in the three cascade reservoirs. Based on the modeled panels from existing catalogs, the findings demonstrate that the modeled system with 28 series panels and 100 parallel panels would be able to supply electricity to the entire system while maintaining a stable pressure in the high-pressure reservoirs. The percentage of hydrogen emitted to the environment based on this system was nearly equal to 15.5%, which was an appropriate amount for the system.