Fuel Cell Battery Research Articles

Generation of hydrogen fuel on board vehicles with internal combustion engines

This article discusses advances in the design of hydrogen fuel engines; the main characteristics of the hybrid engine are studied; prospects for further research are outlined; development and improvement of engine designs, research of processes in engines running on natural gas and hydrogen. Transport is one of the key elements of modern civilization. Its condition and development prospects largely depend on the ability to supply transport power plants with fuel. The depletion of liquid hydrocarbon fuel reserves and problems of environmental pollution may present humanity with a choice - either to reduce transport transportation or to find new ways to supply energy to transport. OBJECTIVE: To review the electrochemical technologies used for the production of hydrogen at gas stations and the operation of hybrid electric vehicle engines using fuel cell batteries. Conduct a comparative analysis of the production and use of energy by electrochemical and traditional methods in vehicles. METHODS are based on analysis of literature data and mathematical calculations. For a passenger electric vehicle, the amount of electricity that can be obtained in a fuel cell by processing 1 kg of hydrogen was calculated. It has been shown that the specific fuel consumption for a hydrogen electric vehicle averages 1 kg of hydrogen per 100 km. Hydrogen has the potential to be the sustainable fuel of the future, reducing global dependence on fossil fuel resources and reducing carbon emissions from the transportation industry.

The Environmental Impacts of Future Global Sales of Hydrogen Fuel Cell Vehicles

During the last decade, developing more sustainable transportation modes has become a primary objective for car manufacturers and governments around the world to mitigate environmental issues, such as climate change, the continuous increase in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and energy depletion. The use of hydrogen fuel cell technology as a source of energy in electric vehicles is considered an emerging and promising technology that could contribute significantly to addressing these environmental issues. In this study, the effects of Hydrogen Fuel Cell Battery Electric Vehicles (HFCBEVs) on global GHG emissions compared to other technologies, such as BEVs, were determined based on different relevant factors, such as predicted sales for 2050 (the result of the developed prediction model), estimated daily traveling distance, estimated future average global electricity emission factors, future average Battery Electric Vehicle (BEV) emission factors, future global hydrogen production emission factors, and future average HFCBEV emission factors. As a result, the annual GHG emissions produced by passenger cars that are expected to be sold in 2050 were determined by considering BEV sales in the first scenario and HFCBEV replacement in the second scenario. The results indicate that the environmental benefits of HFCBEVs are expected to increase over time compared to those of BEVs, due to the eco-friendly methods that are expected to be used in hydrogen production in the future. For instance, in 2021, HFCBEVs could produce more GHG emissions than BEVs by 54.9% per km of travel, whereas in 2050, BEVs could produce more GHG emissions than HFCBEVs by 225% per km of travel.

CO2 emissions of fuel-cell battery hybrid system for large ships

ABSTRACT The needs of solid oxide fuel cells (SOFC) and batteries in large ships are analyzed by estimating the amount of fuel consumption and CO2 emissions. Three types of systems are proposed: 1) fuel cells-battery-generator engine system, 2) battery-generator engine system, and 3) generator engine system. This study is based on the time-varying electric power demand and adopted the sequential quadratic programming (SQP) method to find the optimal power distribution of mixed power sources. CO2 emissions in the SOFC hybrid system are 11.6% lower than in the conventional generator engine system, and those in the battery-generator engine system are 5.1% lower than in the conventional system. The reduction of CO2 emissions come from three factors: the operation of the generator engine at a relatively high load rate, the battery sharing the operation of the generator engine, and the high efficiency of the SOFC running. The SOFC hybrid system can be a sustainable technology in large vessels.

Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle Hydrogen Consumption and Battery Cycle Optimization Using Bald Eagle Search Algorithm

In this study, the Bald Eagle Search Algorithm performed hydrogen consumption and battery cycle optimization of a fuel cell electric vehicle. To save time and cost, the digital vehicle model created in Matlab/Simulink and validated with real-world driving data is the main platform of the optimization study. The digital vehicle model was run with the minimum and maximum battery charge states determined by the Bald Eagle Search Algorithm, and hydrogen consumption and battery cycle values were obtained. By using the algorithm and digital vehicle model together, hydrogen consumption was minimized and range was increased. It was aimed to extend the life of the parts by considering the battery cycle. At the same time, the number of battery packs was included in the optimization and its effect on consumption was investigated. According to the study results, the total hydrogen consumption of the fuel cell electric vehicle decreased by 57.8% in the hybrid driving condition, 23.3% with two battery packs, and 36.27% with three battery packs in the constant speed driving condition.

Adaptive optimal control strategy of fuel economy for fuel cell battery storage system using in HEV applications

Adaptive optimal control strategy of fuel economy for fuel cell battery storage system using in HEV applications

Neural learning fault-tolerant control of fuel cell–battery–ultracapacitor-based hybrid electric vehicle

This article investigates the energy management and control of a fuel cell hybrid electric vehicle (FCHEV) with parametric uncertainties and sensor faults. The FCHEV in this study consists of a fuel cell, battery, and ultracapacitor connected to the DC-bus via DC–DC power converters, while the DC-bus is connected to the AC motor which drives the electric vehicle via a DC–AC converter. To control the power transfer from the energy sources to the drivetrain, a finite-time fractional-order control is proposed to coordinate the DC–DC power converters. A radial basis function neural network (RBFNN) is employed to estimate and compensate for sensor faults and parametric uncertainties. A minimum learning parameter scheme is used to minimize the computational burden on the RBFNN. The main tasks of the proposed scheme are; tolerating faults and parametric uncertainties, delivering the required power to the load, voltage regulation of the DC-bus, tracking the reference currents for the battery, fuel cell, and ultracapacitor in a short finite time. The closed-loop system is guaranteed to be stable in finite time using the Lyapunov function. The simulation results highlight the validity of the presented control.

Digital Twin-Enhanced Control for Fuel Cell and Lithium-Ion Battery Hybrid Vehicles

With the development of lithium-ion batteries and fuel cells, the application of hybrid power systems is becoming more and more widespread. To better optimize the energy management problem of fuel cell hybrid systems, the accuracy of system modeling and simulation is very important. The hybrid system is formed by connecting the battery to the fuel cell through an active topology. Digital twin technology is applicable to the mapping of physical entities to each other with high interactivity and fast optimization iterations. In this paper, a relevant model based on mathematical logic is established by collecting actual operational data; subsequently, the accuracy of the model is verified by combining relevant operating conditions and simulating the model. Subsequently, a three-dimensional visualization model of a hybrid power system-based sightseeing vehicle and its operating environment was established using digital twin technology to improve the model simulation of the fuel cell hybrid power system. At low speeds, the simulation results of the hybrid power system-based sightseeing vehicle have a small error compared with the actual running state, and the accuracy of the data related to each internal subcomponent is high. In the simple interaction between the model display vehicle and the environment, the communication state can meet the basic requirements of the digital twin model because the amount of data to be transferred is small. This study makes a preliminary attempt at digital parallelism by combining mathematical logic with visualization models and can be used as a basis for the subsequent development of more mature digital twin models.

Optimal EMS Design for a 4-MW-Class Hydrogen Tugboat: A Comparative Analysis Using DP-Based Performance Evaluation

In the current trend of hydrogen fuel cell-powered ships, batteries are used together with fuel cells to overcome the limitations of fuel cell technology. However, performance differences arise depending on fuel cell and battery configurations, load profiles, and energy management system (EMS) algorithms. We designed four hybrid controllers to optimize EMS algorithms for achieving maximum performance based on target profiles and hardware. The selected EMS is based on a State Machine, an Equivalent Consumption Minimization Strategy (ECMS), Economic Model Predictive Control (EMPC), and Dynamic Programming (DP). We used DP to evaluate the optimal design state and fuel efficiency of each controller. To evaluate controller performance, we obtained a 4-MW-class tug load profile as a reference and performed simulations based on Nedstack’s fuel cells and a lithium-ion battery model. The constraints were set according to the description of each equipment manual, and the optimal controller was derived based on the amount of hydrogen consumed by each EMS under the condition of completely tracking the load profile. As a result of simulating the hybrid fuel cell–battery system by applying the load profile of the tugboat, we found that the 4-MW EMPC, which requires more state variables and control inputs, is the most fuel-efficient controller.

An Enhanced Extremum Seeking-Based Energy Management Strategy with Equivalent State for Hybridized-Electric Tramway-Powered by Fuel Cell–Battery–Supercapacitors

This article proposes a novel real-time optimization-based energy management strategy (EMS) for proton membrane exchange fuel cell (PEMFC)-battery-supercapacitors-driven hybridized-electric tramways (HETs). The proposed algorithm is derived based on an enhanced extremum seeking (ES) algorithm, with a new equivalent state-of-charge (SOC) and a new adaptive co-state introduced. Thereby, optimized reference power for each power source can be distributed appropriately when using three components. The workability and prominent of the proposed technique are demonstrated through comparative simulations with fuzzy-rule-based EMS (FEMS) and equivalent consumption minimization strategy (ECMS) in two case studies: with and without considering the supercapacitors, as an important factor in the EMS design to stabilize the SOC of energy storage devices (ESDs). Briefly, under the proposed ES-based method, the PEMFC power can be regulated such that high-efficiency can be performed, approximately by 46.7%. Subsequently, the hydrogen consumption is reduced about 31.2% compared to a comparative fuzzy-based EMS. Besides, the supplements’ SOCs at the end of a driving cycle are also regulated to be equal to the initial ones.

Structural Design and Strategy Optimization of PEMFC in Thermal Management

Due to growing energy and environmental issues, clean energy technology has gained recognition around the world. Because of its great energy transfer efficiency, outstanding power density, low operational temperatures, and environmental protection, PEMFC has been employed extensively in a variety of fields. But the thermal management of PEMFC has been a great challenge limiting its commercialization. Ineffective heat management strategies can shorten the fuel cell battery's lifespan in addition to affecting its performance. Therefore, this study provides an overview of how fuel cell bipolar plate structure and thermal management techniques have improved fuel cell performance. The results show that the tree-shaped fractal fuel cell bipolar plate, novel tapered dual serpentine channel and so on can enhance the heat dissipation effect of the bipolar plate and the temperature uniformity of the MEA, and form a uniform temperature distribution and pressure. Process strategies such as the new thermal management system with a thermal peak regulator can efficiently regulate the peak temperature and the average temperature of the fuel cell system to improve its starting performance. Most importantly, this research can help to alleviate the energy tension and reduce the environmental pressure.

Options for the structure of an autonomous electric power system with a battery of hydrogen fuel cells

Background. Recently, interest in the problem of reducing the emissions of hydrocarbon fuel combustion products into the atmosphere and the use of alternative and renewable energy sources has sharply increased. This problem is relevant to both stationary and transport energy. One of the ways to reduce the harmful impact of primary energy sources in autonomous transport power plants on the environment is their hybridization, i.e., use, along with traditional energy sources (turbogenerators and diesel generators), of hydrogen sources of electricity (fuel cell batteries).
 Aim. This study presents a justification of the optimal variant of the structure of an autonomous electric power system with a combined power plant based on hydrogen sources of electricity.
 Materials and Methods. To achieve this goal, a comparative analysis of the parameters and characteristics of the power system elements was performed, as well as a method for modeling processes in the power system under study using the MATLAB Simulink package. Two options for the structure of an autonomous electric power system are being considered, namely, a common AC and DC bus. An analysis of the parameters and characteristics of these options was performed for three typical operating modes, namely, turning on a static load, direct starting of an asynchronous motor with a load on the shaft, and transferring consumers from power from a diesel generator to power from a battery of hydrogen fuel cells.
 Results. In all considered modes, the VTE battery is characterized by a rapid response to load changes and stable efficiency. The nature of transient processes is aperiodic or low oscillatory, rapidly decaying. In terms of the number of semiconductor converters, filtering devices, and their total power, the structure of an autonomous power system with a common AC bus is more preferable.

Multi-Objective Optimization Strategy for Fuel Cell Hybrid Electric Trucks Based on Driving Patern Recognition

Fuel cell hybrid electric trucks have become a cutting-edge field in understanding urban traffic emissions due to their enormous potential in low-carbon areas. In order to improve the economy of fuel cell hybrid electric trucks and reduce the decline of fuel cell lifespan, this paper proposes a multi-objective energy management strategy that optimizes weight coefficients. On the basis of establishing a fuel cell battery hybrid system model, three modes of uniform speed, acceleration, and deceleration were identified through clustering analysis of vehicle speed. Reinforcement learning algorithms were used to learn the corresponding weights for different modes, which reduced the decline in fuel cell life while improving the economic efficiency. The simulation results indicate that, under the conditions of no load, half load, and full load, the truck only sacrificed 0.9–5.6%, 1.7–2.6%, and 1.2–1.6% SOC, saving 5.7–6.45%, 5.9–6.67%, and 6.1–6.67% in lifespan loss, and reducing hydrogen consumption by 3.0–7.1%, 2.8–4.4%, and 1.0–3.0%, respectively.

Five-Port Isolated Bidirectional DC-DC Converter for Interfacing a Hybrid Photovoltaic–Fuel Cell–Battery System with Bipolar DC Microgrids

This paper introduces a novel five-port, three-input, dual-output isolated bidirectional dc-dc converter (FPIBC) topology with an effective controller for power-sharing and voltage-balancing in bipolar dc microgrids (BPDCMGs). The proposed converter acts as the interface for the integration of a hybrid generation system comprising a solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC), a photovoltaic (PV) system, and a battery into BPDCMGs. It employs a reduced number of circuit elements compared with similar multiport converter topologies suggested for BPDCMG applications. Symmetrical bipolar output voltages are ensured by a voltage-balancing circuit composed of a fully controlled switch and four diodes. The FPIBC is equipped with different controllers for output voltage regulation and balancing, power sharing, maximum power point tracking of the PV, the optimum operating region of the SOFC, and constant-current, constant-voltage charging of the battery. To verify the viability and effectiveness of the proposed system, a simulation model was developed with a 4.2 kW SOFC, a 3.7 kW PV, and a 140 V 10.8 Ah battery in MATLAB/Simulink. The performance of the FPIBC was evaluated through extensive case studies with different operational modes, including battery charge/discharge states and SOFC and PV parameter changes under varying load conditions. In addition, the proposed system was examined using a daily dynamic load profile. According to the simulation results, a peak efficiency of 97.28% is achieved and the voltage imbalance between the output ports is maintained below 0.5%. It is shown that the FPIBC has advantages over previous converters in terms of the number of ports, number of circuit elements, bipolar output voltage, bidirectional power flow, and efficiency.

Performance Analysis of a Proton-Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell Battery: The Effect of Ambient Temperature

Performance Analysis of a Proton-Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell Battery: The Effect of Ambient Temperature

Power Management Strategy of a PEM Fuel Cell-Battery Powered Electric Vehicle

A MATLAB-Simulink based mathematical vehicle simulation model is developed in this investigation to analyze power management strategy of a proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cell and battery powered electric vehicle. The vehicle simulation model incorporated a real-world commercial passenger vehicle operator’s drive cycle inputs and associated vehicle dynamics to determine accurate estimation of total onboard power requirements and withdrawal of power from the fuel cell and battery sources to meet the demand. The power management strategy is designed to meet the vehicle’s onboard power demand based on the availability of hybrid combination of fuel cell and battery power sources. The fuel cell stack is the primary power source of the vehicle. The fuel cell is also charging the battery with excess power produced onboard and hence controls the state-of-charge of the battery. Battery is used as a supplemental power source for meeting the vehicle’s peak power demands. The parameters are optimized to implement the power management strategy by considering the battery state-of-the charge, the drive torque and the vehicle drive performance. The model simulation results with optimized parameters showed that the power requirement of the electric vehicle was significantly affected by the combination of fuel cell and battery power management system as well as the operating behaviors of the end user (driver).

Renewable Energy Cycle with Magnesium and Solar-Energy-Pumped Lasers

We report the recent progress of our proposed renewable energy cycle based on magnesium and solar-energy pumped laser. The solar energy is used to recycle the used magnesium, MgO, to recover new magnesium and magnesium is used as fuel-cell battery. The batteries for the cell phone, automobiles and others have already been developed and demonstrated. The magnesium of 24kg is proven to drive a car for 500km without charging.

Decentralized Power Sharing with Frequency Decoupling for a Fuel Cell-Battery DC Shipboard Power System

The maritime industry is under increasing pressure to reduce its carbon footprint by adopting new energy generation and storage technologies in shipboard power systems (SPS). Fuel cells (FCs) show great potential as primary power sources when hybridized with energy storage systems (ESS). Integrating different technologies in future SPS requires the coordination of power generation and storage modules, which can be facilitated by DC technology with power electronics interfaces. However, studies on FC integration have primarily focused on small-scale applications with centralized control architectures. There has been little research on the modular control of multiple FC and battery modules in SPS. This study proposes a decentralized droop-based power sharing approach with load frequency decoupling to efficiently utilize power system modules based on their dynamic capabilities. The proposed strategy further incorporates decentralized voltage regulation and state-of-charge (SoC) management functions. The methodology was applied to a short-sea cargo vessel with an FC-battery DC power system. The results indicate that the mission load profile can be satisfied while limiting fluctuations in the FC output power. Moreover, the proposed strategy achieves the same voltage regulation performance as a centralized proportional-integral (PI) controller and can be easily tuned to achieve load frequency decoupling with the desired time constant. Finally, a comparative analysis shows how the trade-off between the dynamic operation of the FC and the discharge depth of the ESS is affected by the choice of time constant.

Design and Implementation of High-Efficiency and Compact Fuel Cell–Battery Hybrid Power System

This paper proposes a high-efficiency and compact fuel cell–battery hybrid power system without DC/DC converters. Generally, fuel cells supply power to charge lithium batteries or loads using DC/DC converters. The disadvantages of a DC/DC converter are its complex design, poor efficiency, and large volume. Therefore, improvements in the volume, weight, and efficiency are the main objectives of the proposed topology, which is suitable for stable operation in power equipment. This paper proposes a novel topology without DC/DC converters for a fuel cell–battery hybrid forklift system and analyzes, discusses, and verifies it with experimental measurements. Additionally, the proposed topology uses an average charging method to charge the Li-ion battery. The dynamic response of fuel cells is slower than that of Li-ion batteries. By properly configuring the voltages of a fuel cell and a lithium battery, we propose a hybrid system that can maintain a stable output and high efficiency in different operating modes without DC/DC converters. Detailed efficiency calculations and comparisons reveal that the method proposed in this paper achieves an efficiency increase of 5.36% compared with traditional approaches, while maintaining a set charging current. The proposed topology and charging method are verified with experiments on a 10 kW fuel cell–battery system, and the results indicate that the proposed method without DC/DC converters is more suitable for hybrid applications than traditional methods. The proposed system achieves optimal efficiency of 98.27%, surpassing the performance of a traditional hybrid system employing regulated DC/DC converters. Additionally, the system incorporates a mechanism to achieve constant current control, ensuring precise control over the desired charging current. The error in the desired charging current, determined through the average charging method, is 5%.

Precisely constructing charge-asymmetric dual-atom Fe sites supported on hollow porous carbon spheres for efficient oxygen reduction

Transition group metal catalysts showing atomic dispersion are on the rise as affordable electrocatalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) in fuel cell batteries, but their activity in acidic media remains constrained.

Pt-Nanoparticles on ZnO/Carbon Quantum Dots: A Trifunctional Nanocomposite with Superior Electrocatalytic Activity Bosting Direct Methanol Fuel Cell and Zinc-Air Battery

Architecting efficient, multifunctional, and low-cost nano-electrocatalysts plays a vital role in electrochemical energy conversion and storage systems. Low-Pt hybrid catalysts are in high demand, offering cost-effective solutions for electrode materials...