Thermal management of fuel cell-driven vehicles using HT-PEM and hydrogen storage

A battery electric vehicle equipped with a range extender is a suitable solution for both urban and long-distance traffic. Compared with the internal combustion engine-powered range extender the fuel cell range extender is a zero emission solution and has been investigated for many years. In this work a system for hydrogen storage for the heating and cooling of a high temperature polymer membrane fuel cell range extender itself using a metal-hydride storage tank [1] is investigated. In order to survey the suitability of this system for electric vehicles, an overall vehicle simulation model using the AlternativeVehicles library [2] is developed. Taking into consideration the challenges that are now placed on modern cars, several scenarios such as cold start and normal operation are created. For these scenarios suitable operating strategies are developed and integrated into the overall vehicle model. Based on various driving cycles the thermal and electrical behavior of the thermally coupled high temperature polymer membrane fuel cell and the metal-hydride storage tank is investigated.