Novel Concept of Long-Haul Trucks Powered by Hydrogen Fuel Cells

A scale-model hydrogen fuel-cell truck has been designed and its performance tested to gain an improved understanding of the technical challenges of full- scale trucks employing on-board storage and hydrogen fuel-cell systems. A 1/14th scale battery-based replica of a Scania R470 Highline truck was equipped with two 30-W PEM fuel cell stacks and their control units, four metal-hydride hydrogen bottles storing in total 6 g hydrogen. A bank of super-capacitors was employed to smooth out the load placed on the fuel cells and meet the maximum demand of the truck. The hydrogen fuel cell system with the super-capacitor buffer was able to maintain stable operation and continuously supply the dynamic load of the truck over a full range of driving conditions, including during purging periods of the fuel cells. The fuel cell system was found to be more responsive to the changing load than the original batteries. The gravimetric energy density of the fuel cell system was measured to be about 30 % better than the original batteries of the truck.

[1]  Norbert Brehm,et al.  Potentials of a Charged SI-Hydrogen Engine , 2003 .

[2]  Jacob Brouwer,et al.  On the role of fuel cells and hydrogen in a more sustainable and renewable energy future , 2010 .

[3]  Aymeric Rousseau,et al.  Fuel economy of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles , 2004 .

[4]  Aleksandar Subic,et al.  Virtual design of efficient twin-screw superchargers for sustainable power management in engines , 2008 .

[5]  Siti Kartom Kamarudin,et al.  Overview on the current trends in biodiesel production , 2011 .

[6]  Nigel P. Brandon,et al.  Comparative analysis of battery electric, hydrogen fuel cell and hybrid vehicles in a future sustainable road transport system , 2010 .

[7]  Ibrahim Dincer,et al.  Hydrogen utilization in various transportation modes with emissions comparisons for Ontario, Canada , 2012 .

[8]  Stephan Schmid,et al.  Fuel cells for automotive powertrains―A techno-economic assessment , 2009 .

[9]  John Andrews,et al.  Designing a sustainable hydrogen energy economy , 2011 .

[10]  J. Andrews,et al.  Energy and cost analysis of a solar-hydrogen combined heat and power system for remote power supply using a computer simulation , 2010 .

[11]  Peter Hoffmann,et al.  Tomorrow's Energy: Hydrogen, Fuel Cells, and the Prospects for a Cleaner Planet , 2001 .

[12]  Michael Narodoslawsky,et al.  How sustainable are biofuels? Answers and further questions arising from an ecological footprint perspective. , 2009, Bioresource technology.

[13]  E. Schmid,et al.  Global land-use implications of first and second generation biofuel targets , 2011 .

[14]  Jiyong Kim,et al.  The role of hydrogen in the road transportation sector for a sustainable energy system: A case study of Korea , 2008 .

[15]  Yong Tang,et al.  Experimental investigation of dynamic performance and transient responses of a kW-class PEM fuel cell stack under various load changes , 2010 .

[16]  Aleksandar Subic,et al.  Global green car learning clusters , 2010 .

[17]  Marc Melaina,et al.  Transition to hydrogen-based transportation in China : Lessons learned from alternative fuel vehicle programs in the United States and China , 2006 .

[18]  André Faaij,et al.  Energy use, cost and CO 2 emissions of electric cars , 2011 .

[19]  Aleksandar Subic,et al.  Sustainable Automotive Technologies 2012 , 2012 .

[20]  M. Mikami,et al.  Effect of hydrogen addition to intake gas on combustion and exhaust emission characteristics of a diesel engine , 2011 .

[21]  S. Szwaja,et al.  Hydrogen combustion in a compression ignition diesel engine , 2009 .

[22]  Frank Merten,et al.  Energy system aspects of hydrogen as an alternative fuel in transport , 2006 .

[23]  C. E. Thomas,et al.  Fuel cell and battery electric vehicles compared , 2009 .

[24]  H. Turton.  Sustainable global automobile transport in the 21st century: An integrated scenario analysis , 2006 .

[25]  Bahman Shabani,et al.  FUEL CELL HEAT RECOVERY, ELECTRICAL LOAD MANAGEMENT, AND THE ECONOMICS OF SOLAR-HYDROGEN SYSTEMS , 2010 .

[26]  J. Andrews,et al.  Dimensionless analysis of the global techno-economic feasibility of solar-hydrogen systems for constant year-round power supply , 2012 .

[27]  R. Rudramoorthy,et al.  Review of design considerations and technological challenges for successful development and deployment of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles , 2010 .

[28]  Kyoungdoug Min,et al.  Analysis of transient response of a unit proton-exchange membrane fuel cell with a degraded gas diff , 2011 .

[29]  J. Andrews,et al.  An experimental investigation of a PEM fuel cell to supply both heat and power in a solar-hydrogen RAPS system , 2011 .

[30]  J. Andrews,et al.  Re-envisioning the role of hydrogen in a sustainable energy economy , 2012 .