System dynamics and efficiency of the fuel processor for an indirect methanol fuel cell vehicle

Fuel cell vehicles powered using hydrogen/air fuel cells have received a lot of attention recently as possible alternatives to internal combustion engine. However, the combined problems of on-board hydrogen storage and the lack of hydrogen infrastructure represent major impediments to their wide scale adoption as replacements for IC engine vehicles. On board fuel processors that generate hydrogen from on-board liquid methanol (and other hydrocarbons) have been proposed as possible alternative sources of hydrogen needed by the fuel cell. This paper investigates the dynamic response and efficiency of the on-board fuel processor in an indirect-methanol fuel cell vehicle. This is carried out using a fuel processor model developed in the Matlab/Simulink environment. The fuel processor model includes detailed subsystem models for the steam-reformer, methanol/hydrogen burner, pre-heaters and CO cleanup stages.