Study On Performance Simulation of 100kW Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell For Heavy Commercial Vehicle Applications

The integration of fuel cell technology utilizing hydrogen as a fuel holds immense promise for the advancement of heavy-duty commercial vehicle solutions. Presently, a plethora of fuel cell variants cater to diverse vehicle applications. Within this array, the proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) demonstrates remarkable potential for automotive use owing to its attributes of low operating temperature and high power density. However, the direct global implementation of fuel cell technology concepts into the Indian commercial vehicle (CV) market is not feasible. Further, the functional requirements of the fuel cell (FC) system, including the balance of plant (BoP), should be meticulously chosen to ensure optimal FC vehicle performance without performance compromise. Inaddition, PEMFC power supplies are available in various power ratings however, the selection of an optimized fuel cell power configuration for heavy-duty applications proves to be a daunting task due to cost sensitivity and market competitiveness in India. To address this challenges, comprehensive simulation studies are imperative to unravel the performance dynamics of PEMFC under varying vehicle operating conditions. In this study, a simulation model of a Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle (FCEV) truck with a load range exceeding 20–40 tons is developed utilizing GT-SUITE software. Based on a thorough investigation of steady state and transient simulation performances, a 100-kW FC system is identified as the optimal power configuration for the specified vehicle tonnage.