Experimental characterization of a PEM fuel cell for marine power generation

Abstract

This study is focused on the possible application of hydrogen-fed PEM fuel cells on board ships. For this purpose, a test plant including a 100 kW generator suitable for marine application and a power converter including a supercapacitor-based energy storage system has been designed, built and experimentally characterised. The plant design integrates standard industrial components suitable for marine applications that include the technologies with the highest degree of maturity currently available on the market. Fuel Cell generator and power converter have been specifically designed by manufacturers to fit the specific plant needs. The experimental characterisation of the plant has been focused on the evaluation of the efficiency of the single components and of the overall system. Results shows a PEM fuel cell efficiency of 48% (when all auxiliaries are included) and an overall plant efficiency, including power conditioning, of about 45%. From load variation response tests, the fuel cell response time was maximum 2 seconds without supercapacitors and increased up to 20 seconds with supercapacitors connected, reducing the stress on the fuel cell generator. Experimental results confirm that PEM fuel cells, when supported by a suitably sized energy storage system, represent a viable technical solution for zero-emission power generation on board ships.

Experimental study and modelling of an air-cooled proton exchange membrane fuel cell stack in the static and dynamic performance

“…Depending on the specific system and the type of power converter used, it is generally characterized by an efficiency exceeding 97% [22]. An examination of a 100 kW generator system incorporating ultracapacitors for energy storage demonstrated that at a load of 45 kW, the efficiency of DC/AC power conversion using a prototype converter reached 96.2%, and for an 80 kW load, it was 94.9% [23]. In a system equipped with a 5 kW cell, operating within a load range of 0.3 kW to 1.6 kW, the efficiency of the DC/DC converter ranged from 97% to 98% [24].…”

Hybrid PEM Fuel Cell Power Plants Fuelled by Hydrogen for Improving Sustainability in Shipping: State of the Art and Review on Active Projects

“…There are mainly four ways for cooling PEMFC systems: edge cooling, air cooling, liquid cooling, and phase-change cooling [119]. Liquid cooling is often preferable due to its large cooling capability and good efficiency, and demineralized water or mixtures of demineralized water and ethylene glycol are usually implemented as refrigerants [120]. The main components of a liquid cooling system are the following: a circulating pump to guarantee a sufficient flow of refrigerant in the stack; a refrigerant reservoir; a heat exchanger to dissipate the heat either to the environment or to a heat recovery system; and a deionizer, which should be encompassed to guarantee that the refrigerant conductivity remains under set levels to avoid the short circuit of the PEMFC stack.…”

“…For simplicity, not all components of the power conditioning, control, and monitoring subsystem of the BoP have been reported in the schematic. Elaborated from[120].…”

A Review of Fuel Cell Powertrains for Long-Haul Heavy-Duty Vehicles: Technology, Hydrogen, Energy and Thermal Management Solutions

“…Air compressor also tends to consume the highest auxiliary load among the BoP components [27]. Boosting too much air into the cathode may increase power output, but costs even higher BoP parasitic losses, lowering FCS efficiency [173,174]. Maintaining the right cathode partial pressure and stoichiometric intake air ratio during high load-high mass flow operation can be a challenge from design/control limitations of the air system leading to a compromise on FC efficiency and cathode side starvation [61].…”