FinalPub-1-s2.0-S0360319916325435-main.pdf (1.42 MB)
Download fileAn energy management strategy to concurrently optimise fuel consumption & PEM fuel cell lifetime in a hybrid vehicle
journal contribution
posted on 2016-09-22, 14:56 authored by Tom Fletcher, Rob Thring, Martin WatkinsonThe cost and reliability of fuel cells are major obstructions preventing fuel cell hybrid electric vehicle (FCHEV) from entering the mainstream market. However, many of the degradation methods are strongly affected by the operating conditions of the fuel cell and therefore can be mitigated by optimisation of the Energy Management Strategy (EMS). The major causes of fuel cell degradation are identified from the literature and a model is produced in order to estimate the effect of the EMS on the fuel cell degradation. This is used to produce an optimal strategy for a low speed campus vehicle using Stochastic Dynamic Programming (SDP). The SDP controller attempts to minimise the total running
cost of the fuel cell, inclusive of both fuel consumption and degradation, each weighted by their respective costs. The new strategy is shown to increase the lifetime of the fuel cell by 14%, with only a 3.5% increase in fuel consumption, largely by avoiding transient loading on the fuel cell stack.
Funding
This work was supported by EPSRC by providing funding for the project through the Doctoral Training Centre in Hydrogen, Fuel Cells and Their Applications (EP/G037116/1),
History
School
- Aeronautical, Automotive, Chemical and Materials Engineering
Department
- Aeronautical and Automotive Engineering