Description of the 30 kW Fuel Power Train

The experimental results discussed in this case study are obtained on a fuel ceU power train installed on a laboratory test bench. It is constituted by a 3.5 kW electric drive connected in hybrid configuration to a 2 kW PEM fuel cell system (FCS) and an electrical energy storage system (lead batteries). The main technical specifications of the FCS are reported in Table 6.1, whereas its scheme is shown in Fig. 6.1 [1, 2]. 

Two pressure transducers are located upstream of the stack to monitor anode and cathode pressure during the experimental runs. A spiral heat exchanger, using external water at room temperature as second fluid, is used to control the temperature of the cooling water. The FCS humidification strategy is based on the deionized water injection method (see Sect. 4.5), activating the injection when the outlet air temperature is higher than 60°C. 

The fuel cell system is equipped with several sensors able to measure the air and water flow rates, the temperatures of cathode outlet stream and of water in cooling circuit, the hydrogen pressure, stack current and voltage, and individual 

Corbo et al.. Hydrogen Fuel Cells for Road Vehicles, 

Green Energy and Technology, DOI 10.1007/978-0-85729-136-3 6, Springer-Verlag London Limited 2011 

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