HyHEELS - Optimisation of Hydrogen-powered Internal Combustion Engines
Overview
Background & policy context:
While the deployment of fuel-cell cars in the European fleet will take decades (it normally takes more than 20 years for standard functions to reach a 90% fleet penetration), CO2 problems are present and demanding; the automotive industry favours solutions offering future potential when coupled with innovative powertrains as well as with the possible realisation of short-term benefits in combination with state-of-the-art powertrain technology.
In this regard, it is necessary to stress the fact that automotive technology has grown to be more and more complex in recent years through the addition of an increasing number of functionalities. OEMs (original equipment manufacturers) addressed this challenge by decreasing the production of in-house parts and by the supply of black box-like system components, the integration of which still constitutes a big challenge in terms of handling complexity. This is why the HyHEELS consortium considered it to be appropriate to focus on providing an UltraCap storage function comprising all the properties necessary to make it an integrative component. This is the unanimous view of both the supplier and the OEM regarding manageable interfaces.
Objectives:
The overall goal of this project was to provide an UltraCap energy storage system for use in hybrid and fuel cell vehicles, which satisfies all properties necessary to make an integrative component. Therefore, the development work comprised the optimisation of the electric properties of the basic cap, its combination into scalable modules with integrated power balancing within the modules, power prediction and the communication interface with the drivetrain.
Technical objectives were:
- the development of an improved energy supply concept for fuel cells based on advanced, powerful Ultra Capacitors (UltraCaps);
- development of an advanced UltraCap module for integration into fuel cell vehicle architecture;
- advanced research, simulation, installation, and evaluation of UltraCap modules on test benches and existing Hybrid Vehicles.
Methodology:
The steps in order to achieve an improved cost-efficient energy supply concept for hybrid vehicles based on an advanced, powerful UltraCap, were as follows:
- increasing the maximum operating voltage of UltraCaps from 2.5V to 2.7V. High-cell voltage requires an electrochemical stability of the electrode, the electrolyte and the packaging materials;
- cost reduction of the electrodes by new production technologies;
- cost reduction of cells and modules by industrialisation;
- advanced UltraCap component electrode and packaging. All the materials need to have a high electrochemical stability in order to operate the components at a higher voltage over a longer period of time. The component packaging weight must be minimised. Special attention must be paid to the packaging tightness and to the mechanical resistance;
- advanced UltraCap module packaging with optimised thermal behaviour, weight and cost;
- development of an UltraCap controller, including a single cell voltage measurement and cell balancing, providing extended UltraCap information to the fuel-cell system supervisor.
The final goal of the project was the installation of an advanced, reliable and cost-efficient UltraCap module, providing all necessary information, which would enable the integration into the fuel-cell vehicle architecture.
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