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Technical Assessment of Different Operating Conditions of an On-Board Autothermal Reformer for Fuel Cell Vehicles

Author

Listed:
  • Laura Tribioli

    (Department of Engineering, Niccolò Cusano University, via Don Carlo Gnocchi 3, 00166 Rome, Italy)

  • Raffaello Cozzolino

    (Department of Engineering, Niccolò Cusano University, via Don Carlo Gnocchi 3, 00166 Rome, Italy)

  • Daniele Chiappini

    (Department of Engineering, Niccolò Cusano University, via Don Carlo Gnocchi 3, 00166 Rome, Italy)

Abstract

This paper evaluates the performance of a fuel cell/battery vehicle with an on-board autothermal reformer, fed by different liquid and gaseous hydrocarbon fuels. A sensitivity analysis is performed to investigate the system behavior under the variation of the steam to carbon and oxygen to carbon ratios. This is done in order to identify the most suitable operating conditions for a direct on-board production of hydrogen to be used in a high temperature polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell. The same system should be able to process different fuels, to allow the end-user to freely decide which one to use to refuel the vehicle. Hence, the obtained operating conditions result in a trade-off between system flexibility as the feeding fuel changes, CO poisoning effect on the fuel cell and overall efficiency. The system is thus coupled to a high temperature fuel cell, modeled by means of a self-made tool, able to reproduce the polarization curve as the input syngas composition varies, and the overall system is afterwards tested on a plug-in fuel cell/battery vehicle simulator, in order to provide a thorough feasibility analysis, focusing on the entire system efficiency. Results show that a proper energy management strategy can mitigate the effect of the fuel variation on the reformer efficiency, allowing for good overall powertrain performance.

Suggested Citation

  • Laura Tribioli & Raffaello Cozzolino & Daniele Chiappini, 2017. "Technical Assessment of Different Operating Conditions of an On-Board Autothermal Reformer for Fuel Cell Vehicles," Energies, MDPI, vol. 10(7), pages 1-17, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jeners:v:10:y:2017:i:7:p:839-:d:102410
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Jaggi, Vikas & Jayanti, S., 2013. "A conceptual model of a high-efficiency, stand-alone power unit based on a fuel cell stack with an integrated auto-thermal ethanol reformer," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 110(C), pages 295-303.
    2. Das, Himadry Shekhar & Tan, Chee Wei & Yatim, A.H.M., 2017. "Fuel cell hybrid electric vehicles: A review on power conditioning units and topologies," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 76(C), pages 268-291.
    3. Yang, Guangxing & Yu, Hao & Peng, Feng & Wang, Hongjuan & Yang, Jian & Xie, Donglai, 2011. "Thermodynamic analysis of hydrogen generation via oxidative steam reforming of glycerol," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 36(8), pages 2120-2127.
    4. Ercolino, Giuliana & Ashraf, Muhammad A. & Specchia, Vito & Specchia, Stefania, 2015. "Performance evaluation and comparison of fuel processors integrated with PEM fuel cell based on steam or autothermal reforming and on CO preferential oxidation or selective methanation," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 143(C), pages 138-153.
    5. Xu, Xinhai & Li, Peiwen & Shen, Yuesong, 2013. "Small-scale reforming of diesel and jet fuels to make hydrogen and syngas for fuel cells: A review," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 108(C), pages 202-217.
    6. Tribioli, Laura & Cozzolino, Raffaello & Chiappini, Daniele & Iora, Paolo, 2016. "Energy management of a plug-in fuel cell/battery hybrid vehicle with on-board fuel processing," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 184(C), pages 140-154.
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    Cited by:

    1. Edwin R. Grijalva & José María López Martínez & M. Nuria Flores & Víctor Del Pozo, 2018. "Design and Simulation of a Powertrain System for a Fuel Cell Extended Range Electric Golf Car," Energies, MDPI, vol. 11(7), pages 1-30, July.
    2. Xiangyang Yu & Xiaojing Wang, 2023. "Research on Carbon-Trading Model of Urban Public Transport Based on Blockchain Technology," Energies, MDPI, vol. 16(6), pages 1-21, March.

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