AVL FUEL CELL ENGINEERING AND TESTING The Thrill of Solutions

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For further information please contact:

AVL List GmbH, Hans-List-Platz 1, A-8020 Graz, AustriaPhone: +43 316 787-0, Fax: +43 316 787-400, Email: info@avl.com, www.avl.com

AVL FUEL CELL BLOWER DEVELOPMENT

AVL offers customer specifi c Fuel Cell blower devel-opment for both SOFC and PEM Fuel Cell systems. Our blower design aims at compactness and high effi ciency fulfi lling all customer specifi cations.

AVL Fuel Cell Blower features:• Customized solutions for air compressors,

hydrogen- or anode recirculation blowers• Gas temperatures up to 800°C• Total electrical effi ciency > 50%• 12V to 400V operation• Durability > 10.000h

LOAD MATRIXTM RELIABILITY ASSESSMENT & ENGINEERING

Prerequisite for the commercialization of Fuel Cells is the achievement of conventional product reli-ability. Today fi eld data and failure mode analysis for entire Fuel Cell systems are only fragmentary. Therefore comprehensive reliability engineering approaches are required.

• Systematic identifi cation and evaluation of failure mechanisms and effects

• Modelling of failure mechanisms - determination of load cycles for accelerated tests on automated Fuel Cell test benches

• Determination of lifetime potential and demon-strable reliability for critical failure modes

AVL FUEL CELL TESTING

AVL offers testing of Fuel Cells (PEM and SOFC), BoP components (reformers, burners, heat ex-changers, catalysts…) or complete (sub)systems. Various tests like load cycles, performance, durability, contaminants, vibration, noise, climate, HiL… can be performed.

AVL Fuel Cell Products • SOFC System Engineering • PEM System Engineering• Fuel Cell Media Supply

(Blowers, Compressors)• Reliability and Durability Development /

AVL Load Matrix• AVL FIRE PEM CFD Simulation• THDA Stack Monitoring• Fuel Processing• System & Vehicle Integration• Control Systems for Fuel Cells• Testing

Left: Anode-Recirculation-Blower Right: Air-Blower

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SOFC APU TECHNOLOGY

AVL has developed Auxiliary Power Unit (APU) technology based on Solid Oxide Fuel Cells since 2002. The system is operated with conventional diesel fuel and reaches a net electrical power out-put of 3kW at an electrical effi ciency of 35%. The system can also provide heat independent of Fuel Cell operation up to 10kW. The system is intended for truck anti-idling, maritime and other mobile power generator applications.

Specifi cations:• 3 kW electrical power• 10 kW thermal power • el. effi ciency >30 %• Fuel: road diesel (< 15 ppm S)• 80 L, 75 kg• ~ 45 dB(A) noise• 8000 h lifetime• 300 / 3000 cold/warm cycles

System Features:• Solid Oxide Fuel Cell• Hot-gas anode recirculation• One-step diesel reforming• Highly effi cient radial-blowers for media supply• Internal system regeneration approaches• The most compact package in the industry

AVL THDA – FUEL CELL MONITORING

Usually a critical operating status is monitored by measuring cell voltages individually. Large Fuel Cell stacks require costly and complicated measure-ment devices.

AVL Offer Package:• THDA is based on the analysis of the stack

voltage only (1 voltage measurement even for 500+ cells stacks)

• Operation at critical conditions distorts a super-imposed signal and forms detectable spectral components (harmonics).

• Even if harmonics are caused by single cells only, the distortion will be measurable in the entire stack sum voltage

• THDA can detect all major critical PEM failure modes like membrane drying, liquid water issues and starvation effects

• In future SOFC monitoring will also be possible with THDA• Adds no additional HW in series product

implementation

CFD ANALYSIS OF PEMFC CELLS AND COMPONENTS

Critical operating conditions of Fuel Cells lead to corrosion effects and reduction of stack life time. Many effects are related to problems with water management. Performance optimization therefore requires the identifi cation of the problem(s) and their elimination by modifi cation of cell design, material properties and operational parameters.

AVL FIRE Fuel Cell CFD Simulation• Consideration of electrochemical effects, heat

transfer and water balance (generation-condensation-evaporation-transport) in MEA

• Modeling of critical gas permeation effects • Full 3D treatment of 2 phase fl ow in porous

material and open channels• Validated models with fl exibility for different

membrane and electrode types• Experienced engineers for assessment and

optimization • Standard procedures for meshing

(AVL-FAME) • Applications for industrial & research projects

for several years• In future also available for SOFC simulation

STATIONARY SOFC TECHNOLOGY

AVL develops stationary SOFC CHP (combined heat and power) generators covering the complete development process - from system simulation,layout analysis, optimization, component devel-opment (reformers, media supply, burners etc.), design & packaging and control - all the way to prototype manufacturing and testing.

AVL 10 kW SOFC CHP Module• 10 kW building block for industrial

CHP solutions from 10 - 200 kW• Operation with natural gas• Hot-gas anode recirculation (600°C)• 60 % electrical effi ciency• > 90 % total effi ciency• The most compact package in the industry• Can be equipped with ASC or ESC

stack technology• Manufacturing cost target: < 2000 € / kW

Fuel Cells are a potentially game-changing technology for mobility and powergeneration. Fuel Cells offer electrical effi ciencies above 60%, zero emissionsand completely silent and vibration-free operation. The cost of Fuel Cells hasbeen signifi cantly reduced over the past decade, meaning that Fuel Cells offera viable business case today for lots of different customer applications. Fuel cells are today already commercially available in many different application areas from small power up to megawatt range.

Fuel cells generate electrical energy from hydrogen, both effi ciently andwithout emissions. The most advantageous applications are Fuel Cell vehicles(FCEV), Fuel Cell range extenders, portable generators and stationary decen-tralized power generation. Based on reformer system also nearby all conven-tional (fossil fuels) or future biofuels (GTL, BTL, bio-methane,…) can be usedin Fuel Cells.

By taking advantage of unique synergies with AVL Instrumentation & Test Systems and AVL Advanced Simulation Technologies, AVL can offer highly creative, mature and application-specifi c solutions for our customers to meet their future market challenges.

GOOD REASONS TO CHOOSE AVL

• 15 years and more than 100 projects experi-ence in Fuel Cell engineering

• Propriety low-cost THDA PEM stack monitoring technology • Commercial CFD code for industry leading simulation of PEM Fuel Cells • Continuous support of the auto industry in the commercialization of Fuel Cell vehicles• Know-how out of more than 10 SOFC system development programs• SOFC APU and CHP products with industry wide smallest package and unique performance • Wide IPR portfolio to support industrialization of Fuel Cell products

Top: SOFC APU Bottom: Stationary SOFC System

Top: AVL THDA measurement device Middle: THDA measurement principle

Bottom: CFD Analysis of PEM Fuel Cells

MOTIVATION

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