DEPARTMENT OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING

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CODE AND TITLE OF COURSEWORK

Course code: Title:
MECHGM01/GR01/M005 FUEL CELL COURSEWORK

STUDENT NAME: LOC NGUYEN

DEGREE AND YEAR: MENG 2016

LAB GROUP:

DATE OF LAB. SESSION:

DATE COURSEWORK DUE FOR SUBMISSION: 13/2/2017

ACTUAL DATE OF SUBMISSION: 4/2/2017

LECTURERS NAME: PROF.M. ZANGENEH

PERSONAL TUTORS NAME: PROF.M. ZANGENEH

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I confirm that this is all my own work (if submitted electronically, submission will
be taken as confirmation that this is your own work, and will also act as student
signature)

Signed:

University College London, Torrington Place LONDON WC1E 7JE

 MECHM005: FUEL CELL ASSIGNMENT | Loc Nguyen

1. Executive Summary
Nowadays, despite of the trend of using renewable energy, fossil energy is still dominating the
energy source. In all the fossil fuel consumed sector, transportation has the great contribution. Two
major issues, linked to this fact such as emission of pollutant and limited supply of conventional fossil
fuel, are two serious challenges for the modern world. The need to introduce a permanent alternative
fuel for transportation and to replace internal combustion engine (ICE) is stronger than ever because
fossil fuel reserves is dwindling, there are conflicts in energy security, and harmful air pollution level.
FCV can be the solution for all the mentioned above problems, while being possible to achieve
requirements of the consumers with not so significant sacrifice in performance or driving range. The
objective of this paper is an attempt to apply fuel cell system into a passenger car application
The chosen fuel cell type is Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell (PEMFC) because of its
suitable low operating temperature giving a fast start-up/cooling time, comparable efficiency with
others and adequate power output.
With assumptions, the PEMFC system coupled with an electric motor is then determined to
replace the model 1.6 EcoBoost Ford Focus. Based on the maximum power output of 1.6 EcoBoost
engine of 120kW, the chosen available-on-market fuel cell is Hydrogenics HyPM-HD90 with power
output of 99kW. Multiple of Ballard FCvelocity-9SSL fuel cell with power output of 21kW each was
considered, however, limitation in space of medium-sized vehicle eliminated this option. To control the
air input of fuel cell, Honeywell two-stage electrical compressor which is used in Honda Clarity FCV
is chosen. Based on the maximum output of chosen fuel cell stack (99kW), an electric motor (Brusa
HSM1-10.18.13:157-185kW) is chosen due to its ability to supply continuous power of 93kW. The
required DC/DC converter model (Brusa DMC534) is chosen based on the electric motor manufacturer.
The chosen DC/AC inverter model (Brusa BSC63) is also chosen based on the manufacturer and being
capable of covering the chosen fuel cell stack voltage range. The chosen energy storage model (Maxwell
56V) is also chosen. With assumptions of other components, the total the mass of the fuel cell
powertrain is 553.3kg with a volume of approximately 1.1m3.
Furthermore, the hydrogen storage methods are discussed and the chosen storage method on
board the vehicle is to compress the hydrogen at 350 bar into a tank. Cryogenic liquid hydrogen storage
and fuel reformers are not chosen due to safety concerns and potential decrease in efficiency.
Compressed hydrogen gas storage method is chosen due to its simplicity and purity of hydrogen which
is necessary for PEMFC.
After that, energy storage systems (ESS) are introduced. ESS is required in FCV powertrain to
response to sudden change in load. The most common types of ESS used on the market nowadays are
batteries and ultra-capacitors. Ultra-capacitor ESS is chosen due to its higher specific power and smaller
size, and also longer life expectancy. The chosen model mentioned above is Maxwell 56V
uninterruptible power supply module.
To generate a constant voltage input for electric motor, combination of DC/DC boost converters
and DC/AC inverter is required in FCV system to regulate the voltage output of fuel cell. Such devices
are chosen from same manufacturer of the electric motor to ensure compatibility between these.
With the need of introducing a permanent alternative fuel for transportation and to replace
internal combustion engine (ICE), FCVs has been considered as the optimal solution. While more major
automotive companies are researching, and investing in the commercialisation of FCV, many obstacles
are still needed to be solved before FCVs can be popular on the road. There are still many doubts in
adapting hydrogen fuel cell for small vehicles as the infrastructure to support commercialised FCVS is
still very limited. Hydrogen is not an energy source and is just a carrier which cannot be fully considered
as renewable energy. Despite of not winning the current state of technology, FCVs still shows a great
potential which can be adapted into bigger applications. With the advance of technology in the future,
FCVs can still win the battle between it and electric car.

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2. Introduction
Nowadays, despite of the trend of using renewable energy, fossil energy is still dominating the
energy source. In all the fossil fuel consumed sector, transportation has the great contribution. Two
major issues, linked to this fact such as emission of pollutant and limited supply of conventional fossil
fuel, are two serious challenges for the modern world. The need to introduce a permanent alternative
fuel for transportation and to replace internal combustion engine (ICE) is stronger than ever because
fossil fuel reserves is dwindling, there are conflicts in energy security, and harmful air pollution level.
This must be done not just for the near team but also for the future. Fuel cell vehicles (FCV) can be the
optimal solution for our need. The problems of ICEs are shortly discussed below to stress the motivation
for introducing FCV into practical.
There is limitation of supply of conventional fossil fuels and the strong dependence of imported
petroleum faced by many countries make the urge to shift toward alternative renewable sources of
energy. The highest demand of energy is in China and India which together account for more than 50%
of the worlds total increase in energy consumption over the 2012-2040 projection period., and is
primarily due to rapidly rising consumer demand for ICE vehicles [1]. Hydrogen has risen as the main
solution as it can be created from various renewable sources. Other fuels such as gasoline or methanol
can also function as hydrogen carrier, facilitating transport and storage of the fuel.
Besides that, the modern world is also facing the side-effect of heavily relying on fossil fuel
adverse effects to human health from pollutant such as SOx, NOx and particulate matter (PM) and global
warming from CO2. Many researches and studies have proved the link the risk of global warming and
the risk of human death to emission of ICE [2, 3].Clearly, the reduction in burning of fossil fuels by
introducing zero-emission vehicle, such as FCV, to practical can have a positive impact to society and
the world.
All options for replacing the ICE vehicle are currently having various of obstacles. The gasoline
hybrid electric vehicle is not a long-term solution as it does not solve the dependence in fossil fuel [2].
Despite of showing potential in reducing CO, PM, HC and PAHs, biodiesel vehicles lead to increasing
in NOx emission [4]. Furthermore, production of biodiesel such as vegetable oil competes for arable
land with food crops [4].
FCV can be the solution for all the mentioned above problems, while being possible to achieve
requirements of the consumers with not so significant sacrifice in performance or driving range. The
objective of this paper is an attempt to apply fuel cell system into a passenger car application by
choosing suitable fuel cell type and the components in fuel cell powertrain system. Required
components to link fuel cell stacks to the electric motor are also introduced.

3. Comparison between FCVs and ICEs vehicle

In Table 1, a fuel cell can have electric efficiency up to 60% while the other engines such as
diesel can only have up to 40% and for gasoline, it drops down to 30%. So, it can be said the major
advantage of fuel cell powertrain in transportation is its high efficiency at full and part load, as well as
idling.
Another reason for FCVs can be the solution is that they have low tail-pipe pollutant emission.
In the most types of fuel cells which will be shown in later part, they emit only water vapour.
Fuel cells also have high power densities allowing to give more space for designer to utilise in
optimising powertrain packaging in a vehicle. Fuel cell components contain limited amount of moving
parts allowing to minimising the cost for mass production and maintenance.
Fuel cells are modular power generator which means that the power output of fuel cell stack
can be adjusted by increase or decrease the fuel cell in the stack without affecting the electric efficiency.
Finally, fuel cells can operate at low noise and vibration which can attract the customers.

4. Choosing suitable fuel cell type

Fuel cells can be characterised by the chosen fuel and electrolyte into 6 main groups. The fuel
choice for FCV is crucial since it can affect the whole design and cost of the fuel system, the
infrastructure, including the fuel production, storage and distribution, as well as customer acceptance,
education and training [5].

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 MECHM005: FUEL CELL ASSIGNMENT | Loc Nguyen

4.1. Fuel cell choice and validation

In Table 1, a comparison of fuel cell types is shown. It is well known that Proton exchange
membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) have been widely developed and used for FCVs and in this case, it is
still the case due to following reason:
Operating temperature: with temperature range of 60-100oC, there is no requirement for
powerful cooling system or insulation to protect other components. The start-up time is also
suitable for a transportation vehicle. It is also insufficient to keep such high operating
temperature in SOFC and MCFC in a small passenger car size. For this reason, SOFC and
MCFC are eliminated.
Required power output: Per specification data sheet [6], a Ford Focus model using 1.6 GTDI
EcoBoost has a power output of 120kW which is in the available range of PEMFC. For this
reason, AFC and DMFC is eliminated. One can argue that DMFC can be available for weaker
model however due to hazards of using ethanol such as invisible flame, poison which can be
mixed into the emitted water, and methanol vapour is dangerous. A fuel reformer storage will
be required in the case of DMFC and it is not ideal for mobile application as it can be very
large, expensive, hard to control.
Lightweight, compact and portable characteristic: Without being constraint in space, designers
can have more freedom in designing other components and can achieve a lighter car in general.
PAFC cannot meet this requirement and is eliminated.
PEMFCs are considered the most suitable for transportation applications as they can provide
continuous electrical energy supply at high level of efficiency and power density. They also
require minimum maintenance because of limited moving part involving in the power
generating stacks of fuel cells. The output power of PEMFC can also be adjusted quickly [7].
4.2. Proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC)
PEMFCs use water-based polymer membrane as electrolyte and Platinum catalyst as electrodes.
The membrane allows protons passing through from anode to cathode and blocks the passage of electron
and reactance. The electron at anode is then forced to move into an external circuit to generate
electricity. PEMFCs has low operating temperature
of 60-100 oC leading to quick start-up process.
Besides that, they are also lightweight compact
systems. In addition, they have longer lifetime and
cheaper to manufacture. The total cost of car with
PEMFC system is 400-480/kW which is less than
ICE cars [8].
In theory, the electrical efficiency of PEMFCs
can reach above its general 40-50% by increasing the
working temperature leading to higher reaction rate.
However, by increasing over 100 oC, the water in
electrolyte vaporise leading to reduction in proton
conductivity of membrane so PEMFCs are limit to
lower 100 oC. The output power of PEMFCs can
reach as high as 250kW.
The main issue of this type is water
management to keep the membrane function at its
best efficiency. Another issue of every fuel cell using Fig. 1. Schematic presentation of PEMFC
platinum catalyst is sensitivity to CO poisoning. A
presentation of PEMFC is shown in Fig. 1.

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Operating Combines Heat

Power Electrical
Fuel cell type temperature and Power (CHP) Advantages Disadvantages
output (kW) efficiency (%)
(oC) Efficiency (%)
High sensitivity to being
Cathode reaction faster
poisoned by CO2 leading to
in alkaline electrolyte
lower efficiency
leading to higher
AFC 90-100 20 60 80 To lower the sensitivity,
efficiency
purified air or pure oxygen
Can use a variety of
must be used leading to
catalysts
higher cost
High CPH efficiency High cost, large and heavy
PAFC 150-200 200 40 85 High tolerance to Low power per weight
impurities in hydrogen compared to other types
Long start-up and cooling-
High CPH efficiency down time due to high
SOFC 600-1000 1-2000 60 90 Fuel flexibility operating temperature
Solid electrolyte High temperature can also
reduces electrolyte lead to corrosion and
MCFC 600-700 3-3000 50 80 management problem breakdown of cell
Low power density
Quick start up time
Can provide
continuous electrical High cost if pure H2 is used
energy supply at high Water electrolyte
60 (direct level of efficiency and management can be an
hydrogen) power density issue
PEMFC 60-100 250 70-90
40 (reformed Minimum Expensive catalyst
fuel) maintenance cost High sensitivity to being
Long lifetime poisoned by CO2 leading to lower
Easy to manufacture efficiency
Lightweight and
compact
Lower cost due to
Methanol can be a problem
DMFC 60-200 100 40 80 absence of fuel
Low efficiency
reformer
Table 1 Summary of technical characteristics of fuel cell types [9, 7]

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5. Fuel Cell system

Fig. 2 shows a simplified model of fuel cell powertrain with its the main components such as:
Fuel Cell stack
Inlet air control system with a compressor
Output water control system with humidifiers
Output heat management system with a
cooling circuit connected to heat exchangers
and vehicle cabin radiator
DC/DC boost converter and DC/AC inverter
Electrical motor Fig. 2. Simplified FCV powertrain [12]
5.1. Fuel Cell stack size and weight
Fuel cells are known to be relatively low-voltage/high-current power sources. A typical voltage
against current density curve is given in Fig. 3. From Fig. 3, the cell voltage is decreased as the current
density increases due to various loss. This means that if one choose a low voltage at high current density,
the fuel cell stack can be oversized leading to limitation of space in the system. To achieve high voltage,
operating temperature can be increased however fuel cell will temperature can be increased however
fuel cell will suffer from lower efficiency or many cells can be connected in series leading to a bigger
size. So, to achieve an optimal power density, an optimum must be determined carefully.
As Ford Focus can be considered as a medium-sized car, size of the fuel cell stack is more
important than its efficiency. Two choices of hydrogen fuel cell stack are considered in this case are
Hydrogenics HyPM-HD90 with power output of 99kW and multi-stack of Ballard FCvelocity-9SSL
with power output of 21kW each. However, multi-stack over 2 may require complicated system and is
not considered in this case. According to [10], Hydrogenics HyPM-HD90 has operating voltage range
of 180-360V, a mass of 360kg, and volume of 0.594m3. It is assumed that the loss in power output is
less important than maintain the compactness of the system and vehicle. From Table 2, assuming a fuel
cell with voltage output of 0.96V was used in the model. With assumption of maximum voltage
!"#
produced by the fuel cell stack, there are = 375 cells in the stack.
#.%"
5.2. Air management system/compressor
The operational pressures at 2-3 bar are preferred in nowadays FCV to overcome pressure drop
[11]. To find suitable compressor, air flow need to be calculated from Equation 1 [12]. The volume
flow rate of air is 0.03 , ! - ./
:3;<3; =>?62 996 !
012 3-456 = 3.5710.9 = 3.5710.9 = 0.037 G5- ./
@>A;456 >B 64C C6AA 0.96
Equation 1
The turbocompressor and twin-screw compressor are used widely in fuel cell system due to their
low weight and small size. To have better performance and decrease the size of fuel cell stack, a
commercialised compressor Honeywell two-stage electrical compressor, used in Honda Clarity FCV
is chosen. The detailed information of its weight and volume has been not released so an assumption of
15Kg and 0.05 m3 is used.

Table 2 Voltage/current density of a PEMFC at different

temperatures [28]

Fig. 3. Typical voltage/current density curve for a

fuel cell [27]

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5.3. Hydrogen storage tank

Based on a model of hydrogen storage tank in [5], a compressed hydrogen gas storage model is
chosen due to the fact the requirement of pre-heating the fuel up to 1kW for compressed gas which is
less than 13kW for liquid hydrogen [5]. The model is to hold 5kg of hydrogen at 27oC under a maximum
storage pressure of 350 bar. The weight of the fully filled tank is 42Kg and its external volume is 0.28m3.
5.4. Electric Motor
Besides running the vehicle, the motor can also be used to drive the compressor and pump within
the fuel cell system. Based on the maximum output of chosen fuel cell stack (99kW), an electric motor
(Brusa HSM1-10.18.13:157-185kW) is chosen due to its ability to supply continuous power of 93kW.
Per [13], its weight is 51kg and volume is 0.024m3. The chosen required components such as inverter
and converter which will be mentioned in later section has total weight of 17.3Kg and 0.0136m3 [14,
15].
5.5. Conclusion
Some extra components such as water management system, heat management system, and
piping/wiring are lumped together to simplify the problem and their total weight is assumed to be 50kg
with volume of 0.1 m3. The chosen model for energy storage system (Maxwell 56V) which will be
mentioned later has weight of 18Kg with assumption of 0.02m3 [16]. In total, the mass of the fuel cell
powertrain is 553.3kg with a volume of approximately 1.1m3.

6. Fuelling storage strategy

As PEMFC is chosen, it is required to store hydrogen fuel as hydrogen instead of producing it
from gasoline or other types. A local storage is essential for transportation vehicle. From [17],
compressed hydrogen gas, liquefied hydrogen storage and metal hydrides are three available options
for hydrogen-fuelled fuel cell storage system in automotive applications. Compressed hydrogen gas and
liquefied hydrogen storage are the most popular options on the market [17, 12].
6.1. Compressed hydrogen gas storage
Three main advantages of this method are its simplicity, indefinite storage time and no purity
limit on the hydrogen [12]. At low temperature, hydrogen gas allows a greater air-fuel-ratio going into
the fuel cell. However, the compressed gas storage tanks tend to be bulky which can decrease the power-
to-weight ratio of FCVs. To limit the hydrogen from diffusing into the tank material and creating
internal bubbles, the metal of the pressure tank must be chosen carefully. Internal stress is increased
due to the existence of those bubbles leading to crack initiation which is called hydrogen embrittlement
[12]. Besides the mass problem, hydrogen has a leak rate through small orifices faster than all other
gases [12] and as hydrogen is compressed to a high pressure, a leak can damage other components.
Thanks to many researches and studies, safety problems nowadays have been answered such as adding
in pressure relief or flame traps so storing hydrogen as compressed gas is used widely in FCVs.
6.2. Liquefied hydrogen storage
Instead of compressing hydrogen gas, hydrogen can be cooled down into its cryogenic liquid
form at 20 K. Due to hydrogen having highest density in its liquid form, more fuel can be stored leading
to higher gravimetric storage efficiency of 14.2% comparing to 0.7-3% of compressed hydrogen method
[12]. However, the disadvantage of this method is that fuel cell stack can be fed with aqueous hydrogen.
Another problem with cryogenic liquid hydrogen is that its liquefaction process can be very energy-
intensive [12]. Besides that, during liquefaction process, without control system the liquid can be boiled
off. As the liquefied hydrogen is stored at low temperature, frostbite can be a potential problem for
human. For the pipes containing the fluid, they must be insulated to prevent the surrounding air from
condensing which can lead to explosion hazard when liquid air drips into combustible fuel. Despite of
above safety problems, studies have been done to improve liquefied hydrogen storage system design
allowing it to be approved to use in FCVs.
6.3. Fuel reformer
As using direct hydrogen in three storage methods above all have their own problems. Another
approach is to introduce a hydrogen carrier such as methanol, alkali metal hydrides, sodium
borohydride, and ammonia. These chemical compounds easily give up their hydrogen and have simple,
effective manufacturing process. They are also safe to handle. Due to its properties, methanol is

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attracting the most interesting among fuel cell designers. Despite of its higher storage efficiency and
mass of hydrogen per litre shown in Table 3, the disadvantage of using methanol is that its reformation
reactions proceed with a delay making the reformer larger, more expensive, less efficient, and more
difficult to control. Such reasons prevent DMFC to be used for FCV application.

Table 3. Comparison for different methods. [12]

6.4. Conclusion
As fuel reformer can decrease the efficiency of PEMFC and based on the chosen storage tank
model [5], compressed hydrogen gas storage method is chosen due to its simplicity and purity of
hydrogen which is necessary for PEMFC.

7. Energy storage system

Energy storage system (ESS) is required in FCV powertrain to response to sudden change in load
Four main reasons are:
To restore the regenerative braking energy which help to increase the overall efficiency.
The captured kinetic energy by the ESS can also be used to accelerate FCV.
To provide extra required power during peak loading periods such as acceleration because
fuel cell has a time-delayed response and is limited in power output
To decrease the size of fuel cell stack as ESS can help to provide power compensation for
weaker but smaller fuel cell.
To allow to imply a control system on the system. This ensures the fuel cell to operate
efficiently.
The most common types of ESS used on the market nowadays are batteries and ultra-capacitors.
The process of storing and releasing energy for a battery is through an electrochemical process while
for ultra-capacitors is through an electrostatic field. In general, the requirement for ESS are:
Its maximum power output must be high enough for the difference between the fuel cell
power and the forecasted maximum power required by the vehicle.
The energy content should be enough to avoid complete discharge during any high-power-
demand period.
7.1. Batteries ESS
A comparison of some available batteries and ultra-capacitors
are shown in Fig. 4. Because of higher specific energy compared to
ultra-capacitors, there is extra available power for longer periods of
times which helps in the case of towing a load on inclined plane or
passing at high speeds. Besides that, during the low power demands,
the battery ESS can be used to propel the vehicle instead of fuel cell
as it may be working in low efficiency region [18]. A control method
can be developed from that and help to improve the overall efficiency.
However, batteries ESS also suffer from having higher losses Fig. 4. Comparison for some commercially-
than the ultra-capacitors during charging and discharging due to available power sources [17]
higher internal resistance and columbic losses [18]. They also have
shorter lifetime in charge/discharge life cycle. From Fig. 4, batteries have lower specific power so they
have lower safe charge rate and hence usually recover less regenerative braking energy than ultra-
capacitors. There are also safety concerns during the design of system using batteries as ESS such as

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overcharging of batteries can lead to thermal runaway [19]. As the state-of-charge (SOC) of batteries
cannot be determined by its terminal voltage, complicated control and monitoring systems are required.
7.2. Ultra-capacitors ESS
Ultra-capacitors ESS deliver quick bursts of energy during peak power demands, then quickly
store energy and capture excess power that is otherwise lost. Besides of higher specific power and
smaller size, ultra-capacitors ESS have longer life expectancy than batteries in charge/discharge cycle
lifetime. Thanks to lower internal resistance, they generate less wasted heat than batteries ESS leading
to higher efficiency. They also can operate at a wider range of temperature [20]. Energy stored in ultra-
/
capacitors can be easily calculated by using H = J@ I allowing ultra-capacitors SOC to be easily
I
determined and ultimately simplifying the control system.
However, as mentioned above, ultra-capacitors have lower specific energy. So, there can be not
enough extra power available to complete all demanding driving task, especially at high speed. The
ultra-capacitors also cannot be used to propel the FCV when the fuel cell operates at its low efficiency
region.
7.3. Hybrid Batteries and Ultra-capacitors ESS
By combining two methods together, a new method can inherit most of the stated advantages and
minimise the disadvantages. Many researches and studies have been done to show the potential of this
method [21, 22, 23, 24]. However, complicated topologies are required to minimise the mass, cost and
to maximise the efficiency. Hybrid ESS is more complicated due to the requirement of extra DC/DC
converters to connect multiple components.
7.4. Conclusion
As more researches are required until the hybrid ESS can be commercialised, ultra-capacitor ESS
is chosen in this case. The chosen model is Maxwell 56V uninterruptible power supply module [16].

8. Required components to deliver fuel cell power to the

electric motor
The generated voltage by fuel cells are particularly badly regulated which is shown in Fig. 3.
Besides current, the voltage output can also drop due to change in temperature, air pressure, and many
other factors. To generate a constant voltage input for electric motor, combination of DC/DC boost
converters and DC/AC inverter which is shown in Fig. 4 are required in FCV system. These devices
can decrease the voltage down to a fixed value below the operating range of the fuel cell or increase it
up to a fixed value by using electronic switches.
8.1. Electronic switches
Three common switches are shown in Table 4. The
details of function progress of electronic switches are not
mentioned in this case. IGBT is the most popular choice for
fuel cell nowadays in term of cost and performance as it
inherits the characteristics of both bipolar transistor high
current handling ability, and the gate drive characteristics of
a MOSFET low voltage is required to turn the gate on.
IGBTs are preferred over MOSFETs for high voltage and
power application of over about 100V and 10k, while
Table 4. Main types of electronic switches used in
MOSFETs is for application with lower 10kW power [25]. modern power electronic equipment [12]
The thyristor is not viable in FCV due to its high required
energy to affect the switching and high switching time [12].

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8.2. DC/DC step-up converters

Because fuel cells voltage output is essentially low, DC/DC boost converter is generally most
useful in FCV powertrain as it allows for the low voltage of fuel cells or batteries to be boosted to match
the usually higher motor inverter voltage. It also provides the physical mechanism to control the power
from the source, allowing high efficiency control methods to be employed [12]. Due to this fact, the
step-down converter is not discussed in this paper. A
presentation of DC/DC boost converter circuit is shown in
Fig. 5.
The main energy losses in the circuit are from
switching losses in the electronic switch, power lost in the
switch while it is turned on, power lost because of resistance
of inductor and loses in the diode.
8.3. DC/AC inverters
As shown in Fig. 4, there is a DC/AC inverter
between the fuel cell system and electrical component
because the fuel cell output is a direct current (DC) but the

Fig. 5. Circuit diagram to show the operation

of a switch mode boost regulator. [12]
input of electric motor requires
alternating current (AC). Two
conventional types of inverters are
shown in Fig. 6. Fig. 6. DC/AC inverters (Left) Single Phase (Right) Three Phase [12]

8.4. Conclusion
Based on the chosen electric motor (Brusa HSM1-10.18.13:157-185kW), the converters and
inverters are chosen from the same manufacturer. The model for inverter is Brusa DMC534 which is
designed to work with the chosen motor [15]. The model for converter is Brusa BSC63 which covers
the necessary voltage range of the chosen fuel cell [14].

9. Conclusion
With the need of introducing a permanent alternative fuel for transportation and to replace
internal combustion engine (ICE), FCVs has been considered as the optimal solution. In this paper, an
attempt to design a fuel cell powertrain for a medium-sized passenger car like Ford Focus has been
done. By choosing available-on-market components, an estimation of total weight and size of the fuel
cell stack and other components such as electric motor, storage tank and other control systems has been
made. In total, the mass of the fuel cell powertrain is 518kg with a volume of 1.148m3. The system can
be oversized due to the facts that the components are chosen from various manufacturers.
Commercialised FCVs like Toyota Mirai, Honda Clarity or electric cars from Tesla uses in-house
design which allows to boost the efficiency and decrease the weight. While more major automotive
companies are researching, and investing in the commercialisation of FCV, many obstacles are still
needed to be solved before FCVs can be popular on the road. There are still many doubts in adapting
hydrogen fuel cell for small vehicles as the infrastructure to support commercialised FCVS is still very
limited. The hydrogen filling stations are mostly on available in California, which is why Toyota Mirai
and eventually Honda Clarity are only sold in California [26]. The required technology and
infrastructure for FCVs is more complicated and more expensive than electrical vehicles. Hydrogen is
not an energy source and is just a carrier which cannot be fully considered as renewable energy. Despite
of not winning the current state of technology, FCVs still shows a great potential which can be adapted
into bigger applications. With the advance of technology, in the future, FCVs can still win the battle
between it and electric car.

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10. References
[1] U.S Energy Information Adminstration, INTERNATIONAL ENERGY OUTLOOK 2016, 2016.

[2] C. Chan, The state of the art of electric, hybrid, and fuel cell vehicles, Proceedings of the IEEE, vol. 95,
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[4] J. K. Mwangi, W. J. Lee, Y. C. Chang, C. Y. Chen and L. C. Wang, An overview: Energy saving and
pollution reduction by using green fuel blends in diesel engines, Applied Energy, vol. 159, pp. 214-236, 2015.
[5] K. Haraldsson, On Direct Hydrogen Fuel Cell Vehicles- Modelling and Demonstration, Stockholm, 2005.

[6] Ford UK, Specification Details - Data sheets, Ford UK. [Online]. [Accessed 28 January 2017].

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