CFD-3D and 1D modeling of fuel cell powertrain for a hydrogen vehicle

As it is known the transport sector represents a major contributor to climate change. In particular, private transport contributes to the degradation of the air quality inside the cities or the residential areas. To address this issue, a progressive reduction of the use of fossil fuels as a primary energy source for these vehicles and the promotion of cleaner powertrain alternatives is in order. This study focuses on designing a fuel cell powertrain for a hydrogen-powered passenger car using numerical modeling. To this purpose, we initially modeled a base fuel cell and optimized its performance by using various materials for the bipolar plates and adjusting the platinum loading between the anode and cathode. Then, a preliminary design of the new powertrain has been proposed in order to achieve a nominal power of 100 kW and it has been tested on a WLTP 3b homologation cycle. Finally, we have been able to numerically estimate the behavior of the three main feeding line: hydrogen line, air line and cooling line. In conclusion, the obtained results demonstrate how numerical modelling can be successfully used in the design of complex systems such as those related to alternative energy. This work also provides a solid basis for the future development of increasingly efficient and environmentally friendly hydrogen vehicles.