Dynamic Modeling and Control of a Fuel Cell Hybrid Vehicle with Onboard Fuel Processor

The transient behavior of a Fuel Processor System to produce Hydrogen from bio-ethanol with high performance, coupled with a Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell is modeled. The Ethanol Processor is based on a previous steady state design, optimized to work with maximum efficiency around 10 kW of rated power. From the dynamic rigorous model, a linearized model is identified to apply a systematic procedure to synthesize the control structure. The Fuel Cell System is then hybridized with supercapacitors as auxiliary power source, to lower the overall consumption of hydrogen, hence of bio-ethanol too. The entire vehicle is tested using standard driving cycles, widely utilized in related literature and to measure pollutant emissions. The overall behavior reaches the expectations and is capable of fulfilling the requirements of urban and highway scenarios, and also suggests the possibility of resizing the components to improve fuel economy.