Technical Paper
Design and Optimization of a Centrifugal Compressor-Based Air Management System for HD Fuel Cell Applications
2024-04-09
2024-01-2184
Fuel cell electric vehicles offer an attractive option for decarbonizing long-haul on-road transport. However, there are still several barriers to widespread adoption of hydrogen-fueled fuel cells for this application including system durability and total cost of ownership compared to traditional diesel engines. A primary contributor to fuel cell system costs and maintenance requirements is the air management system. It is common for heavy duty fuel cell electric vehicles to use light-duty automotive air management components which are ill-suited for the requirements of larger, long-haul vehicles. This study focuses on the development of a durable and efficient air management system for heavy duty vehicle applications as part of a cooperative research project funded by the Department of Energy’s Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technologies Office1.