Technical Paper
Fuel Cell Auxiliary Power Systems: Design and Cost Implications
2001-03-05
2001-01-0536
In addition to high-profile fuel cell applications such as automotive propulsion and distributed power generation, the use of fuel cells as auxiliary power units (APU) for vehicles has received considerable attention. APU applications may be an attractive market because fuel cells offer some attractive features for APU applications and the APU market offers a true mass-market opportunity that does not require some of the challenging performance and cost targets required for propulsion systems for vehicles. In this paper we discuss the technical performance requirements for PEM and SOFC APUs, as well as the current status of the technology and the implications for fuel cell system configuration and cost.