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The MEAsureD technology benefits from each company’s standpoint

  • By MEAsureD
  • January 14, 2025
  • 60 Views

AVL is one of the world’s leading mobility technology companies for development, simulation, and testing in the automotive industry and in other sectors such as rail, marine, and energy. Based on extensive in-house research activities, AVL delivers concepts, technology solutions, methodologies, and development tools for a greener, safer, and better world of mobility and beyond. The company supports international partners and customers in their sustainable and digital transformation. The focus lies on the areas of electrification, software, AI and automation. In addition, AVL supports companies in energy-intensive sectors on their way to a greener and more efficient energy generation and supply.

The project MEAsureD offers the opportunity for expanding AVL’s simulation methodology into the area of HT-PEM fuel cell technology for HD applications. In this context, AVL advances its multi-physics 3D-CFD simulation technology towards modelling of HT-PEM fuel cells adopting advanced ion-pair membranes to enable detailed spatially resolved analysis of the heat, mass and charge transport processes on cell level. In addition, a simulation workflow is developed that enables a virtual upscaling of detailed single-cell models to full stack configurations aimed for use in transient HT-PEM fuel cell system simulations. For this purpose, a methodology is elaborated for derivation of computationally efficient reduced dimensionality models from detailed multi-physics 3D-CFD simulation results. Moreover, the resulting scalable multi-physics simulation approach is complemented by degradation models provided by partner University of Ljubljana for application on HT-PEM fuel cell and stack level. Validation of the simulation methodology is achieved via comparison of simulation results with experimental data provided by partner TU-Graz.

The resulting simulation methodology is then used for supporting the analysis and optimization of the anode and cathode flow-field design and MEA sub-component properties for a representative cell configuration adopting the advanced ion-pair membrane technology from partner ADVENT. Based on the performance and degradation characteristics of the optimized cell configuration, a virtually upscaled full scale stack model representation is set up and combined with suitably configured BoP and thermal management sub-systems and linked to a representative HD-truck vehicle model. The performance of the ion-pair membrane technology is then assessed on the basis of simulated real-world drive cycles by comparison of representative HT-PEM vehicle performance indicators with LT-PEM reference data.

After successful completion of the project MEAsureD, the achievements regarding the validated scalable simulation methodology for analysis and assessment of the performance and degradation characteristics of HT-PEM fuel cells adopting the advanced ion-pair membrane technology shall become an integral part of the simulation tools AVL FIRE™ M and AVL CRUISE™ M. The simulation tools shall be marketed via AVL’s worldwide network of sales representatives and technical centers. Additionally, the results and findings obtained in the course of the project will further strengthen AVL’s expertise in applying advanced simulation technology to support the development and optimization of future green fuel cell technologies.