Mobile and stationary fuel cell systems and hydrogen as emission-free energy sources are key components of the energy transition. In the product development of fuel cell systems today, only individual system components can be tested in isolation. Testing an entire fuel cell system is therefore only possible at great expense and is very time-consuming. A new test bench for fuel cells and system components at the Institute for Product Development (IPEK) at KIT provides a remedy. The mobile test bench simulates the fuel cell, the hydrogen cycle, the air supply and the cooling system. The IPEK-X-in-the-loop approach links the data acquisition system with the simulation environment. This means that different application scenarios can be changed at the click of a mouse. All hardware components are easily interchangeable. The integrated sensors record measurement data from the system components and the electrical data from the fuel cell. The simulation system is used to model the drive with battery and electric motor. It continuously measures the performance of the fuel cells, the other components and the system under the set conditions. This allows the entire system operation to be evaluated. Depending on the system configuration, the efficiency, dynamics and service life of the fuel cells, for example, can be mapped and analyzed. By using the test bench, the development times and costs of fuel cell systems can be significantly reduced and better products are developed. KIT makes the test bench available to interested companies to test their own components in complete system variants during product development. Direct contract research or joint research and development cooperations are also possible.
You can get an overview of this technology at KIT stand. More details can be exchanged individually with the responsible scientific employees of KIT after the industry fair.
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