Analysis and evaluation of a fuel cell based automotive vehicle with on-board hydrogen storage
Tutor/a - Director/a
Estudiant
Puigdelloses Ferrer, Alex
Tipus de document
Treball Final de Grau
Data
2023
rights
Accés obert
Editorial
Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya
UPCommons
Resum
This work focuses on the study, analysis and evaluation of a fuel cell-based vehicle with on-board
hydrogen storage. To begin with, an analysis will be made of the 3 different types of automobiles
that currently exist: the traditional fuel car, the electric car and the hydrogen combustion car. In
this analysis, an assessment will be made of the manufacturing process of each, their
environmental impact and their operation. The first two will be discussed briefly.
Then, we will explain the growing interest in the implementation of fuel cells in vehicles, and
how the use of hydrogen as an alternative fuel in the automotive sector could lead to a reduction
in greenhouse gas emissions. For example, when hydrogen is burned in a combustion engine, the
only by-product is water vapor, which means that no greenhouse gas emissions such as carbon
dioxide are released. This reduction in emissions could help mitigate the effects of climate change.
It will also focus on developing the various issues involved in the implementation of hydrogen
fuel cells. These include reduced air pollution, increased energy efficiency, reduced dependence
on fossil fuels and new business opportunities. However, there are also challenges associated with
the use of hydrogen as an alternative fuel, such as large-scale hydrogen production and storage,
the need for hydrogen supply infrastructures and the higher initial cost of hydrogen vehicles
compared to traditional internal combustion vehicles.
In addition, there will be a brief explanation of the different fuel cells and their performances
studied through polarization curves. Below is a list of the 4 fuel cells to be highlighted in this
work:
• PEM fuel cell (proton exchange membrane)
• SOFC fuel cell (solid oxide fuel cell)
• PAFC fuel cell (Phosphoric acid fuel cell)
• MCFC fuel cell (molten carbonate fuel cell)
Each type of fuel cell has its advantages and disadvantages in terms of efficiency, costs and
applications, which means that different types of fuel cells are used for different applications.
Finally, an extrapolated analysis will be developed of what this change costs globally, and how
this same change would reduce the environmental impact of automobiles.
