• Journal of Power Electronics
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.194-201
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• 2011

The air flow supplied to a fuel cell system is one of the most significant factors in determining fuel efficiency. The conventional method of controlling the air flow is to fix the oxygen supply at an estimated constant rate for optimal efficiency. However, the actual optimal point can deviated from the pre-set value due to temperature, load conditions and so on. In this paper, the maximum efficiency point tracking (MEPT) algorithm is proposed for finding the optimal air supply rate in real time to maximize the net-power generation of fuel cell systems. The fixed step MEPT algorithm has slow dynamics, thus it affects the overall efficiency. As a result, the variable step MEPT algorithm is proposed to compensate for this problem instead of a fixed one. The complete small signal model of a PEM Fuel cell system is developed to perform a stability analysis and to present a design guideline. For a design example, a 1kW PEM fuel cell system with a DSP 56F807 (Motorola Inc) was built and tested using the proposed MEPT algorithm. This control algorithm is very effective for a soft current change load like a grid connected system or a hybrid electric vehicle system with a secondary energy source.

• 한국신재생에너지학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2010.06a
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• pp.123.2-123.2
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• 2010

Fuel Cell cogeneration system is a promising technology for generating electricity and heat with high efficiency of low pollutant emission. We have been developed 5kW class fuel cell cogeneration system for commercial and residential application. The fuel processor is a crucial part of producing hydrogen from the fossil fuels such as LNG and LPG. The 5kW class high efficiency fuel processor consists of steam reformer, CO shift converter, CO preferential oxidation(PrOx) reactor, burner and heat exchanger. The one-stage CO shift converter process using a metal oxide catalyst was adopted. The efficiency of 5 kW class fuel processor shows 75% based on LHV. In addition, for the purpose of continuous operation with load fluctuations in the commercial system for residential use, load change of fuel processor was tested. Efficiency of 30%, 50%, 70% and 100% load shows 75%, 75%, 73% and 72%(LHV), respectively. Also, during the load change conditions, the product gas composition was stable and the outlet CO concentration was below 5 ppm. The Fuel processor operation was carried out in residential fuel cell cogeneration system with fuel cell stack under dynamic conditions. The 5kW class fuel processor have been evaluated for long-term durability and reliability test including with improvement in optimal operation logic.

• Transactions of the Korean hydrogen and new energy society
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.1-11
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• 2004

Hybrid power systems with fuel cells and batteries have the potential to improve the operation efficiency and dynamic response. A proper load management strategy is important to better system efficiency and endurance in hybrid systems. In this paper, a fuzzy logic algorithm has been used to determine the fuel cell output power depending on the external required power and the battery state of charge(SoC). If the required power of the hybrid system is small and the SoC is small, then the greater part of the fuel cell power is used to charge the battery pack. If the required power is relatively big and the SoC is big, then fuel cell and battery are concurrently used to supply the required power. These IF-THEN operation rules are implemented by fuzzy logic for the energy management system of hybrid system. The strategy is evaluated by simulation. The results show that fuzzy logic can be effectively used to optimize the operational efficiency of hybrid system and to maintain the battery SoC properly.

• Korean Journal of Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration Engineering
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.197-204
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• 2008

DMFC(Direct Methanol Fuel Cell) is one of promising candidates for power sources of small mobile IT devices like notebook, cell phone, and so on. Efficient operation of fuel cell system is very important for long-sustained power supply because of limited fuel tank size. It is necessary to investigate operation characteristics of fuel cell stack for optimal control of DMFC system. The generated voltage was modeled according to various operating condition; methanol concentration, stack temperature, and load current. It is inevitable for methanol solution at anode to cross over to cathode through MEA(membrane electrode assembly), which reduces the system efficiency and increases fuel consumption. In this study, optimal operation conditions are proposed by analyzing stack performance model, cross-over phenomenon, and system efficiency.

• 유체기계공업학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2005.12a
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• pp.759-764
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• 2005

In this paper, numerical analysis of hydrogen recycle system has been conducted in order to enhance the efficiency of automotive fuel cell. Generally, the excess hydrogen is provided in the automotive fuel cell. Since the non-reaction hydrogen reduces automotive fuel cell efficiency, reuse of the non-reaction hydrogen can be helpful to improve the fuel cell performance. In case of PEM FC, the water vapor is provided to hydrogen from the cathode so that the mixture experiences phase change depending on the changes of pressure and temperature. The internal flow of the mixture in the hydrogen recirculation system of fuel cell was investigated for real flow conditions. The variation of performance, properties and mass fractions of mixture, hydrogen and water-vapor were investigated. This study was performed based on 80KW level automotive fuel cell's recycling system.

• Transactions of the Korean hydrogen and new energy society
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.60-66
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• 2007

In terms of the vehicle efficiency, a fuel cell hybrid system has advantages compared to a conventional internal combustion engine and a fuel cell alone-powered system. The efficiency of the fuel cell hybrid vehicle mainly depends on the maximum power of the fuel cell and therefore it is important to decide the design value of the fuel cell maximum power. In this paper, to estimate the performance of the fuel cell hybrid mini-bus in the design phase the simulator based on the models for the fuel cell stack, the electric battery, the fuel cell balance of plant, the controller, and the vehicle itself is proposed. Additionally, the hybrid mini-bus efficiencies with several different fuel cell powers are simulated for a city driving schedule and are compared on another. Consequently, the proposed simulation scheme is useful to determine the best design value of the fuel cell hybrid vehicles.

• The Transactions of the Korean Institute of Electrical Engineers P
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• v.63 no.3
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• pp.212-217
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• 2014

The electric power output characteristics of magnesium fuel cell were investigated with regard to internal resistance. A equivalent circuit with the series-connected three internal resistance was introduced to analyze of the response to change of power. The power output analysis was employed in order to investigate the effect of internal resistances for the electrolyte concentration, air electrode area, Mg electrode area and distance between the electrodes. It was confirmed that internal resistance is generated by the electrolyte, air electrode and metal electrode, then those Internal resistances had a significant effect on the power output decrease. The power output was a maximum when the load resistance maches the internal resistance of the magnesium fuel cell. The fuel efficiency was only 50% at maximum power output. Higher fuel efficiency was achieved when the load resistance is greater than the internal resistance.

• Transactions of the Korean hydrogen and new energy society
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• v.16 no.4
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• pp.364-371
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• 2005

Fuel cell systems(FCS) have a financial and environmental advantage by providing electricity at a high efficiency and useful heat. For use in a residence, a polymer electrolyte fuel cell system(PEFCS) with a battery pack and a hot water storage tank has been modelled and simulated. The system is operated without connection to grid line. Its electric conversion efficiency and heat recovery performance are highly dependent on operation strategies and also on the seasonal thermal and electric load pattern. The output of the fuel cell is controlled stepwise as a function of the state of the battery and/or the storage water tank. In this study various operation strategies for cogeneration fuel cell systems are investigated. Average fuel saving rates at different seasons are calculated to find proper load management strategy. The scheme can be used to determine the optimal operating strategies of PEFCS for residential and building applications.

• 한국신재생에너지학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2010.06a
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• pp.125.1-125.1
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• 2010

A high efficiency polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) fuel cell stack was developed for pressurized pure hydrogen and oxygen supplying conditions. The design objective for the cell stack was to maximize the electric efficiency and to minimize exhaust-gas emissions from it simultaneously. To achieve this objective, the cell stack was designed to use pure hydrogen and oxygen as fuel and oxidant, respectively, and to be operated under high gas inlet pressures and in a stage-wise dead-end operation mode. Major components constituting the cell stack, such as membrane electrode assembly, bipolar-plate, and gasket, have been developed to meet a target durability even in severe operating conditions: high gas inlet pressures and usage of pure oxygen. A high-power fuel cell stack was assembled using these components to verify the performance. The cell stack showed a good performance in terms of the efficiency and maximum power output.

• International Journal of Automotive Technology
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• v.6 no.4
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• pp.429-436
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• 2005

In this paper, operation algorithms are evaluated for a fuel cell hybrid electric vehicle (FCHEV). Power assist, load leveling and equivalent fuel algorithm are proposed and implemented in the FCHEV performance simulator. It is found from the simulation results that the load leveling algorithm shows poor fuel economy due to the system charge and discharge efficiency. In the power assist and equivalent fuel algorithm, the fuel cell stack is operated in a relatively better efficiency region owing to the battery power assist, which provides the improved fuel economy.