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Den danske brint- og brændselscelledag 2017

-COBRA II – COmmercial BReaktrough of

Advanced Fuel Cells II

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Categories, Partners and Key figures

Original project title: COmmercial BReakthrough of Advanced Fuel Cells II - COBRA II

Program: EUDPCommon overall technology area: Hydrogen and fuel cellsProgram-specific technology area: Liquid biofuels

• DTU: Electrode holders and catalyst optimization decomposition analyzes, test activities.

• Danish Power Systems: Development and optimization of MEAs, expansion and development of MEA manufacturing processes.

• SerEnergy: Stack and module optimization, BOP components development, production setup and product modeling.

• AAU: Test activities, system development and component development.

Period: 8/2013 - 11/2017 Year of grant: 2012Own financing: 17.66 millionAid amount: 21.92 millionSupport percentage : 55%Project budget : 39.58 million

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The technology developed in this project will be competitive in a verified and proven market, where thousands of fuel cell systems are already used.

The COBRA program has already shown good results, and the ambition is to create additional jobs and sustainable growth in the companies and affiliates involved.

The technology offers a viable and cost effective solution for reducing CO2 emissions and creating a 100% renewable energy system in Denmark.

HT-PEM fuel cell The system has an integrated fuel reformer that can convert methanol to hydrogen and enables reuse of the fuel cell's exhaust heat. This provides very high efficiency with a cheap, sustained and easily manageable fuel. The persistent methanol can be biologically produced from biomass or synthesized from hydrogen and carbon.

• The primary objective of the project is to optimize the platform from COBRA I.• Optimize and increase performance within key parameters according to COBRA technology roadmap.• Develop Balance of Plant and System Components.• Cost optimization and production setup• 3-5 modules inserted in ground demonstration and OEM verification• Further commercial analysis and activities. The project will increase system life from 3000 to 5000 hours and

reduce the price from 4000 to 2600 EUR / KW.

Project overview / aims / objectives

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COBRA Key Roadmap

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Reformed Methanol Fuel Cell System

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From Components to Final Module

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Developments – Flow Plate & Gasket

The optimized flow plate should fulfill the following conditions:• Thin Bi-Polar Plate (BPP) thickness• A gas flow, evenly distributed over the flow field.• A stable BPP, that do not brake• Easy and cheap to produce

• A flow plate has been designed to achieved better stack performance and a more compact stack. With the designed flow plates, the BPP thickness was reduced from 2,7 mm to 2 mm, which will make the stack much more compact.

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Developments – Stack Testing

The stack builder setup has been completed,

enabling mid-volume production. The stack

tester setup has been completed, enabling an

easy test on stack. The setup can detect error in

stack such as faulty single MEAs. The detection of

error MEAs, will enable easy repair of the stacks

since the root of the problem can now be

pinpointed.

10 cell short-stack test bench in AAU

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Developments – Diagnostics

Burner Temperature Controller

• A new control concept was developed for a reformed methanol fuel cell system.

• The control concept resulted in a few percentage point improvements of system efficiency and also improved

the ability of the system to follow the load under dynamic operating conditions.

• Fault detection and isolation (FDI) algorithm based on an artificial neural network (AAN) classifier was

developed for the system.

• The algorithm was demonstrated and showed a global accuracy of 94.6%, with a good detectability for four of

the five faults investigated, i.e., carbon monoxide contamination on the anode, methanol vapor contamination

on the anode, hydrogen starvation, air starvation and too high air flow.

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Developments – Power Electronics

• Based on the results presented by the Serenergy A/S power electronic team, the modular solution using H-Bridge buck-

boost converter is a suitable solution for a non-isolated next generation power conditioning unit for HT-PEM fuel cells

using soft switching technology or boundary conduction mode (BCM).

• By analyzing wide bandgap switches, they show new perspectives for the future in hard switching (continuous

conduction mode - CCM) operation.

• The advantages of using GaN transistors like low switching loss characteristics at high frequency operation will lead to

smaller cooling and magnetic components and higher power density and make them suitable in the future for building

new high efficiency DC-DC power converters for fuel cells.

• The price of such devices also makes them promising candidates if we look at the possible improvements and resulting

efficiency.

H-Bridge buck and converter

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Developments – Legal & Regulatory

The fuel cell power system has been redesigned from the version 2 to the version 3 in order to improve the production speed and cost, compared to the version 2. The most notable improvements are the following:

• The fuel buffer tank was replaced by an injector controlled system

• The external heat exchanger was switched to a commercially available radiator solution.

• The ventilation through the module has been improved.

• The power line routing has been changed from wires to a bus bar.

The module has been examined for the most common risks, during a hazards and operability study or HAZOP and the outcome of the study was used for the design of the internal safety system.

This was performed in the form of an Design Failure Mode and Effect Analysis (DFMEA), as recommended by chapter 4.1 of the standard for Safety in Stationary Fuel Cell Power Systems.

During the analysis the components of the system were analyzed, and the failure effects were defined for the components. This has led to a set of design requirements, i.e. sensor redundancy in some cases, which improves the safety of the system.

60% Methanol/40% water

High Temperature Proton Exchange Membrane - HT PEM

45% Efficiency

Fuel cellReformerEvaporator waste heat driven

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Developments – Legal & Regulatory

For stationary applications

The Fuel Cell Power System must be certified according to the following standards:

• DS/EN 62282-3-100:2012 "Fuel cell technologies - Part 3-100: Stationary fuel cell power systems - Safety"

• DS/EN 62282-2:2012 "Fuel cell technologies - Part 2: Fuel cell modules"

• DS/EN 62282-3-201:2012 "Fuel cell technologies - Part 3-201: Stationary fuel cell power systems - Performance test

methods for small fuel cell power systems"

• DS/EN 61000-6-2:2005 "Electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) - Part 6-2: Generic standards - Immunity for industrial

environments"

• DS/EN 61000-6-4:2007 "Electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) - Part 6-4: Generic standards - Emission standard for

industrial environments"

• DS/EN 50581:2012 "Technical documentation for the assessment of electrical and electronic products with respect to the

restriction of hazardous substances"

• DS/EN ISO 13849-1 "Safety of machinery - Safety-related parts of control systems - Part 1: General principles for design"

• DS/EN ISO 13849-2 "Safety of machinery - Safety-related parts of control systems - Part 2: Validation"

• DS/EN 60079-10-1:2015 "Explosive atmospheres - Part 10-1: Classification of areas - Explosive gas atmospheres"

• DS/EN 60204-1:2006 "Safety of machinery - Electrical equipment of machines - Part 1: General requirements"

• DS/EN 60950-1:2006 "Information technology equipment – Safety – Part 1: General requirements"

The product will be certified according to the overall standard of the DS/EN 62282-3-100 and the remaining standards are for supporting the main standard where needed. The product will be tested according to the described tests presented in the givenstandards.

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Developments – Legal & Regulatory

For automotive applications

There are some differences, when looking at the certification of the fuel cell system for mobility and automotive, compared to the stationary applications.

This is more of a grey area where the fuel cell can be approved with the final installation in an electric vehicle. This was the approach chosen for MECC.

Approval of the fuel cell unit it self can be done, if the fuel cell is approved as a spare part to be installed in any electriccar.

The difference is that the fuel cell standards mentioned above are superseded by the UN regulations and European adoptions of these rules.

• R10 - Electromagnetic compatibility

• R100 - Electric power trained vehicles

• European regulation 79/2009 Hydrogen driven vehicles

• European regulation 406/2010 Type approval of fuel cell driven vehicles

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Developments –OEM Testing

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Developments –OEM Testing

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Developments –Test Sites

PhilippinesNorway India

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Developments – Serenus EV-ReX

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Conclusion / perspective

• The primary objective of the COBRA II, the optimization of an integrated fuel cell module was reached within

the timeframe of the project.

• Several changes were incorporated in the designs that also lead to other major improvements and changes over the

system architecture to achieve a Balance of Plant (BoP) on which the remaining system components were

integrated in a more logical and convenient way.

• COBRA II required a greater level of cooperation and interaction between the partners since the module and key

components developments for greater performance demanded an overall review of existing designs and a

reformulation on developing strategy to meet the tight deadlines stipulated on the agreed Timeplan.

• The cost optimization was achieved by having a higher level of components integrations and increased

standardization in the electric/electronic side, allowing larger production of units and enhanced quality control

procedures.

• The stack production is still the most expensive part of the system due to the specifics of the employed technology,

but work is being carried on to optimize as well other key parts, being the reformer design a focus point.

• The COBRA projects and derivative practice indentations will drive the expansion of the production facility to

accommodate up to 3 shifts, with as many as 50 workers per shift to respond to the increased demand, both of

the methanol fuel cell on itself, as well as on dedicated assembly of existent vehicles and build up from zero of

a E-mobility solution.