Motor vehicles with internal combustion engines are increasingly confronted with the challenge of managing with less fuel but with greater power at the wheels and an increasing number of auxiliary components in the car. An approach to solving this problem is the selective management of devices necessary for operation and those that represent auxiliaries. However, the necessary separation of engine speed and electrification of auxiliaries requires a more efficient electricity supply. If this can be made available with higher efficiency in comparison to present technology then fuel consumption as a whole can be reduced. In competition with starter-generators, fuel cell systems will in future provide the option of a more efficient electricity supply on board the vehicle. This contribution compares the present status of on-board electricity supply (with generator and battery) with variants based on the starter-generator and the fuel cell APU (high-temperature technology, solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC)). Suitable configurations of the vehicle power train are first presented. Results of a process engineering analysis define the potential efficiency of electricity generation with SOFC fuel cell systems. In order to finally determine the fuel consumption per kilometre in dynamic operation, not only will the driving cycle be defined but also the load profiles of the auxiliaries, if they do not result from vehicle operation, within the framework of a model-based dynamic drive train simulation. As a result, the fuel consumption of the variants investigated will be presented and the application possibilities for fuel cell APUs and starter-generators assessed.
Assessment of the application of fuel cell APUs and starter-generators to reduce automobile fuel consumption
Bewertung des Einsatzes von Brennstoffzellen-Stromversorgern und Starter-Generatoren zur Verminderung des Brennstoffverbrauchs von Kraftfahrzeugen
2005
11 Seiten, 6 Bilder, 2 Tabellen, 11 Quellen
Conference paper
English
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