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Instrumentation of a PEM Fuel Cell Vehicle Bruce Sun, Wallace Turner, Micheal Parten Tim Maxwell Electrical and Computer Engineering Mechanical Engineering Texas Tech University

I. Introduction

Electric vehicles have long held the promise of zero emission vehicles. However, battery powered electric vehicles have not been accepted by the general public, in large part, because of their very limited range. A hydrogen-based, fuel cell could provide the power necessary to give an electric vehicle the same range as a modern gasoline powered vehicle. In this case, a fuel cell is a device that converts hydrogen into electricity by a simple oxidation reaction. The products of the electrochemical process are electricity, heat and water. In a fuel cell powered vehicle, an equivalent series hybrid power train provides the driving power to the wheels. Both the battery pack and the PEM fuel cell system supply power to the motor and motor controller. Since the output electrical power of the fuel cell stack is designed to exceed the average power demands of the vehicle, the batteries can be charged while driving. The range of the vehicle is then tied to the amount of hydrogen or fuel that is on board. A fuel cell powered vehicle consists of the integration of many complex nonlinear systems. The power train, generally, contains a proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cell stack with its accessories, a DC/DC converter, battery pack, motors and motor controllers. A PEM fuel cell stack is, itself, a complex electrochemical system.1- 4

Over the past several years, Texas Tech University’s Advanced Vehicle Engineering Laboratory (AVEL) has converted five conventional vehicles to HEVs and alternative fueled vehicles for the various Vehicle Challenges sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), the three major U.S. automobile manufacturers, the Society of Automotive Engineers and Natural Resources Canada.5-9

Of particular interest today is the popularity of full sized sport utility vehicles (SUV). These vehicles are reversing the trends, over the last few years, of reduced emissions and improved fuel economy. In line with these problems, recent work at AVEL has included the conversion of a 2000 model General Motors Suburban to a fuel cell powered vehicle.

The development of the vehicle is a multidisciplinary project with students from mechanical engineering, electrical engineering and computer science involved. The majority of the team members are enrolled in a two-semester senior design sequence. However, some graduate students and volunteers also participated in the program. Faculty advisors from both electrical and mechanical engineering provide guidance for the team.

The fuel cell’s performance is directly related to a large number of factors, which must be monitored and controlled. In this application, a modular LabVIEW Virtual Instrument is used to

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Maxwell, T., & Parten, M. (2002, June), Instrumentation Of A Pem Fuel Cell Vehicle Paper presented at 2002 Annual Conference, Montreal, Canada. 10.18260/1-2--10520