Project Description:
The goal of this project was to design a fuel cell that can be used for a vehicle powered by clean H2. The hydrogen production unit was simulated in Aspen Plus using an alkaline electrolyzer operating at 353.15 K and 1.0 bar. The system produced hydrogen at a rate of 0.00628 mol/s, or 543 mol per day, which meets the project’s target of 0.67 kilograms of hydrogen per day. This output is sufficient to support a 40-mile daily vehicle driving range.
To ensure complete use of renewable energy, solar photovoltaic panels (PV) are used to supply enough electricity for electrolysis in Aspen. The project assumes the setup of the hydrogen plant to be in the State of Maryland, and therefore the energy demand calculations are based on irradiance data specific to the region. With an average daily energy requirement of 39.2 kWh to meet a hydrogen production target of 1.09 kg/day (543 mol/day or 0.00628 mol/s), the total required PV surface area is estimated to be approximately 94.5 m², assuming 15% panel efficiency.
The fuel cell is designed using FreeCAD and each part is used to design an overall stack of different components in sequence. The stack developed matches with industry standards in regard to design of the bipolar plate, cooling mechanism, serpentine design, and membrane electrode assembly.
The total estimated capital cost of the system is $102,900, which includes the electrolyzer ($5,400), fuel cell stack ($3,000), and solar PV array ($94,500). These values are based on typical benchmark prices of $1,200/kW for electrolyzers, $100/kW for fuel cells, and $1,000/m² for solar PV panels.
