Project Description

The use of green hydrogen in electric vehicles by means of fuel cells is of great interest due to numerous advantages, such as the elimination of CO2 emissions, high efficiency, long range as well as possible fast refuelling. However, fuel cells are sensitive to the dynamic load cycles typical in vehicle applications, as these promote aging. The associated loss of performance and shortening of lifetime are among the major challenges in the development of fuel cell systems today.

In order to enable damage-free transient phases, model-based control concepts are designed in this project. High-resolution simulation models, real-time capable performance models as well as fuel cell test benches are used. This enables the identification of local damage-relevant operating conditions, the real-time capability of the developed control concepts as well as the validation based on measurement data.

A hydrogen-powered car drives along a winding road between fir trees

Figure: Development of a model-based control concept to enable transient phases without damage

Project Goals

  • Identification of damage-relevant operating conditions
  • Design of dynamic test cycles for performance and damage analysis
  • Development of model-based control concepts for fuel cells in transient operation to reduce degradation and aging
  • Increasing the lifetime and efficiency of fuel cells

Publications

Bartlechner, Johanna, Christoph Hametner, and Stefan Jakubek. "Health-conscious MPC for PEM fuel cells considering main degradation mechanisms of cathode catalyst, opens an external URL in a new window." IFAC-PapersOnLine 59, no. 5 (2025): 73-78.

Fuchs, Benjamin, Florian Altmann, Martin Vrlić, Stefan Braun, Martin Kozek, Christoph Hametner, and Stefan Jakubek. "Nonlinear distributed-parameter observer design for efficient estimation of internal temperature profiles in polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells., opens an external URL in a new window" Nonlinear Dynamics (2025): 1-25.

Fuchs, Benjamin, Christoph Hametner, and Stefan Jakubek. "Model predictive humidity distribution control for polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells., opens an external URL in a new window" In 2024 IEEE Vehicle Power and Propulsion Conference (VPPC), pp. 1-6. IEEE, 2024.

Bartlechner, Johanna, Martin Vrlić, Christoph Hametner, and Stefan Jakubek. "State-of-Health observer for PEM fuel cells—A novel approach for real-time online analysis, opens an external URL in a new window." International Journal of Hydrogen Energy (2024).

Vrlić, Martin, Dominik Pernsteiner, Alexander Schirrer, Christoph Hametner, and Stefan Jakubek. "Reduced-dimensionality nonlinear distributed-parameter observer for fuel cell systems., opens an external URL in a new window" Energy Reports 10 (2023): 1-14.

Cooperation Partner

Duration

  • January 2022 - ongoing

More Projects

Contact

Associate Prof. Dipl.-Ing. Dr.techn.Christoph Hametner

Send email to Christoph Hametner