Efficiency and time-optimal control of fuel cell - compressor - electrical drive systems

The proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) based power generation sys- tem is regarded as one of the perspective energy supply solutions for a wide variety of applications including distributed power plants and transport. The main compo- nent of the FC system is the FC stack, where the process of electrochemical energy conversion takes place. Additionally, such systems usually contain an auxiliary compression subsystem which supplies the reactant gases to the FC stack as well as maintains certain operation conditions: pressure, temperature, humidity, etc. The proper operation of the compression system signi¯cantly improves the performance characteristics of the total system. On the other hand, it consumes a portion of the electrical energy produced, thus reducing the net e±ciency of the total system. This thesis focuses on an innovative way to improve both the energy e±ciency and the response characteristics of a power generation system with a PEMFC. The approach principally consists of the control of the air compressor powered by the electrical drive. This method could be considered as an alternative to a redesign of the complete system (changing the power level, using an extra energy bu®er, etc). The modern high-speed centrifugal compressor has been regarded as one of the best candidates for the FC system. It has appropriate characteristics with respect to e±ciency, reliability, compact design, etc. However, the presence of a stability margin or so-called "surge line" limits its operation area. With the aim to overcome this constraint, a novel active surge suppression approach has been proposed for application in the system. This control method relies on the high-performance speed control of the electrical drive and accurate measurement and estimation of the thermodynamic quantities, such as air pressure and mass °ow. The choice of an induction motor drive has been justi¯ed by its commonly known advantages: low cost, simple construction, high reliability, etc. These features be- come especially important in high-speed applications. For the detailed investigation and performance prediction of the prime mover, a global electromagnetic design pro- cedure with thermal analysis of a high-speed induction motor has been performed. The obtained analytical results have been veri¯ed numerically by a high-precision Finite Elements Method. A good agreement between the analytical and FEM simu- lation results has been achieved. The mentioned active surge control in combination with the high-performance ¯eld-oriented control of the induction motor has been im- plemented and tested. The test bench comprises the centrifugal compressor with the PVC piping system, the high-speed induction motor drive, the real-time data acquisition and the control system. The experimental results proved the e®ective- ness of the active surge suppression by means of the drive torque actuation: the operation point of the compressor can be moved beyond the surge line while the process remains stable. Using the combined mathematical models of the FC stack, the centrifugal com- pressor and the ¯eld-oriented controlled induction motor drive, the static and dy- namic behavior of the total system have been simulated, allowing to clarify the interaction between the electrochemical processes in the FC stack, the thermody- namic processes in the compression system and the electromechanical performance of the drive. Various system operating regimes have been proposed and analyzed. When the FC electrical load changes frequently and fast, the constant-speed operating regime can be used. In case of a slow variation of the FC electrical load, the variable- speed operating regime is advisable, providing a high energy e±ciency at low FC load. In intermediate cases, the load-following-mass °ow operating regime with the application of the active surge control of the compressor becomes preferable. This operating regime eliminates the relatively long mechanical transient process, keep- ing the energy consumption of the balance of plant (BoP) approximately linearly proportional to the main load. The operating regime with applied linear quadratic Gaussian (LQG) time-optimal control has been proposed as an alternative to the load-following-mass °ow operating regime and the variable-speed operating regime. The transition between two steady-state operating points, where the system e±- ciency is maximum, follows the time-optimal trajectory, keeping the transient re- sponse time small. Finally, recommendations for further research have been formulated concerning the dynamic response and energy-e±ciency of a fuel cell system. Mainly, the recom- mendations concern further improvements of presented control strategies and their more comprehensive experimental veri¯cation using a complete FC system. First of all, the use of a direct induction motor drive for the compressor stabiliza- tion would signi¯cantly improve the e®ectiveness of the surge control. It would allow to control the surge of higher frequency, or to stabilize the compressor operation at larger distance from the surge line. Second, a combination of the electrical drive torque control with a valve position control would result probably in a more e®ective surge control, together with fast transients of the system operating point. Third, the application of the electrical drive for the compressor active surge control in a FC system would require new control algorithms for energy-e±ciency improvement of the induction motor, not compromising its high-performance capa- bilities

Supercritical fluid recycle for surge control of CO2 centrifugal compressors

AbstractThis paper presents computer-based design and analysis of control systems for centrifugal compressors when the operating fluid is supercritical CO2.It reports a non-linear dynamic model including a main forward compression line and two different configurations for the recycle antisurge line. Disturbance scenarios are proposed for testing the configurations and performance indicators are suggested to evaluate control performance and power consumption of the compression system.The paper demonstrates that compared to the hot recycle, the process configuration including a cold gas recycle has better overall stability, but higher power consumption and lower values for the control performance indicators. Based on the previous considerations, the paper gives suggestions regarding the choice of the recycle configuration. Moreover it compares subcritical and supercritical compression during surge prevention and highlights the importance of the selection of the gas recycle configuration when full recycle is needed

Model Predictive Anti-Surge Control of Centrifugal Compressors with Variable-Speed Drives

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On Active Surge Control of Compression Systems Via Characteristic Linearization and Model Nonlinearity Cancellation

A simple approach of active surge control of compression systems is presented. Specifically, nonlinear components of the pressure ratio and rotating speed states of the Moore-Greitzer model are transferred into the input vectors. Subsequently, the compressor characteristic is linearized into two modes, which describe the stable region and the unstable region respectively. As a result, the system\u27s state and input matrices both appear linear, to which linear realization and analysis are applicable. A linear quadratic regulator plus integrator is then chosen as closed-loop controller. By simulation it was shown that the modified model and characteristics can describe surge behavior, while the closed-loop controller can stabilize the system in the unstable operating region. The last-mentioned was achieved when massflow was 5.38 per cent less than the surge point

Bond graph modeling of centrifugal compression systems

A novel approach to model unsteady fluid dynamics in a compressor network by using a bond graph is presented. The model is intended in particular for compressor control system development. First, we develop a bond graph model of a single compression system. Bond graph modeling offers a different perspective to previous work by modeling the compression system based on energy flow instead of fluid dynamics. Analyzing the bond graph model explains the energy flow during compressor surge. Two principal solutions for compressor surge problem are identified: upstream energy injection and downstream energy dissipation. Both principal solutions are verified in bond graph modelings of single compression system equipped with a surge avoidance system (SAS) and single compression system equipped with an active control system. Moreover, the bond graph model of single compressor equipped with SAS is able to show the effect of recycling flow to the compressor upstream states which improves the current available model. The bond graph model of a single compression system is then used as the base model and combined to build compressor network models. Two compressor networks are modeled: serial compressors and parallel compressors. Simulation results show the surge conditions in both compressor networks.© SAGE. This is the authors’ accepted and refereed manuscript to the article

Design considerations for an engine-integrated reciprocating natural gas compressor

2014 Fall.Includes bibliographical references.This thesis presents the development of an engine retrofit concept to turn a ICE vehicle's engine into a compressor for convenient natural gas refueling, as opposed to building a smaller secondary standalone unit. More specifically, this project seeks to outfit an internal combustion engine (ICE) to serve the dual purposes of providing vehicle propulsion and compression for natural gas refueling with minimal hardware substitution. The principal objective of this thesis is to describe and analyze the dynamic and thermal design considerations for an automotive engine-integrated reciprocating natural gas (NG) compressor. The purpose of this compressor is to pressurize storage tanks in NG vehicles from a low-pressure NG source by using one of the cylinders in an engine as the compressor. The engine-integrated compressor is developed by making minor changes to a 5.9 liter displacement diesel-cycle automotive engine. In this design, a small tank and its requisite valving are added to the engine as an intermediate storage tank to enable a single compressor cylinder to perform two-stage compression. The resulting pressure in the compressor cylinder and storage tank is 25 MPa, equivalent to the storage and delivery pressure of conventional compressed NG delivery systems. The dynamic simulation results show that the high cylinder pressures required for the compression process create reaction torques on the crankshaft, but do not generate abnormal rotational speed oscillations. The thermal simulation results show that the temperature of the storage tank and engine increases over the safety temperature of the NG unless an active thermal management system is developed to cool the NG before it is admitted to the storage tanks. Results are then translated into vehicle-level operating costs and petroleum consumption for a dual-fuel NG-diesel vehicle

DESIGN, MANUFACTURE, AND TEST CAMPAIGN OF THE WORLD’S LARGEST LNG REFRIGERATION COMPRESSOR STRINGS

LectureIncreasing demand for LNG has driven the requirement for a significant increase in LNG plant capacity. Qatargas II (QGII), a joint venture initiated by Qatar Petroleum, is committed to accomplish this while reducing plant emissions and making more efficient use of energy resources. The Qatargas II LNG project has applied the AP-XTM process for two large LNG trains (7.8 MTA) presently under construction in Qatar at Ras Laffan Industrial City (RLIC). Approximately 280 MW of refrigeration compression will be required to achieve this goal. This paper addresses the design, manufacture, and test campaign of the world’s largest LNG refrigeration compressor strings

Computational and experimental study of air hybrid engine concepts

This thesis was submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy and awarded by Brunel UniversityThe air hybrid engine absorbs the vehicle kinetic energy during braking, stores it in an air tank in the form of compressed air, and reuses it to start the engine and to propel a vehicle during cruising and acceleration. Capturing, storing and reusing this braking energy to achieve stop-start operation and to give additional power can therefore improve fuel economy, particularly in cities and urban areas where the traffic conditions involve many stops and starts. In order to reuse the residual kinetic energy, the vehicle operation consists of 3 basic modes, i.e. Compression Mode (CM), Expander Mode (EM) and normal firing mode, as well as stop-start operation through an air starter. A four-cylinder 2 litre diesel engine has been modelled to operate in four air hybrid engine configurations so that the braking and motoring performance of each configuration could be studied. These air hybrid systems can be constructed with production technologies and incur minimum changes to the existing engine design. The regenerative engine braking and starting capability is realised through the employment of an innovative simple one-way intake system and a production cam profile switching (CPS) mechanism. The hybrid systems will allow the engine to be cranked by the compressed air at moderate pressure without using addition starters or dedicated valves in the cylinder head. Therefore, the proposed air hybrid engine systems can be considered as a cost-effective regenerative hybrid powertrain and can be implemented in vehicles using existing production technologies. A novel cost-effective pneumatic regenerative stop-start hybrid system, Regenerative Engine Braking Device (RegenEBD), for buses and commercial vehicles is presented. RegenEBD is capable of converting kinetic energy into pneumatic energy in the compressed air saved in an air tank using a production engine braking device and other production type automotive components and a proprietary intake system design. The compressed air is then used to drive an air starter to achieve regenerative stop-start operations. The proposed hybrid system can work with the existing vehicle transmission system and can be implemented with the retro-fitted valve actuation device and a sandwich block mounted between the cylinder head and the production intake manifold. Compression mode operation is achieved by keeping the intake valves from fully closed throughout the four-strokes through a production type variable valve exhaust brake (VVEB) device on the intake valves. As a result, the induced air could be compressed through the opening gap of intake valves into the air tank through the intake system of proprietary design. The compressed air can then be used to crank the engine directly through the air expander operation or indirectly through the action of an air starter in production. A single cylinder camless engine has been set up and operated to evaluate the compression mode performance of two air hybrid concepts. The experimental results are then compared with the computational output with excellent agreement. In order to evaluate the potential of the air hybrid engine technologies, a new vehicle driving cycle simulation program has been developed using Matlab Simulink. An air hybrid engine sub-model and methodology for modelling the air hybrid engine’s performance have been proposed and implemented in the vehicle driving cycle simulation. The NEDC analysis of a Ford Mondeo vehicle shows that the vehicle can achieve regenerative stop-start operations throughout the driving cycle when it is powered by a 2.0litre diesel engine with air hybrid operation using a 40litre air tank of less than 10bar pressure. The regenerative stop-start operation can lead to 4.5% fuel saving during the NEDC. Finally, the Millbrook London Transport Bus (MLTB) driving cycle has been used to analyse the effectiveness of RegenEBD on a double deck bus powered by a Yuchai diesel engine. The results show that 90% stop-starts during the MLTB can be accomplished by RegenEBD and that a significant fuel saving of 6.5% can be obtained from the regenerative stop-start operations

The architecture of pneumatic regenerative systems for the diesel engine

For vehicles whose duty cycle is dominated by start-stop operation, fuel consumption may be significantly improved by better management of the start-stop process. Pneumatic hybrid technology represents one technology pathway to realise this goal. Vehicle kinetic energy is converted to pneumatic energy by compressing air into air tank(s) during the braking. The recovered air is reused to supply an air starter, or supply energy to the air path in order to reduce turbo-lag. This research aims to explore the concept and control of a novel pneumatic hybrid powertrain for a city bus application to identify the potential for improvements in fuel economy and drivability. In order to support the investigation of energy management, system architecture and control methodologies, two kinds of simulation models are created. Backward-facing simulation models have been built using Simulink. Forward-facing models have been developed in the GT-POWER and Simulink co-simulation. After comparison, the fully controllable hybrid braking system is chosen to realize the regenerative braking function. A number of architectures for managing a rapid energy transfer into the powertrain to reduce turbo-lag have been investigated. A city bus energy control strategy has been proposed to realize the Stop-Start Function, Boost Function, and Regenerative Braking Function as well as the normal operations. An optimisation study is conducted to identify the relationships between operating parameters and respectively fuel consumption, performance and energy usage. In conclusion, pneumatic hybrid technology can improve the city bus fuel economy by at least 6% in a typical bus driving cycle, and reduce the engine brake torque response and vehicle acceleration. Based on the findings, it can be learned that the pneumatic hybrid technology offers a clear and low-cost alternative to the electric hybrid technology in improving fuel economy and vehicle drivability