Exergo-technological explicit methodology for gas-turbine system optimization for series hybrid electric vehicles

Abstract

International audienceSignificant research efforts have been invested in the automotive industry on hybrid-electrified powertrains in order to reduce the passenger cars’ dependence on oil. Powertrains electrification resulted in a wide range of hybrid vehicle architectures. Fuel consumption of these powertrains strongly relies on the energy converter performance, as well as on the energy management strategy deployed on-board. This paper investigates the potential of fuel consumption savings of a series hybrid electric vehicle (SHEV) using a gas turbine (GT) as energy converter instead of the conventional internal combustion engine (ICE). An exergo-technological explicit analysis is conducted to identify the best GT-system configuration. An intercooled regenerative reheat cycle is prioritized, offering higher efficiency and power density compared to other investigated GT-systems. A SHEV model is developed and powertrain components are sized considering vehicle performance criteria. Energy consumption simulations are performed on the worldwide-harmonized light vehicles test procedure (WLTP) driving cycle using dynamic programing as global optimal energy management strategy. A sensitivity analysis is also carried out in order to evaluate the impact of the battery size on the fuel consumption, for self-sustaining and plug-in hybrid SHEV configurations. Results show 22% to 25% improved fuel consumption with GT as auxiliary power unit (APU) compared to ICE. Consequently,the studied GT-APU presents a potential for implementation on SHEVs