Liquid Cooling of Fuel Cell Powered Aircraft: The Effect of Coolants on Thermal Management

Adam C Frey, David Bosak, Joseph Stonham, Carl Sangan, Oliver Pountney
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Abstract

Electric propulsors powered by Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells (PEMFCs) offer a net zero solution to aircraft propulsion. Heat generated by the PEMFCs can be transferred to atmospheric air via a liquid cooling system; however, the cooling system results in parasitic power and adds mass to the propulsion system, thereby affecting system specific power. The design of the cooling system is sensitive to the choice of liquid coolant and so informed coolant selection is required if associated parasitic power and mass are to be minimized. Two approaches to selection of coolants for PEMFC-powered aircraft are presented in this paper for operating temperatures in the range 80-200°C (this covers low, intermediate, and high temperature PEMFCs). The first approach uses a Figure of Merit (FoM) alongside minimum and maximum operating temperature requirements. The FoM supports the selection of coolants that minimize pumping power and mass while maximizing heat transfer rate. The second approach uses a cooling system model to select ȜPareto efficientȝ coolants. A hybrid-electric aircraft using a PEMFC stack is used as a representative case study for the two approaches. Hydrocarbon-based coolants are shown to be favorable for the case study considered here (aromatics for PEMFCs operating at <130°C and aliphatics for PEMFCs operating at >130°C). As the PEMFC operating temperature increases, the parasitic power and mass of the TMS decreases. Operating at elevated temperatures is therefore beneficial for liquid cooled PEMFC-powered aircraft. Nevertheless, there are diminishing performance gains at higher operating temperatures.
燃料电池动力飞机的液体冷却:冷却剂对热管理的影响
由质子交换膜燃料电池(PEMFC)提供动力的电动推进器为飞机推进提供了一种净零解决方案。PEMFC 产生的热量可通过液体冷却系统转移到大气中;然而,冷却系统会产生寄生功率并增加推进系统的质量,从而影响系统的比功率。冷却系统的设计对液体冷却剂的选择非常敏感,因此,如果要将相关的寄生功率和质量降到最低,就必须在知情的情况下选择冷却剂。本文介绍了两种为工作温度在 80-200°C 范围内的 PEMFC 动力飞机选择冷却剂的方法(包括低温、中温和高温 PEMFC)。第一种方法是在提出最低和最高工作温度要求的同时,使用 "优点图"(FoM)。FoM 支持冷却剂的选择,以最大限度地降低泵功率和质量,同时最大限度地提高热传导率。第二种方法使用冷却系统模型来选择ȜPareto 高效ȝ冷却剂。使用 PEMFC 烟囱的混合动力电动飞机是这两种方法的代表性案例研究。研究表明,碳氢化合物冷却剂对本案例研究有利(芳烃冷却剂适用于工作温度为 130°C 的 PEMFC)。随着 PEMFC 工作温度的升高,TMS 的寄生功率和质量也随之降低。因此,在较高温度下工作有利于液冷 PEMFC 驱动的飞机。不过,在更高的工作温度下,性能的提升也会逐渐减少。
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