{"id":58383,"date":"2024-07-11T14:52:25","date_gmt":"2024-07-11T18:52:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/simcenter\/?p=58383"},"modified":"2026-03-26T06:36:04","modified_gmt":"2026-03-26T10:36:04","slug":"hydrogen-usage-with-simcenter-system-simulation-mobility-and-stationary-applications-part-3","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/simcenter\/hydrogen-usage-with-simcenter-system-simulation-mobility-and-stationary-applications-part-3\/","title":{"rendered":"Hydrogen usage with Simcenter System Simulation: Mobility and stationary applications \u2013 Part 3"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

This blog post is the Part 3 of a blog series for addressing the industrial Hydrogen challenges with Simcenter System Simulation. It\u2019s focused on the Hydrogen utilization in Mobility and stationary applications. A quick overview is introduced in the previous Part 1<\/a> with explanations why Simulation is really appropriate to address the Hydrogen challenges. While another Part 2<\/a> shows various applications for hydrogen production, distribution and storage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hydrogen can be used for many applications including power generation, heating buildings and transportation. Because of its versatility, many countries have developed clean hydrogen production strategies and invested in its transport and usage. Let\u2019s have a deeper look here to better understand the benefits of using System Simulation for the Hydrogen usage in Mobility (passenger cars, trucks, forklifts, excavators, airplanes, ships, railways, \u2026) and stationary applications (hydrogen refueling stations, residentials, \u2026). We\u2019ll see how System Simulation is driving the digital transformation to tackle all your Hydrogen challenges.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hydrogen Refueling Stations (HRS)<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

\u267b\ufe0f\ud83d\udca7\u26fd We see more and more traction for our ready-to-use digital twins for Hydrogen Refueling Stations<\/a> (HRS) with Simcenter Amesim. There\u2019s actually a big gap between the nice images showing clean, perfect and seamless refueling stations and the reality with complex systems which are actually a bunch of multiple components (compressors, valves, tanks, \u2026) combined with automation, advanced control logics and thermal management with heat exchangers. So the reality is complex challenges to manage practically to get efficient and cost-effective installations. Let\u2019s see how our tools have all the appropriate capabilities to investigate many scenarios \ud83d\udcca that run in few seconds \u23f1\ufe0f thanks to System Simulation.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Hydrogen Refueling Stations (HRS) are complex systems with many components inside<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

Practically, it\u2019s related to tackle many design requirements, reason why System Simulation is needed here for:
\ud83d\udcd0 Sizing and performances
\ud83d\udcda All hydrogen components (valves, \u2026), predefined and ready-to-use (no coding)
\ud83d\udca7 Real gas at high pressure with the right Equations of State (EoS)
\ud83c\udf21\ufe0f Thermal management, cooling
\ud83c\udf9b\ufe0f Control strategies with state machines (Statechart)
\ud83d\udd0c Connection to the PLCs (Inputs\/Outputs) and Hardware devices
\u2699\ufe0f Automation and Virtual Commissioning
\u231b Minimizing refueling time to few minutes (similar to fuels)
\u267b\ufe0f System efficiency (influence of compression, highest %)
\ud83d\udca5 Safety, no risk of explosion (operators, \u2026)
\ud83d\udcb0 Cost effective (CAPEX\/OPEX)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hydrogen storage systems for trucks<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Compressed Hydrogen tanks can be seen as simple components like chamber volumes, but they are actually complex systems to manage. Especially during filling and defueling, there are huge evolutions in temperatures at various locations within the tank and all along the tank walls, that need to be controlled properly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When several tanks are combined in series or in parallel, the challenges become even more complex. While the initial operating conditions (initial pressures, initial temperatures) are different in each tank, and the tank characteristics (length and diameter, horizontal\/vertical layout, position of the valve at top or bottom, number of layers, types of materials, \u2026) introduce many variabilities. Also considering that the weather conditions (external ambient temperature, solar irradiance, \u2026), the fuel delivery (mass flow rates [kg\/s]) and fueling protocols (\u201cSAE J2601\u201d for 35 MPa and 70 MPa, \u2026) that bring additional inputs to manage the risks and to ensure safety for operators and drivers.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Hydrogen storage system for trucks with 5 compressed tanks<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

Typically, all the risks need to be assessed upfront, like a too low temperature during defueling or a too high temperature at the fuel cell side. While the complete system also includes the on-tank valve, the pressure regulator unit, various pipes at high or medium pressures and the cooling systems. Finally, the control logics must be refined to match the protocols and pass the certification.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Note that some new advanced approaches investigate MPC (Model Predictive Control) to forecast the temperature evolutions within the tank, being a dynamic prediction, rather than using the usual lookup table control methodology, which is static to not say empirical. The benefits of such MPC (Model Predictive Control) approaches will appear in the next generation of Hydrogen station dispensers with better refueling control strategies and drastically reduced refueling times. That\u2019s another area where System Simulation can definitely help!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fuel cell energetic performance<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

System simulation allows to represent a complete Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle<\/a> within one single model to predict interactions between the vehicle powertrain, the fuel cell and its auxiliaries as well as the controls. So that you can investigate Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles such as the Toyota Mirai<\/a> or the Hyundai Nexo<\/a>. To be well predictive on the vehicle range, the vehicle energetic performance and the hydrogen consumption for realistic driving cycles. The models include the following subsystems:<\/p>\n\n\n\n