Fuel Cell Powered GoKart

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Fuel Cell Powered Go-Kart

• ECE 290, Fall 2001
• November 9, 2001

Team Members
Electrical Engineers Peter Prizio Brian
Stevens Anhtuan Truong
Mechanical Engineers Ken Cappola James
OBrien Nate Snape
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Sponsors and Advisors
Sponsored by the University of Connecticut under
James M. Fenton Electrical Engineering Advisor
Martin D. Fox Mechanical Engineering Advisor
Wilson K.S. Chiu
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Proposal Overview

• Summary
• History
• Specifications
• Theory
• Fuel Cell
• DC Motor
• Battery Charging
• DC Voltage Step-Up
• Electrical Design
• Components
• Budget
• Conclusion
• References
• Questions

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Summary

• Alternative fuels are becoming more important.
• Fuel cells are gaining in popularity.
• Modeling fuel cell powered vehicle with a Go-Kart.

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History

• Sir William Robert Grove developed gas voltaic
  battery in 1839, based upon combining hydrogen
  and oxygen to produce electricity and water.
• Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) invented at
  General Electric in the early 1960s for use in
  portable power military applications.
• PEM fuel cells supplied power for the Gemini,
  Apollo, and Space Shuttle spacecraft. The Space
  Shuttle also derived water from fuel cells.
• Today, fuel cells have applications in the
  utilities and automotive industries.

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Specifications

• Charging a 36 volt battery pack with a 12 volt
  fuel cell.
• Dynamically charging the battery to extend
  driving time of the Go-Kart.
• Prolonging battery life
• Keeping electrical construction as light and
  small as possible.
• Fuel cells are expensive, damaging it will mean
  over budget spending or an end to the design.

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Fuel Cell Theory

• A fuel cell is a electrochemical device like a
  battery, but does not run down or require
  recharging.
• It it operates as long as hydrogen fuel and
  oxygen from the air are continuously supplied.
• The used hydrogen combines with the oxygen,
  emitting only water and heat which can be
  recovered or used.

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DC Voltage Step-Up

• Charging voltage must be higher than battery
  voltage to sustain potential under load.
• 12 to 14V per battery.
• Can be done in parallel or in series (ie. 12V
  versus 36V).

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Step-Up Theory

• One option Use a switching DC-DC boost
  regulator.
• Charge phase When the switch closes, current
  ramps up through the inductor.
• Discharge phase When the switch opens, current
  flows to the load.
• As switch opens and closes, the voltage across
  the capacitor rises. With feedback control, the
  output voltage can be regulated within component
  tolerances.

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Battery Charging

• Max current of charger is less than 20 of
  amp-hour capacity of the battery.
• Under-charging causes sulfation, the accumulation
  lead sulfate on the plates of the battery,
  increasing resistance and resulting in a tired
  battery.
• Over-charging causes corrosion of positive
  plates, water consumption, and damaging
  temperatures.

• Sustain life of the battery!

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Typical Lead Acid Battery Charging Curves
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DC Motor Theory

• A DC motor works be converting electric power
  into mechanical work.
• Accomplished by forcing current through a coil
  producing a magnetic field that spins the motor.

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Fuel Cell Powered Go-Kart Diagram
Electrical Design
Fuel Cell
DC Step up
Battery
Motor
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Components

• Fuel Cell

0.67hp, 500W, and 12V

• Step-up Voltage Controller

Convert 12VDC to 14 VDC for each battery

• Battery

36V (three 12V connected in series)

• Motor

36V DC, 38A, 1.5hp, and 1100W
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Budget

• Component Quantity Price
  (each) Total
• Fuel Cell
  1 5000 (UCONN) 5000
• DC Motor (for testing) 2 160
  (Kango) 320
• 4 Amp Battery Charger 1 89 (Kango)
  89
• DC/DC Converters (for testing)
  10 8 (Marlin P. Jones) 80
• DC/DC Converter 1
  TBD
• Current Meter 1 80
  (UCONN) 90
• Battery Charger PIC Interface 1
  150 (Microchip) 150
• Miscellaneous NA 1000.00
  1000
• Total
  6729
• Note Budget for project has not been limited,
  actual amount spent may exceed indicated values.

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Timeline
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Conclusion

• Alternative fuel sources are needed in light of
  diminishing fuel supplies worldwide.
• Fuel cells require no recharging and produce zero
  pollutants.
• Recharging battery can extend life of vehicle.
• Go-Kart provides good experimental platform.

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References

• Motor kangoev.com
• Battery interstatebatteries.com
  
• MAXIM maxim-ic.com
• International Fuel cells ifc.com
• California Fuel Cell Partnership
  fuelcellpartnership.org
• National Instruments zone.ni.com
• ETID (Texas AM) entcweb.tamu.edu

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Questions, Comments, Suggestions?