Performance simulation of fuel cell-turbo compound electric power system

The emerging demands of electric vertical takeoff and landing and flying cars require power systems to have high takeoff and landing power and high cruising efficiency. Existing power solutions, including pure electric, turbo-electric, piston engines, and fuel cell, face significant challenges in meeting these requirements. We proposed a fuel cell-turbo compound power system, providing a very promising configuration for solving this problem. This study established the simulation models of this structure. The accuracy of the typical component model was verified through relevant experimental data. On this basis, the system performance under typical working conditions was further analyzed. The results show that both the energy recovery efficiency and the output power of the system have been substantially improved. Under the working conditions of high rotational speed and high flow rate, the maximum output power of the system can reach 367.8 kW, meeting the high-power demand during takeoff and landing. Under the working conditions of low rotational speed and low flow rate, the system efficiency can reach up to 43.38 % at most, meeting the high-efficiency requirements during cruising. In addition, the variation of rotational speed and the proportion of hydrogen participating in combustion play a crucial role in the system performance. Although increasing combustion chamber hydrogen can help enhance power output, excessive utilization of hydrogen can lead to performance degradation. These findings provide important insights for the optimization of the compound power system of the next generation of aircraft.