Progress and perspectives of integrated thermal management systems in PEM fuel cell vehicles: A review

Jiamin Xu

Abstract:

Proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) vehicles (PEMFCV) have drawn tremendous attention owing to the
advantages of low or zero emissions. Effective integrated thermal management systems (ITMS) considering
thermal loops coupling and interaction and with a rational strategy are crucial for the efficient and secure
operation of PEMFCV. Therefore, ITMS in PEMFCV are worthy to be reviewed comprehensively. This paper aims
to provide the general and current ideas of ITMS design in PEMFCV from part-level to system-level, along with
control strategies. The factors that affect the thermal performance of heat-generating components and systems
are deeply analysed, and the key findings, challenges, and future work are presented. It is found that liquid
cooling is more appropriate for ITMS because of the high specific heat and the convenience of integrating other
thermal systems, and that heat pumps tend to be a more suitable choice for air conditioning systems. The future
work mainly includes the improvement of cooling and cold start of PEMFC, perfection and verification of waste
heat recovery system, exploration of new air conditioning systems, integration of systems, coupling of ITMS and
energy management systems, and enhancement of model accuracy. The provided information is useful to guide
the system layout and control strategies for ITMS at the early design stage.