For safety control, the fuel cell testing mechanism is the key

Mondo Cars Updated on 2024-01-29

The development of the industry needs to be unified.

1. Standardized inspection standards to meet market demand and form a complete and healthy industrial ecology. Enterprises should establish a sound product development system, and the testing link is particularly important. High-quality testing helps products quickly adapt to the market and take the initiative.

The hydrogen energy industry is in the early stage of marketization, and it is more necessary to establish a standardized testing system to ensure the stability and safety of use, and lay the foundation for further development in the future.

According to online public information, the content that needs to be tested in the hydrogen energy industry chain can be divided into hydrogen storage system testing, fuel cell testing and vehicle system testing.

Among them, the vehicle system testing and hydrogen storage system testing can rely on the existing testing institutions to carry out, and the test report can be issued through technical upgrades. However, the related testing of fuel cells lacks a technical basis, and special equipment is required for testing, and the testing content is complex. Testing institutions in traditional industries cannot conduct authoritative and effective testing on them, so it is necessary to establish special testing institutions for fuel cells and formulate unified testing and technical standards.

Through various experimental verifications of the whole, parts and units of the fuel cell system, the working status, performance parameters and reliability indicators of the fuel cell system can be fully understood, so as to find problems, solve problems, improve efficiency and performance, so as to better promote and apply fuel cell technology.

In addition, since fuel cell systems use hydrogen as fuel, safety issues such as hydrogen leakage,** need to be considered. Fuel cell testing systems can provide safety testing protocols to assess how the system will perform in these situations and provide recommendations for improvement.

At this stage, the fuel cell system should be tested in terms of operational reliability, safety, environmental adaptability, and general performance

In the relevant test standards issued by the state, the "GB T 24554-2022 Fuel Cell Engine Performance Test Method" divides the test items into starting characteristics test, rated power test, peak power test, dynamic response characteristic test, steady-state characteristic test, high-temperature operation test, dynamic average efficiency characteristic test, fuel cell engine air tightness test, insulation resistance test, quality and power density test.

In GB T 24554-2022 and other relevant standard systems, the performance tests such as vibration level test, waste heat test, and water consumption test mentioned in the above figure are less involved, and standardized test environment requirements and specific operations have not yet been proposed.

In addition, the current domestic standard system is also relatively lacking in the formulation of specifications for collision safety and environmental adaptability.

With the continuous growth of the downstream industrial chain of hydrogen energy, the importance and market demand of the authoritative testing platform of the fuel cell industry are becoming more and more obvious.

At present, there are three main types of testing institutions in China:

1.Serve the company's own technology research and development.

2.Investments in non-profit public services.

3.Professional testing institutions for the purpose of profit.

According to incomplete statistics, there are currently more than 40 domestic institutions in the industry with relevant testing capabilities for fuel cell vehicles and components, of which 38 fuel cell testing have been accredited by CNAS (China National Accreditation Service for Conformity Assessment).

National Hydrogen Power Quality Supervision and Inspection Center.

In January 2023, China's first national-level hydrogen power quality supervision and inspection center was completed and put into use in Chongqing on the 9th. It can provide the test and evaluation of eight major components (including fuel cell stacks, membrane electrodes, bipolar plates, proton exchange membranes, catalysts, carbon paper, air compressors, hydrogen circulation systems), and the testing scope covers the whole hydrogen energy industry chain, which will play a role in inspection and testing, standard formulation, scientific and technological research and development and other services, further enhance the testing and evaluation and standardization capabilities of domestic hydrogen fuel cell vehicles, and provide a strong guarantee for the development of China's energy and automobile industry.

China Automotive Technology and Research Center *** Testing Center.

The Wuhan Inspection Center of China Automotive Center provides inspection and testing services for new energy passenger vehicles, commercial vehicles, special vehicles, etc., and has built a domestic first-class comprehensive laboratory for vehicles and parts, new energy comprehensive laboratory, automobile safety collision laboratory, electromagnetic compatibility laboratory, engine comprehensive laboratory, heavy-duty vehicle emission laboratory, light vehicle emission laboratory and other laboratories, with more than 4,500 inspection and testing capabilities, and some inspection and testing capabilities have reached the international advanced level.

Testing Center of CSSC 712 Research Institute.

In September 2021, China Classification Society (CCS) issued a fuel cell power generation system type approval certificate to 712 Institute, and issued a product testing and testing institution approval certificate to the China Shipbuilding Industry Electrical Products Testing and Testing Center affiliated to the institute.

As the core research unit of China State Shipbuilding Group in the field of hydrogen energy and fuel cell system, 712 Institute has accumulated a comprehensive foundation of high-safety hydrogen storage and fuel cell technology, and has developed multi-type fuel cell products, which has a leading advantage in this field in the industry.

Xiangyang Da'an Automobile Testing Center.

Da'an Center has formed a comprehensive new energy (hydrogen fuel) vehicle testing technology capabilities, can carry out all regulatory project testing, built a complete test capability system covering stacks, fuel cell systems and fuel cell vehicles, has the most advanced hydrogen fuel and new energy vehicle crash test room in China, and has the only domestic automobile test site with hydrogen refueling capacity.

Reshaping the technology testing center.

REFIRE has established a complete fuel cell system development and verification system, and has a relatively complete test and testing platform from components, systems to vehicles. In 2022, it will become the first hydrogen fuel cell company in China to pass TÜV Rheinland III system certification.

Xinyuan Power Test Center.

In January 2023, Sunrise Power Test Center passed the CNAS laboratory certification, indicating that the test center has the technical ability to carry out testing and calibration services in accordance with the corresponding accreditation standards.

Shenli Technology Testing Center.

In 2019, Shenli Technology Testing Center was officially accredited by CNAS, becoming the first enterprise fuel cell testing laboratory in China to be accredited by CNAS, with a total of 96 test items covering fuel cell stacks and modules, fuel cell systems, etc. At present, the company has established a multi-dimensional verification and evaluation system at the material level, stack level and system level.

Tehi Hydrogen Energy Testing (Baoding)**

Tehi Hydrogen Energy Testing was officially put into operation in June 2018, with the world's leading full-chain testing capabilities for hydrogen energy products, involving 160 items of 11 products in 6 categories of testing business. In 2022, all laboratories of the center will be officially opened to the public, which can provide leading and customized hydrogen storage, fuel cell systems, vehicle testing and supporting R&D services for major OEMs and component manufacturers.

Shanghai Motor Vehicle Testing and Certification Technology Research Center***

It is the only third-party national motor vehicle product testing organization in East and South China.

As Shanghai's first third-party testing and R&D public service platform for hydrogen energy covering fuel cell vehicles, engines, stacks and key components and other technologies, its core technical capabilities cover evaluation and R&D services such as fuel cell vehicles, on-board hydrogen systems, systems, stacks, hydrogen refueling ports, BOPs and various components, equipped with high-power fuel cell systems and stack testing equipment, light two-shaft four-wheel drive chassis dynamometer, heavy-duty single-axle two-wheel drive chassis dynamometer, vehicle environmental warehouse, vehicle closed warehouse, 20 tons of vibration test bench and parts environmental test chamber and other testing and research equipment.

Great Wall Hydrogen Energy Testing Technology Center (Baoding).

In 2021, it officially obtained the laboratory accreditation certificate issued by the China National Accreditation Service for Conformity Assessment (CNAS), and obtained a total of 50 testing technical capabilities in 4 categories approved by the National Laboratory Accreditation Service, and was included in the list of national approved laboratory accreditation institutions.

China Merchants Testing Vehicle Technology Research Institute***

The fuel cell engine test platform of China Merchants Vehicle Research Institute can complete a series of tests such as hydrogen emissions, air tightness, starting characteristics, rated power, peak power and so on of 30-150kW hydrogen fuel cell engine in -40-85 environment.

Relevant experts said that in addition to the performance of the whole vehicle and the traditional fuel vehicles, the detection of hydrogen energy and fuel cell vehicles in China involves more professional and technical indicators, so in the early stage of the development of hydrogen energy and fuel cell industry, the testing center is a more important infrastructure than the hydrogen refueling station.

In the long run, cooperation to establish unified fuel cell product testing and technical standards is conducive to promoting the industrialization of fuel cell vehicles. In addition, industry standards, experimental methods and testing systems for a series of components also need to be standardized.

Author: An Yi).

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