INN-BALANCE Guidebook

Fuel cells are a mature technology ready for scale-up in the automotive market. It is now about driving manufacturing forward by reducing production costs, while increasing the overall efficiency and reliability of fuel cell components and systems. INN-BALANCE is an EU project funded by the Fuel Cells and Hydrogen 2 Joint Undertaking tackling this question. INN-BALANCE focuses on the improvement of Balance of Plant (BoP) components for automotive fuel cell systems through design optimisation, testing of innovative components and modules, and the assembly and testing of the complete fuel cell system under laboratory and automotive conditions. Nine partners from five countries are involved in the project.
Balance of Plant components include compressors, pumps, sensors, heat exchangers, humidifiers, recirculation blowers, etc. In INN-BALANCE, four different modules, each consisting of several BoP components were studied and optimised: the cathode module and the anode module supplying respectively air and hydrogen to the fuel cell stack, the thermal management system keeping all components at a desired temperature and the control system ensuring smooth operation. This guidebook presents the main project activities and results generated during the project. It also contains an overview of the current market for hydrogen vehicles in Europe and provides an outlook to future challenges in this field. The main target groups of this document are vehicles OEMs and their suppliers, fuel cell integrators and manufacturers, BoP manufacturers, research institutions, and public authorities.