Fuel cells: Research for the drive technology of tomorrow
At the end of 2019, the “AgilPlanBZ” project funded by the state of Saxony got underway. As part of the research project, methods and tools will be developed to support the planning and control of manufacturing systems for fuel cells in a volatile market environment in the near future. Experts from SimPlan AG, which has a branch office in Dresden, are contributing their expertise in simulation and emulation.
“In view of the intensive efforts in the further development of fuel cell technology, great progress can be expected in the coming months and years,” says Dr. Sven Spieckermann, CEO of SimPlan AG. “In order to be able to use fuel cell aggregates as quickly and extensively as possible for applications in energy-autonomous systems, vehicle drives as well as other mobile and stationary applications, corresponding production capacities must already be planned today, taking into account the available resources.” Against this background, suitable methods as well as simulation procedures are to be developed that simplify decision-making under constantly changing framework conditions and enable efficient design as well as adaptation of production systems. This is done using digital models that serve as a test environment. In addition to SimPlan AG, two industrial partners are on board: Fuel Cell Powertrain and Hörmann Rawema Engineering & Consulting, both Chemnitz. The consortium also includes the Chemnitz University of Technology and the Fraunhofer Institute for Machine Tools and Forming Technology (IWU). The results of the research project are expected to be available in February 2022.