In this tech talk, Steven had the pleasure of discussing Fuel Cell DC DC Converter with Thomas Vetter, Co-founder at ARADEX.
Learn about Fuel Cell DC DC Converter
Steven Oji and Thomas Vetter are discussing the importance and future of the DC-DC converter for fuel cell technology. DC-DC converters are necessary to adapt the fuel cell voltage to the high-voltage system, as fuel cells produce direct current. They also discuss the trend towards higher voltages, which allows for the use of smaller, cheaper, and lighter cables. The step-up ratio of DC-DC converters needs to increase to handle the lower input voltage from fuel cells and higher target voltage. This is important for the design of fuel cell systems in large vehicles like trucks.
The trend of the market is explained that as battery voltage requirements increase, there is a trend in the market towards higher voltage levels. This is due to the fact that higher voltage reduces the need for large, heavy cables, which are costly to manufacture and difficult to maneuver. For example, trucks require large, thick cables for a 600 V battery, while an 850 V battery would require much smaller cables.
The challenges of increasing step-up ratios in DC-DC converters, as the incoming voltage from fuel cells decreases while target voltage increases are also deeply discussed. This requires a higher step-up ratio, but the size of the converter cannot increase. In the end, the future of DC-DC converters in the fuel cell industry is discussed, and how it will integrate with fuel cell and change the approach of innovation in this industry.
If you like the video, please also subscribe to our new Hyfindr Youtube Channel. We launched Hyfindr Tech Talks in January - a new format that is specifically designed for engineers who are interesed in the hydrogen economy!
Steven is a fuel cell system designer and he will deep-dive into the technology that makes the hydrogen economy work with real experts. We hope you will like the new format.