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Nell'ambito del programma Erasmus+ Mobility Staff 2025/2026, il Prof. Alexandre Ravey, della Université de Technologie de Belfort-Montbéliard, Belfort (France), terrà un seminario di 10 ore, seguito da 10 ore di esercitazioni pratiche, sulle celle a combustibile per applicazioni veicolari e rivolto a student*, dottorand*, ricercator* e a tutti gli interessati.

L'evento si svolgerà in lingua inglese nelle giornate 21, 22, 23 e 24 Settembre 2026 nella fascia oraria 09:00-18:00 (con pausa pranzo) e avrà una durata complessiva di 20 ore. Il calendario degli incontri è disponibile in fondo alla pagina, e potrebbe subire delle variazioni per minimizzare le sovrapposizioni con altre iniziative o altri corsi che avranno luogo negli stessi giorni. Le lezioni si terranno presso la Facoltà di Ingegneria, in Via Marengo 2, Cagliari.

Per partecipare è richiesta l'iscrizione. Tutte le informazioni (riportate in basso in questo avviso) e il modulo di iscrizione sono disponibili a questo link.

Per informazioni contattare il docente referente Mario Porru all'indirizzo email mario.porru@unica.it.

# Description

The proposed teaching activity aims to provide students with a coherent understanding of proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) technologies and their use in electric mobility. The programme combines fundamental principles, system-level modelling, ageing phenomena, vehicle integration and energy management. By the end of the programme, students should be able to explain the operation of a PEM fuel cell system, analyse its main losses and degradation mechanisms, build a simplified model in MATLAB/Simulink, integrate it into an electric vehicle model, and develop a basic energy management strategy for a fuel cell/battery hybrid powertrain. 

# Addressed to

This event is ideal for Bachelor’s, Master’s, and PhD students and researchers seeking to advance their knowledge and practical expertise in hydrogen fuel cells and their application in electric vehicles. Two CFUs may be approved (pending decision) for master’s students in Ingegneria Energetica and Ingegneria Elettrica (final exam/test is required) and bachelor's students in Ingegneria dell'Energia Elettrica per lo Sviluppo Sostenibile. For other programs, please contact your course coordinator.

# Expected learning outcomes

• Describe the operating principles and the main components of a PEM fuel cell system.
• Identify the physical origins of fuel cell voltage losses and the principal ageing mechanisms.
• Develop and analyse a simplified PEM fuel cell model in MATLAB/Simulink.
• Integrate fuel cell and battery models into a simplified electric vehicle simulation.
• Calculate energy flows, efficiency and hydrogen consumption over a driving cycle.
• Design and assess a basic energy management strategy for a fuel cell/battery hybrid powertrain.

# Syllabus and agenda

Lecture programme — 10 hours

Module 1 — Fundamentals of fuel cells and hydrogen mobility (3 h)

• Hydrogen as an energy carrier and its role in transport decarbonisation.
• Overview of fuel cell technologies and mobility applications.
• Operating principles of PEM fuel cells and electrochemical reactions.
• Main components of a cell and a stack: membrane, catalyst layers, gas diffusion layers and bipolar plates.

Module 2 — PEM fuel cell systems, modelling and ageing (3 h)

• Architecture of a complete fuel cell system: hydrogen supply, air supply, humidification, cooling, DC/DC conversion and control.
• Polarisation curve and modelling of activation, ohmic and mass-transport losses.
• Static and dynamic modelling approaches.
• Influence of operating conditions, starvation, flooding, drying, contaminants and current ripple.
• Reversible and irreversible degradation; membrane and catalyst ageing mechanisms.

Module 3 — Integration into electric vehicles (2 h)

• Fuel cell electric vehicle and fuel cell/battery hybrid architectures.
• Sizing and integration of the fuel cell, battery, converter and electric drivetrain.
• Vehicle power demand, efficiency, hydrogen consumption and operating constraints.

Module 4 — Energy management of fuel cell/battery vehicles (2 h)

• Objectives and constraints of power sharing between the fuel cell and the battery.
• Battery state-of-charge management and limitation of fuel cell transients.
• Rule-based, frequency-based and optimisation-oriented strategies.
• Illustration through research case studies on hybrid electric vehicles.

Practical work with MATLAB/Simulink — 10 hours

Practical 1 — Development of a PEM fuel cell model (4 h)

• Build a simplified fuel cell model from the polarisation curve.
• Represent activation, ohmic and concentration losses.
• Analyse voltage, power, efficiency and hydrogen consumption.
• Study the influence of selected operating parameters.

Practical 2 — Integration into a simplified electric vehicle model (3 h)

• Use a longitudinal vehicle model and a representative driving cycle.
• Calculate traction power and energy demand.
• Integrate the fuel cell, battery and DC/DC converter models.
• Analyse power flows and the vehicle energy balance.

Practical 3 — Development of a basic energy management strategy (3 h)

• Implement a rule-based power-split strategy.
• Control battery state of charge and limit rapid fuel cell power variations.
• Simulate the complete system over a driving cycle.
• Evaluate hydrogen consumption, battery usage, efficiency and fuel cell operating conditions.

Agenda

• Monday, September 21, 2026, 09:00-13:00: Room L, Building I - Module 1-2
• Monday, September 21, 2026, 14:30-17:30: Room L, Building I - Module 1-2
• Tuesday, September 22, 2026, 09:00-12:00: Room L, Building I - Module 3-4
• Tuesday, September 22, 2026, 14:00-16:00: Room BA, Building I - Practical 1
• Wednesday, September 23, 2026, 09:00-13:00: Room BA, Building I - Practical 1-2
• Thursday, September 24, 2026, 09:00-13:00: Room BA, Building I - Practical 2-3

Material

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