USRA/CUSRA Research Internship – Summer 2022 High-Reliability Aero Design Laboratory
Sizing and Modelling of Fuel Cell Power Plants
Application deadline: Feb 15, 2022
Undergraduate Student Research Awards (USRA/CUSRA)
It is planned to finance this internship with a USRA/CUSRA. A USRA/CUSRA application form will be submitted by the selected candidate by the Feb 15, 2022.
Student must be undergraduate student registered in a Bachelor degree program at Concordia University, must have completed at least 30 credits in her/his program at the time of application, and must have a cumulative GPA of 3.3 or higher.
Internship start: May 2022
Duration: 16 weeks
Internship Description
A key challenge in designing new Vertical Take-Off and Landing (VTOL) aircraft and Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) is the choice and optimization of the energy system (e.g., fuel, electric, hydrogen or hybrid solutions). It directly impacts the aircraft's total weight, energy efficiency, and pollution emission. Therefore, the emergence of VTOL UAVs for demanding applications will depend on the designers' capability to optimize designs for energy efficiency. The hydrogen fuel cell power plant technology is emerging and promising, specifically for mission endurance, because of its high energy density. However, its application can be limited by its low volumetric and power densities. This project aims to create a novel design model of hydrogen fuel cell power plants used in a Multidisciplinary Design Optimization framework for VTOL aircraft and UAVs. This work will contribute to the optimization of VTOL aircraft and UAVs designs with hydrogen energy systems and thus enable designers to take advantage of this technology.
The main steps of the project are:
- Literature review on design models and hydrogen fuel cell power plants.
- Devise scaling laws and operational limits of hydrogen fuel cell power plants. Validate with manufacturer data.
- Create an inverse lumped parameter model of the hydrogen fuel cell power plants and integrate previous scaling laws to create a first design model.
- Validate the design model through a case study.
- Summarize and synthesize the work in a technical report.
Qualifications & Skills
- Background knowledge in modeling and simulation (lumped parameter models, softwares: Simulink/AMESim/Simscape/Dymola).
- Background knowledge in aerospace engineering, mechatronics and systems engineering is a plus.
- Interest in reliability engineering and drone technology.
- Good writing skills.
- Professionalism.
How to apply
Qualified and highly motivated candidates are invited to send their application per email to jonathan.liscouet@concordia.ca using the subject "USRA – Sizing and Modelling of Fuel Cell Power Plants" with the following elements:
- Email with your motivation and relevant experience
- Complete and up-to-date CV
- Up-to-date transcript
- a writing sample (extract of publication or report written by the candidate)