HYDROGEN FROM BIODIESEL: A FUEL PROCESSOR FOR A VEHICLE FUEL CELL AUXILIARY POWER UNIT

Significant efforts are being spent worldwide in developing on-board reforming technologies, which would avoid the current lack of hydrogen infrastructure and related safety issues. Under this scenario, the present work deals with the EU project BIOFEAT, whose the main purposes are to increase fuel economy and to reduce tailpipe emissions by supplying the present and future auxiliary power requirements for peripheral systems in road vehicles (heating, ventilating and air conditioning , on-board computing, steering by wire, braking by wire, in-car entertainment, ...) by the use of an auxiliary power unit (APU) incorporating a fuel cell fed by a biodiesel fuel processor.