Numerical modeling and simulation of PEM fuel cells: Progress and perspective

This paper provides a comprehensive review on the research and development in multi-scale numerical modeling and simulation of PEM fuel cells. An overview of recent progress in PEM fuel cell modeling has been provided. Fundamental transport phenomena in PEM fuel cells and the corresponding mathematical formulation of macroscale models are analyzed. Various important issues in PEM fuel cell modeling and simulation are examined in detail, including fluid flow and species transport, electron and proton transport, heat transfer and thermal management, liquid water transport and water management, transient response behaviors, and cold-start processes. Key areas for further improvements have also been discussed.

A new artificial bee swarm algorithm for optimization of proton exchange membrane fuel cell model parameters

An appropriate mathematical model can help researchers to simulate,evaluate,and control a proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) stack system.Because a PEMFC is a nonlinear and strongly coupled system,many assumptions and approximations are considered during modeling.Therefore,some differences are found between model results and the real performance of PEMFCs.To increase the precision of the models so that they can describe better the actual performance,opti-mization of PEMFC model parameters is essential.In this paper,an artificial bee swarm optimization algorithm,called ABSO,is proposed for optimizing the parameters of a steady-state PEMFC stack model suitable for electrical engineering applications.For studying the usefulness of the proposed algorithm,ABSO-based results are compared with the results from a genetic algo-rithm (GA) and particle swarm optimization (PSO).The results show that the ABSO algorithm outperforms the other algorithms.

Mathematical Modelling and Experimental Investigation of a Low Temperature Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell

This paper presents dynamic modeling of 1000 W EC6C Proton Exchange Membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) manufactured by Edibon. Experiments were carried out to investigate the performance of the system and a dynamic electrical model was implemented in Matlab/Simulink. The simulation model was able to predict efficiency, power and fuel cell potential. The model was also tested with load variations to find out the real time responses. The results were validated by experimental findings. The comparison showed that the model was effective and could be used in optimization of the fuel cell system operated at low temperatures under 80 degrees.

Experimental Testing and Validation of the Mathematical Model for a Self-Humidifying PEM Fuel Cell

This paper presents an experimental testing and validation results for a zero-dimensional self-humidifying PEM (Proton Exchange Membrane) fuel cell stack. The model incorporates major electric and thermodynamic variables and parameters involved in the operation of the PEM fuel cell under different operational conditions. The mathematical equations are modelled by using Matlab-Simulink tools in order to simulate the operation of the developed model with a commercially available 1 kW Horizon (H-1000) PEM fuel cell stack, which is used for the purposes of model validation and tuning of the developed model. The model is mathematically modelled and presented in the recent published work of authors. The observations from model simulations provide sufficient evidence and support to the results and observations obtained from testing 1 kW Horizon (H-1000) PEM fuel cell stack used in this research. The developed model can be used as a generic model and simulation platform for a self-humidifying PEM fuel cell with an output power varying from 50 W to 1 kW, with extrapolation to higher powers is also possible.

Dynamic Thermal Model and Temperature Control of Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell Stack

A dynamic thermal transfer model of a proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) stack is developed based on energy conservation in order to reach better temperature control of PEMFC stack. Considering its uncertain parameters and disturbance, we propose a robust adaptive controller based on backstepping algorithm of Lyaponov function. Numerical simulations indicate the validity of the proposed controller.

One-dimensional Dynamic Modeling and Simulation of a Planar Direct Internal Reforming Solid Oxide Fuel Cell

This article aims to investigate the transient behavior of a planar direct internal reforming solid oxide fuel cell(DIR-SOFC) comprehensively.A one-dimensional dynamic model of a planar DIR-SOFC is first developed based on mass and energy balances,and electrochemical principles.Further,a solution strategy is presented to solve the model,and the International Energy Agency(IEA) benchmark test is used to validate the model.Then,through model-based simulations,the steady-state performance of a co-flow planar DIR-SOFC under specified initial operating conditions and its dynamic response to introduced operating parameter disturbances are studied.The dynamic responses of important SOFC variables,such as cell temperature,current density,and cell voltage are all investigated when the SOFC is subjected to the step-changes in various operating parameters including both the load current and the inlet fuel and air flow rates.The results indicate that the rapid dynamics of the current density and the cell voltage are mainly influenced by the gas composition,particularly the H2 molar fraction in anode gas channels,while their slow dynamics are both dominated by the SOLID(including the PEN and interconnects) temperature.As the load current increases,the SOLID temperature and the maximum SOLID temperature gradient both increase,and thereby,the cell breakdown is apt to occur because of excessive thermal stresses.Changing the inlet fuel flow rate might lead to the change in the anode gas composition and the consequent change in the current density distribution and cell voltage.The inlet air flow rate has a great impact on the cell temperature distribution along the cell,and thus,is a suitable manipulated variable to control the cell temperature.

Hybrid dynamic model of polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell stack using variable neural network

The polymer electrolyte membrane（PEM） fuel cell has been regarded as a potential alternative power source,and a model is necessary for its design,control and power management.A hybrid dynamic model of PEM fuel cell,which combines the advantages of mechanism model and black-box model,is proposed in this paper.To improve the performance,the static neural network and variable neural network are used to build the black-box model.The static neural network can significantly improve the static performance of the hybrid model,and the variable neural network makes the hybrid dynamic model predict the real PEM fuel cell behavior with required accuracy.Finally,the hybrid dynamic model is validated with a 500 W PEM fuel cell.The static and transient experiment results show that the hybrid dynamic model can predict the behavior of the fuel cell stack accurately and therefore can be effectively utilized in practical application.

Cooling of a Diesel Reformate Fuelled Solid Oxide Fuel Cell by Internal Reforming of Methane： A Modelling Study

In this paper a system combining a diesel reformer using catalytic partial oxidation (CPOX) with the Solid Oxide Fuel Cell (SOFC) for Auxiliary Power Unit (APU) applications is modeled with respect to the cooling effect provided by internal reforming of methane in anode gas channel. A model mixture consisting of 80% n-hexadecane and 20% 1-methylnaphthalin is used to simulate the commercial diesel. The modelling consists of several steps. First, equilibrium gas composition at the exit of CPOX reformer is modelled in terms oxygen to carbon (O/C) ratio, fuel utilization ratio and anode gas recirculation. Second, product composition, especially methane content, is determined for the methanation process at the operating temperatures ranging from 500 ℃ to 520 ℃. Finally, the cooling power provided by internal reforming of methane in SOFC fuel channel is calculated for two concepts to increase the methane content of the diesel reformate. The results show that the first concept, operating the diesel reformer at low O/C ratio and/or recirculation ratio, is not realizable due to high probability of coke formation, whereas the second concept, combining a methanation process with CPOX, can provide a significant cooling effect in addition to the conventional cooling concept which needs higher levels of excess air.

A model and simulation of cathode flooding and drying on unsteady proton exchange membrane fuel cell

A water balance has a significant impact on the overall system performance in proton exchange membrane fuel cell.An actual fuel cell application has a dynamic electrical load which means also dynamic electrical current.Therefore,since this electrical current is known,the water production from the fuel cell reaction is also able to be predicted.As long as the fuel cell water transportation model is provided,the present liquid water inside the porous medium is also able to be modeled.A model of the liquid water saturation level in a fuel cell in unsteady load condition was proposed.This model is a series of the water transportation model of water saturation level for the final output of proton exchange membrane(PEM) fuel cell to predict the flooding or drying of PEM fuel cell.The simulation of vehicle fuel cell in different dynamic load profiles and different inlet air conditions was done using this model.The simulation result shows that PEM fuel cell with different dynamic load profiles has different liquid water saturation level profiles.This means that a dynamic load fuel cell requires also a dynamic input air humidification.

Modeling and identification of a PEM fuel cell humidification system

A theoretical model of a humidifier of proton exchange membrane （PEM） fuel cell systems is developed and analyzed first in this paper. The model shows that there exists a strong nonlinearity in the system. Then, the system is identified using a wavelet networks method. To avoid the curse-of-dimensionality problem, a class of wavelet networks proposed by Billings is employed. The experimental data acquired from the test bench are used for identification. The one-step-ahead predictions and the five-step-ahead predictions are compared with the real measurements, respectively. It shows that the identified model can effectively describe the real system.

New hybrid model of proton exchange membrane fuel cell

Model and simulation are good tools for design optimization of fuel cell systems. This paper proposes a new hybrid model of proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC). The hybrid model includes physical component and black-box com-ponent. The physical component represents the well-known part of PEMFC, while artificial neural network (ANN) component estimates the poorly known part of PEMFC. The ANN model can compensate the performance of the physical model. This hybrid model is implemented on Matlab/Simulink software. The hybrid model shows better accuracy than that of the physical model and ANN model. Simulation results suggest that the hybrid model can be used as a suitable and accurate model for PEMFC.

Simulation of the Internal Transport Phenomena for PEM Fuel Cells with Different Modes of Flow

A numerical model for proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cell is developed, which can simulate such basic transport phenomena as gas-liquid two-phase flow in a working fuel cell. Boundary conditions for both the conventional and the interdigitated modes of flow are presented on a three-dimensional basis. Numerical techniques for this model are discussed in detail. Validation shows good agreement between simulating results and experimental data. Furthermore, internal transport phenomena are discussed and compared for PEM fuel cells with conventional and interdigitated flows. It is found that the dead-ended structure of an interdigitated flow does increase the oxygen mass fraction and decrease the liquid water saturation in the gas diffusion layer as compared to the conventional mode of flow. However, the cathode humidification is important for an interdigitated flow to acquire better performance than a conventional flow fuel cell.

Performance Characteristics of an Irreversible Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) Fuel Cell

A model of an irreversible proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cell working at steady-state was established, in which overpotentials, internal currents, and crossover losses were taken into account. The expressions of some key parameters of the fuel cell were derived from the point of electrochemistry and thermodynamics. Based on the irreversible model of the PEM fuel cell, the influence of multi-irreversibilities on fuel cell performance were characterized and compared systematically. The general performance characteristic curves were generated. Moreover, when the electrical circuit was closed with a load in it, the relations between the load resistance and power output density and efficiency were analyzed. The results provide a theoretical basis for both the operation and optimal design of real PEM fuel cells.