Characterization and experimental validation of a semi-empirical fuel cell model for investigating the water dynamics on the electrical behavior of a 5 kW Ballard stack system using Nafion 117 polymer membrane

Abstract

There has been increasing interest in the development of Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cells (PEMFCs) in recent years as they are the most promising clean energy source for applications in industrial, automotive, portable, and stationary devices. In the present study, characterization of a semi-empirical polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell model for a test bench of a 5 kW Ballard fuel cell system using a Nafion 117 membrane is performed for the effect of water dynamics on its electrical behavior as it is viewed as a serious issue by fuel cell researchers. The model performance is evaluated for its static and dynamic behavior through the experimental results obtained from a 5 kW Ballard fuel cell stack system to investigate the internal water phenomena of the membrane. The findings of the investigation indicate that the performance of PEMFCs can be significantly improved by maintaining the membrane water content, H2O/SO3−H+, to its optimal value. Thus, the developed model serves as a benchmark tool for the scientific and industrial community to optimize and evaluate the structural design of the PEMFC system for its scale up in terms of its water dynamics.