Electrical equivalent model of a proton exchange membrane fuel cell with experimental validation

Abstract

In this paper, an equivalent electrical circuit of the pneumatics and fluidics in a fuel cell stack is developed. This model combines the simplicity of an electrical circuit and attempts to model the physical phenomenon occurring inside the fuel cell. The effect of variation in temperature and relative humidity on the cell are considered in this model. The compressibility of fuel and oxidant fluids and condensation of water are also accounted for in this model. Therefore, it becomes possible to predict the behavior of the fuel Cell with given changes in various input parameters so that a desired control structure can be formulated for high-end applications of the fuel cell as a subpart of a bigger system, for instance, in hybrid propulsion of vehicles coupled with batteries and supercapacitors. The circuit analysis equations are presented in the following text and are simulated using MATLAB Simulink environment. This model is validated using the experimental data obtained using the Fuel Cell test bench available in Fuel Cell Laboratory, France.