Response Surface Methodology Approach for Modeling and Performance Optimization of a PEM Fuel Cell

Abstract

A Polymer Electrolyte Membrane (PEM) fuel cell is a popular green source of electrical energy and is often used in applications like electric vehicles due to its environmentally friendly operation. This type of fuel cell has a low operating temperature, light weight, and negligible emission of greenhouse gases. However, the PEM fuel cell is a complex multivariable system with a large number of input and output factors, and most of the input factors affect output factors directly or indirectly. As a result, it is conventionally quite difficult to determine which input factor has a major effect on a particular output factor. Statistical methods are very popular for finding the individual and interaction effects of input factors on output factors. In this paper, for the first time, a simple and realistic MATLAB SIMULINK model for a PEM fuel cell is presented to conduct various experimental tests. The developed MATLAB SIMULINK model and statistical design of experiments, Response Surface Methodology (RSM), are used to develop metamodels (mathematical models of the simulation model) for the PEM fuel cell to find the individual and interaction effects of various input factors on output factors. The developed metamodels can be used to find the region for optimum operation of the presented fuel cell. The metamodels are validated by conducting four different statistical tests. The optimum point of operation is presented by calculating stationary points from the metamodels.