AVALIAÇÃO DO DESEMPENHO DE CÉLULAS A COMBUSTÍVEL PEM ALIMENTADAS POR HIDROGÊNIO VERDE

The transition toward a clean energy–based economy has driven the development of efficient and sustainable energy conversion technologies. This study investigates the performance of proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cells fueled by green hydrogen, addressing fundamental aspects of electrochemical characterization, mathematical modeling, and comparative analysis with data from the literature. Experimental polarization curves were obtained for a single PEM fuel cell with an active area of 25 cm² and a Nafion 117 membrane, operating under different conditions of temperature (50–80 °C), pressure (1–3 bar), and relative humidity (30–100%). The results exhibited the characteristic behavior of three distinct regions—activation, ohmic, and concentration losses—with maximum power density values consistent with small-scale systems reported in the literature. A semi-empirical mathematical model was developed and validated, achieving a coefficient of determination higher than 0.95. The maximum energy efficiency observed ranged from 50% to 60%, in agreement with reference studies. These findings reinforce the potential of PEM fuel cells fueled by green hydrogen for applications in distributed generation and electric mobility, contributing to the technical feasibility of the hydrogen economy.