Experimental validation of a PEMFC lumped dynamic model for on-board, diagnostic, prognostic and control applications

In the field of energy sustainable production, Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells (PEMFCs) are a promising solution to produce electrical energy without significant pollutant emissions, reducing the environmental impact. Their working principle relies on the electrochemical reduction-oxidation reaction involving hydrogen and oxygen: with only water as sub-product, PEMFCs are able to produce electrical energy as direct current, with good efficiency, scaling-up versatility, and low operational temperature. PEMFCs are composed by three key components: two electrodes (i.e., anode and cathode) made of carbon porous material, and a Polymeric Electrolyte Membrane (PEM); to scale up electrical power, single cells can be electrically stacked in series arrangement [1]. To ensure best performance and low degradation, water management is fundamental: the PEM needs to be constantly humidified to allow protonic transport from anode to cathode; however, water can flood the electrodes impeding the gases diffusion down to the reaction sites, worsening the performance [2]. The water content needs to be constantly monitored, since PEMFC performance is strictly related to it; it is difficult to experimentally quantify the water content on-board, so a computational model can support the diagnosis to take control actions [3].