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Efficiency Improvement of PEM Fuel Cells via Humidity Control




Author(s)

Ahmad Haddad 1, Louay Elsoufi2, Marc Mannah1 and Hasan Bazzi1

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DOI:10.17265/2328-2231/2016.01.003

1. School of Engineering, Department of Electrical Engineering, Lebanese International University, Beirut, Lebanon 2. School of Engineering, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Lebanese University, Tripoli, Lebanon

PEM (Proton Exchange Membrane) fuel cell is a promising renewable energy source to a wide range of applications for its clean products and high power density. However, controlling its humidity is a challenging problem due to the interdependence of several phenomena contributing in membrane’s water content. This work deals with efficiency improvement of PEM fuel cells via humidity control. An innovative strategy of control based on the model of Ref. [1] is proposed. It consists on regulating gas humidification rates according to the power demand so that to minimize power losses. The proposed control takes into consideration constraints related to humidification in order to avoid dry out or flooding of the membrane. Simulations results show that time-phasing between hydrogen and oxygen humidification rates plays an important role in minimizing power losses. The proposed control shows significant improvement in the fuel cell’s efficiency up to 20%.

PEM fuel cell, mathematical modeling, humidity control, efficiency improvement