A Proposed Control Technique for Water Management in Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells

Abstract:

Water management inside a proton exchange membrane fuel cell is critical both for stable operation and desired performance. This paper presents the relations that govern water transport mechanisms, describes and proposes a control strategy for membrane conductivity manipulation using an observer and two controllers. The Simulink model is showing successful control of membrane conductivity when density current changes while water vapor pressures are maintained within the safe limits. Using the proposed control strategy, further work can be conducted in the area of feed forward and advanced control of water management in PEM fuel cells.

• Periodical: Applied Mechanics and Materials (Volume 436)
• Pages: 145-152
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.4028/www.scientific.net/AMM.436.145
• Online since: October 2013
• Authors: Alin Cristian Farcaş
• Keywords: Membrane Conductivity Control, Observer Based Control Strategy, Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell, Water Management

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