A 1+1 D Multiphase Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell Model for Real-Time Simulation

Abstract

International audienceA 1+1-dimensional(1+1D) multiphase model of proton exchangemembrane fuel cell (PEMFC) is developed to simulate the dynamicbehaviors of the fuel cell under various operating conditions.Electrochemical, fluidic, and thermal physical phenomena are takeninto account, and the model can accurately describe themulti-physical processes inside the PEMFC. Meanwhile, the waterphase change and nitrogen crossover are also considered in thismodel. The developed model can simulate the fuel cell behaviors inboth normal temperature and cold start conditions. Selection of thetime step size is discussed, and the solution method of thereal-time model is proposed. Computational efficiency is greatlyimproved by simplifying the multicomponent diffusion inside themembrane electrode assembly (MEA), which results in the shortercalculation time than the simulated physical time. The proposedmodel is suitable for embedded applications, such as real-timesimulation or online diagnostic control. The comprehensive modelvalidation is carried out by comparing the simulation results,including polarization curves, ohmic resistance, local currentdensity distribution, and voltage evolution, under various workingconditions of steady state, load change, and cold start, and a goodagreement is achieved. Finally, some simulation cases are studiedto further demonstrate the simulation ability of the model