Electrical circuit modeling of a PEM fuel cell including compressor effect

Abstract

This study aims to investigate the development of an Electrical Circuit Model (ECM) that represents the behavior of a PEM fuel cell system. The ECM parameters are identified based on sets of impedance data obtained by using a characterization process known as Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS). The measured impedance is fitted to an ECM using a nonlinear least-square fitting method. The proposed ECM is able to represent the effect of the compressor. The proposed model is validated using a commercial fuel cell power module. In general, such model representation is useful for analyzing the effects of the operating conditions on the fuel cell performance, efficiency and durability.