A refined grey Verhulst model for accurate degradation prognostication of PEM fuel cells based on inverse hyperbolic sine function transformation

Accurate prognostication of degradation plays an essential role in effectively enhancing the operational lifespan of proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs). This paper proposes a novel enhanced correctional grey Verhulst model (IHS-CRGVM-RE), designed to prognosticate the degradation process of PEMFCs using the voltage of PEMFCs stack as a health indicator. First, the inverse hyperbolic sine function transformation is employed to attain optimal smoothness in data treatment. Then, the background value within the grey Verhulst model framework is modified based on cellular automata with rectangle techniques. Finally, a residual correction mechanism is applied to delineate the influences of error outcomes concerning PEMFCs degradation. Rigorous validation is provided via a comprehensive analysis based on two distinct PEMFCs datasets. The results demonstrate that the proposed model outperforms other data-driven models in prognostication accuracy, highlighting its significant importance for prognosticating the lifespan of PEMFCs.