Electronic modeling of a PEMFC with logarithmic amplifiers

Abstract

The main purpose of this project has been to simulate the behavior of a PEM-type fuel cell working in a stationary regimen using an equivalent circuit (EC). The EC designed with Multisim circuit design software reproduces the three characteristics sections of a polarization curve for a proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC). The main characteristic of this EC is that it offers the possibility to adapt the power range of the fuel cell in the simulated electronic model. To do so, a transconductance is used to allow adjusting the load current range. The EC allows fitting the simulated results to any commercial PEM fuel cell polarization curves and power ranges, adjusting parameters such as the charge current IFC and the reversible voltage of the PEM fuel cell Erev, and then setting the resistor values in the losses blocks and in the amplifiers. Validation of the EC has been performed by simply adjusting the empirical data obtained with an Electrochem commercial 25 cm2 active area PEMFC to the different analog blocks of the EC. Adjustments were carried out by using Mathcad 14 calculation algorithms.