Control of Incoming H2/O2 Flows in a PEM Fuel Cell

Abstract

It has become crucial, with the dwindling of energy resources related to the depletion risk of fossil and fissile resources, to find energy alternatives which have the same properties as those of a hydrocarbon in terms of transport and storage. In this context, the fuel cell appears as a very serious element both at the industrial and research levels. The aim of the manuscript is to highlight the bond graph representation in order to control energy systems incorporating renewable and electrochemical sources, particularly Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) fuel cells. The main issue here is, to control the incoming hydrogen and oxygen flows to the electrodes based on a fuel cell bond graph model developed under 20-sim software and to regulate the output current delivered by the fuel cell while respecting its static characteristic curve and by adjusting the oxygen flow at the cathode and the hydrogen flow at the anode.