Theoretical Simulation Model of a Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell

Current trends in the energy production sector call for alternative energy production methods with a high focus on renewable energy sources. Most of the countries in the world, and especially the developed countries, fund research towards distributed generation and zero energy balance communities. In order to eliminate the consumption of fossil fuels, a crucial role is taken by hydrogen as a fuel, as, if it is produced from renewable energy sources, it could contribute in substituting the fossil fuels used in transport or building's thermal energy sectors. Moreover, it is well known that electrolysis-fuel cells can also be used as a storage medium in autonomous renewable energy systems. In this case, fuel cells need to be carefully sized in order to optimize the storage system both in energy and economic aspects. In this respect, a theoretical model was developed, able to simulate at any time step the operation of a Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell, by using as input data the technical specifications of the cell and the hydrogen flow. The developed model is based on theoretical, experimental and semi-empirical models in order to provide a flexible algorithm in terms of fuel cell sizing. The model is validated with an existing fuel cell experimental system (Nexa 1200) at different hydrogen flow profiles. The results showed high precision which verifies the reliability of the proposed model for using it in optimization procedures.