Polymer electrolyte fuel cell system level modelling and simulation of transient behavior

In this paper, a system level model for a polymer electrolyte fuel cell (PEFC) system, which is capable of characterizing transient behavior using the control volume method, is developed. Three different cases based on different mass transfer assumptions in the cathode channel are explicitly discussed, i.e., considering the presence of 1) only oxygen, 2) both oxygen and nitrogen or 3) oxygen as well as nitrogen and water vapour in the cathode control volume. The analysis illustrates that the model developed predict in adequate manner the dynamic behavior of a PEFC system. It is demonstrated that the presence of nitrogen and water vapour in the cathode volume significantly affects the PEFC's overall performance. Additionally, the model was modified to test the PEFC system's application for start-up, power step-up and shut-down response with the simulation results that show good agreement with experimental data.