Fuel cell technology is recently becoming one of the most attractive fields for the car companies to invest in. In this project, we propose using a polymer electrolyte membrane fuelcell (PEMFC). Our purpose is to simulate the fuelcell power system. This research presents a high performance model for a PEM fuelcell vehicle power system.
PEM fuelcells are very popular due to their high efficiency, power density and low emission. However the fuelcell system efficiency can decrease because of the need for compressed air and cooling systems.
This research is focused on three major subsystems: hydrogen supply subsystem, air supply subsystem and fuelcell stack subsystem. The cooling subsystem is not considered in this study.
The operating strategies of the fuelcell system can have a significant impact on the fuelcell system efficiency and the fuel economy. The key issue is to control the pressure, flow rate and humidity of the intake air and fuel. Finally using the model the optimum value of compressor pressure ratio, air and fuel flow rate and compressor power consumption is calculated.