The structure of Nafion, the polymer electrolyte membrane used in some fuel cells, has been extensively debated over recent decades. Now, a newly proposed model reveals the nanoscale arrangement that could explain the excellent transport properties of the material. Transport is a major source of pollution in cities. As a result, the development of cars and buses which generate low or negligible...

This paper analyzes the possibility of using a nonlinear controller to mitigate the current ripple of an inverter system powered by a Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cell (PEMFC) stack. Hybrid and fuel cell technologies need to be merged in Hybrid Power Sources (HPS) to assure high performance regarding the PEMFC energy efficiency and PEMFC life cycle. The nonlinear controller is designed bas...

Early and accurate fault detection and diagnosis for renewable energy systems can increase their safety and ensure the continuity of their service. This paper presents a comprehensive review of different fault detection and diagnosis methods for hybrid renewable energy systems consisting of a wind turbine power generator, a PV (photovoltaic) array, a PEM (polymer electrolyte membrane) fuel cell...

This paper focuses on observer based fault reconstruction for a class of nonlinear uncertain systems with Lipschitz nonlinearities. An adaptive-gain Super-Twisting (STW) observer is developed for observing the system states, where the adaptive law compensates the uncertainty in parameters. The inherent equivalent output error injection feature of STW algorithm is then used to reconstruct the fa...

A major challenge in obtaining long-term durability in fuel cells is to discover catalyst supports that do not corrode, or corrode much more slowly than the current carbon blacks used in today's polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells. Such materials must be sufficiently stable at low pH (acidic conditions) and high potential, in contact with the polymer membrane and under exposure to hydrogen ...

Maintaining proper membrane humidity is crucial to ensure optimal operation of a polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell system. A membrane humidifier using the fuel cell exhaust gas to humidify the dry air is studied in this paper. We first develop a thermodynamic model, which captures the crucial dynamic variables of the humidifier, including the pressure, flow rate, temperature, and relative ...

We have achieved performance enhancement of polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) though crack generation on its electrodes. It is the first attempt to enhance the performance of PEMFC by using cracks which are generally considered as defects. The pre-defined, cracked electrode was generated by stretching a catalyst-coated Nafion membrane. With the strain-stress property of the membran...

Polymer electrolyte fuel cells (PEFCs) have attracted much interest due to the need for an efficient, non-polluting power source with high energy density for vehicles in urban environments, as well as portable electronics [...].