Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) fuel cells are gaining popularity as a replacement to the internal combustion engine in automobiles. This application will demand high levels of performance from the fuel cell making it critical that proper water management is maintained. One of the areas of interest in water management is the transport of water through the Gas Diffusion Medium (GDM) on the cathod...

Particle image velocimetry was used to measure 2D velocity fields in representative regions of interest within flow channels of interdigitated and single-serpentine proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cell models. The model dimensions, gas diffusion layer (GDL) permeability, working fluid, and flow rates were selected to be geometrically and dynamically similar to the cathode-side airflow in a ...

Fuel cells are electrochemical devices which convert chemical energy of a reacting fuel directly into electricity with high efficiency and no pollution. Proton Exchange/ Polymer Electrolyte Membrane (PEM) fuel cells are likely to be among one of the most promising energy sources for transportation, heating and power generation. Some of the key materials used in PEM fuel cells are catalysts, mem...

The possibility of implementing fuel cell technology in Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) propulsion systems is considered. Potential advantages of the Proton Exchange Membrane or Polymer Electrolyte Membrane (PEMFC) and Direct Methanol Fuel Cells (DMFC), their fuels (hydrogen and methanol), and their storage systems are revised from technical and environmental standpoints. Some operating commercia...

Fuel cells are electrochemical energy converters which allow transformation of the chemical energy of a fuel to electricity through oxido-reduction reaction. The voltage of an elementary cell is usually near 1 V in open circuit and around 0.6 V in nominal conditions of power generation. Fuel cells are then by essence low voltage sources , so that for most practical applications, power managemen...

In this paper, a high-efficiency fuel cell implemented by an LLC resonant dc–dc converter is proposed to save the cost and energy of fuel cell. The proposed converter has zero-voltage switching (ZVS) operation of the primary switches and zero-current switching (ZCS) operation of the rectifier diodes. By frequency modulation control, the output impedance of an LLC resonant converter can be regul...

Hydrogen associated with Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell (PEMFC) as the prime candidate energy is becoming attention in transportation. However, cost and service lifespan are main reasons that limit PEMFC wide application. In this paper, super-twisting sliding mode (STSM) controller designed for a four-phase interleaved boost converter (IBC) coupled PEMFC. The proposed can enhance robustness...

Start-up and dynamic responses to changes in load are reported for a dry feed, autohumidified polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell PEMFC . The fuel cell current can be ignited by water injection; criteria are derived for the required water injection as functions of fuel cell size, temperature, and reactant feed rates. Steady-state multiplicity is observed where the fuel cell current can be ei...

This paper focuses on the energy management control strategy for a hybrid fuel cell powered vehicle. A method based on optimal control theory is presented. This control strategy has been applied to a representative hybrid PEM (Proton Exchange Membrane) fuel cell mid-size vehicle. Simulation results on a priori known driving cycle are presented and compared to a sub-optimal strategy. Copyright ©...

In this paper, we demonstrate a monolithic integrated micro direct methanol fuel cell (μDMFC) for the first time. The monolithic integrated μDMFC combines proton exchange membrane (PEM) and Pt nanocatalysts, in which PEM is achieved by the functionalized porous silicon membrane and 3D Pt nanoflowers being synthesized in situ on it as catalysts. Sulfo groups functionalized porous silicon membran...