MatLab/Simulink as design tool of PEM Fuel Cells as electrical generation systems

TLDR: In this paper, a mathematical model of a PEM fuel cell system developed in MatLab/Simulink is demonstrated and the results carried out in designing a DC/DC converter appropriate to take control and optimization of operation point of a Fuel Cell show that the model is appropriate to be applied in designing electrical generation systems.

Abstract: Design of electrical power generation systems based on fuel cells demands for an electrical model for these ones. In fact, designing engineering systems is based on accurate simulation tools that require accurate models of components and subsystems. MatLab/Simulink shows a general approach and it is very common tool for designing electrical control systems. To design electrical generation systems based on hydrogen using the MatLab/Simulink as design tool demands for accurate electrical models of the fuel cells. The behaviour of PEM fuel cells is dependent on so many parameters; so obtaining an accurate model of a PEM fuel cell, including dynamical behaviour, becomes essential to design electrical power generation based on fuel cells. For that purpose, a mathematical model of a PEM fuel cell system developed in MatLab/Simulink is demonstrated. However, the difficulty emerges in the lack of manufacturer data about the exact values of the parameters needed for modelling it. The analytical formulation of the fuel cell behaviour is based on a set of equations demanding knowledge on several parameters whose values are dependent on cell operation as well as on operating temperature. The method adopted in order to determine the optimum set of parameters is the Simulated Annealing (SA) optimization algorithm, which proves to be well adapted to satisfy the goal of a fast convergence to establish the right values for the cell parameters. The good agreement between the simulation and the experimental results shows that the proposed model provides an accurate representation of the static and dynamic behaviour for the PEM fuel cell. As the model is already established, the paper shows that the designing of electrical generation systems based on fuel cells can be easily performed in MatLab/Simulink environment. The results carried out in designing a DC/DC converter appropriate to take control and optimization of operation point of a Fuel Cell show that the model is appropriate to be applied in designing electrical generation systems. The simulation results are compared with real data got from commercial systems.