Modeling and emulation of fuel cell flooding behavior

This paper presents an approach for modeling the dynamics associated with fuel cell flooding in the anode gas chamber of a Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell (PEM FC) for the implementation on a real time emulator system. Many models exist which account for numerous parameters to predict the behavior of the fuel cell output voltage and current during liquid water formation in the gas channels. These models are however computationally intensive and thus not suitable for the integration with a real time emulator. A simplified dynamic model is presented that delivers acceptable accuracy when compared to an actual fuel cell. The model is integrated with the control systems of the developed emulator system which is capable of reproducing the voltage and current behavior of an actual fuel cell. The addition of fault conditions, such as flooding, in fuel cell emulation introduces a new aspect for the development of mitigation strategies and hardware for the power conditioning subsystems without the use of an actual fuel cell that can be damaged under the same operating conditions.