Development of a fuel cell simulator based on an experimentally derived model

Fuel cells (FC) are power sources that convert electrochemical energy into electrical energy in a clean and efficient manner. FC technology presents one of the most promising solutions to reduce fossil fuel consumption. FC simulators are expected to play a key role in the development of FC systems due to their low cost and flexibility. This paper presents the development of a stand-alone FC simulator based on a low cost digital signal processor (DSP). The proposed fuel cell simulator emulates the electrical dynamic behavior of a direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC) stack. This is achieved via a power converter with a robust control strategy with fast dynamic response. The reference signal for the power converter that represents the dynamic behavior of the FC is generated from an experimental model of the DMFC that can be extended to other FCs. The output of the FC simulator is a reproduction of the dynamic behavior of DMFC model, thus emulating a FC stack. Test results of the FC simulator and the actual FC are compared and discussed. From the viewpoint of educational purposes, the proposed FC simulator provides a flexible solution at a low cost for student and engineers in training. In addition, the proposed simulator can be used for the design and development of FC power electronics