200W PEM Fuel Cell Stack with Online Model-Based Monitoring System

Although various designs have been introduced to improve the performance of a Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell (PEMFC) stack system, fault conditions, such as drying or flooding, may still occur due to the complexity of the process. The development of a system which can detect these fault conditions is a key to operate PEMFC stack system effectively. In this study, a monitoring system for a 200W commercial PEMFC stack system has been developed by constructing models for determining the flooding and drying conditions inside the cell. Since the membrane resistance and pressure drop across the stack are important parameters for determining either drying or flooding conditions taking place inside the fuel cell, the online model-based monitoring system is developed by adopting existing algorithms. A number of instruments are installed to measure relevant data. The data acquisition system and mathematical models have been programmed under LabVIEW TM environment. To indicate the abnormal conditions inside the fuel cell stack, the model prediction is compared with the experimental measured values and the size of the discrepancy will be an indicator.