Numerical study of Current Density, Temperature and Pressure Effects on the Performance of Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells using Equivalent Electrical Circuit Model

Proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFC) have gained more attention as promising successors to fossil fuels due to their high efficiency and power density, low operating temperature, and no need for maintenance. In this research, first, the cell performance is investigated based on the step changes of current density using the Nernst equation and the governing equations of the fuel cell. Then, an equivalent electrical circuit model considering the effects of current density, temperature, and pressure on the fuel cell performance is presented. MATLAB software is utilized to solve governing equations of the cell. Comparison of the model results with experimental data shows that the model’s performance at low current densities is very well in line with the experimental results (with an error of less than 3.62%). Also, the proposed model shows an acceptable estimate (with an error of about 17.66%) of the cell performance in the whole range of simulated current densities (0 to 0.6 A/cm2). Finally, the effect of operating temperature and anode and cathode pressures on the fuel cell’s performance is investigated and shown that the cell voltage increases by increasing these parameters which, implies their constructive effect on the cell performance.