Integrated model for accurate internal state estimation of polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells

This study unveils a refined methodology for fuel cell behavior simulation. On the basis of three multiphysics models for the polymer membrane, catalyst layer, and mass transport, a new type of integrated model was developed. Using this model, the performance curves for various fuel cell states, charge transfer coefficient of reaction kinetics, concentration gradient inside the catalyst, and ion conductivity of the separator in the thickness direction for various fuel cell states were estimated. The proposed method can estimate microscale to macroscale fuel cell behavior with minimal computational effort while keeping the error relative to experimental data small by combining the most appropriate models to simulate each part of the fuel cell as needed.