Application of current switching method to estimate the model parameters of proton exchange membrane fuel cell

This paper presents a model parameter estimation method for the proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC). The parameter estimation method is based on the current switching technique, intentionally switching the output current of PEMFC to obtain the waveform of the transient terminal voltage. The parameter values are found by analyzing transient waveform measurement results from the current switching test. To demonstrate the effectiveness of the current switching method, the method is tested on a practical PEMFC stack. Good agreement between the experimental and simulated results is obtained. The test results show the parameter estimation method is efficient and reliable. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.