A fuzzy model to manage water in polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells

Abstract

In this paper, a fuzzy model is presented to determine in real-time the degree of dehydration or flooding of a proton exchange membrane of a fuel cell, to optimize its electrical response, and, consequently, its autonomous operation. By applying load, current, and flux variations in the dry, normal, and flooded states of the membrane, it was determined that the temporal evolution of the fuel cell voltage is characterized by changes in slope and by its voltage oscillations. The results were validated using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and show slope changes from 0.435 to 0.52 and oscillations from 3.6 to 5.2 mV in the dry state, and slope changes from 0.2 to 0.3 and oscillations from 1 to 2 mV in the flooded state. The use of fuzzy logic is a novelty and constitutes a step towards the progressive automation of the supervision, perception, and intelligent control of fuel cells, allowing them to reduce their risks and increase their economic benefits.