Performance Modeling of the Ballard Mark IV Solid Polymer Electrolyte Fuel Cell: II . Empirical Model Development

A parametric model predicting the performance of a solid polymer electrolyte, proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cell has been developed using a combination of mechanistic and empirical modeling techniques. This paper details the empirical analysis which yielded the parametric coefficients employed in the model. A 28 run experiment covering a range of operating currents (50 to 300 ASF), temperatures (328 to 358 K), oxygen partial pressures (0.6 to 3.1 atm abs.) and hydrogen partial pressures (2.0 to 3.1 atm abs.) was conducted. Parametric equations for the activation overvoltage and the internal resistance of the fuel cell were obtained from linear regression. The factors to be employed in the linear regression had been previously determined through a mechanistic analysis of fuel cell processes. Activation overvoltage was modeled as a function of the operating temperature, the product of operating temperature, and the logarithm of the operating current, and the product of operating temperature and the logarithm of the oxygen concentration at the catalyst reaction sites. The internal resistance of the fuel cell was modeled as a function of the operating temperature and the current. Correlation of the empirical model to experimental data was very good. It is anticipated that the mechanistic validity yielded by the coupling of mechanistic and empirical modeling techniques will also allow for accurate predictive capabilities outside of the experimental range.