Thermal management for an air coolant system of a proton exchange membrane fuel cell using heat distribution optimization

摘要

This study aims to analyze the temperature characteristics of an air-cooled PEM (Polymer Electrolyte Membrane) fuel cell and control its temperature distribution. A temperature control method for the air-cooled PEM fuel cell is achieved by regulating the operating temperature optimally and reducing the temperature gradient. A 3D numerical model is employed to predict the temperature distribution of the stack in the direction of the cooling channel at different air speeds. A multi-node control oriented model is constructed through simulation and control strategy design to reflect difference in the temperature distribution of the fuel cell in the direction of the cooling flow channel. The proposed thermal management system regulates the direction of the coolant airflow based on the finite-state machine control and the airflow speed control based on conventional proportional integral control. The experiment is implemented on a 1.2 kW PEM fuel cell system for the thermal management validation and results show that the present temperature control scheme can enhance the performance of the cell and reduce the temperature gradient within 0.5 degrees C.