Modeling of the architectures of the auxiliaries of a Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell system

The development of a clean new energy for the transport sector seems to be necessary in order to fight against climate change. For this purpose, hydrogen is seen as a possible solution, as it is usually considered as a clean fuel: its oxidation only produces water. Hydrogen can be used in fuel cells to produce electrical power. One of the most used fuel cell in the industry is the Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell (or Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cell) (PEMFC). The PEMFC is highly suitable for the transport industry, thanks to its high power density, but also for electricity generation in a stationary application. This research and development project fits in the context of reducing pollutant emissions and the development of hydrogen solutions for a cleaner mobility.

Currently, in the market, there are only stacks with about hundreds of kilowatts. To raise the power to greater levels, without developing new stacks, multi-stack systems need to be designed. PEMFC multi-stack models of about one megawatt were developed in Amesim, a 0/1D modeling software, in order to find the best architectures of the auxiliaries, according to several criteria. Different configurations were studied, mainly: counter-current and co-current flow configuration, series and parallel configuration at the anode side, and, series, parallel and dual configuration at the cathode side. According to the Amesim simulations performed, the parallel configuration at both the anode and cathode side was found to be the most optimal, along with the counter-current flow configuration. The influence of increasing the number of stacks was also investigated and five stacks per compressor was seen as an adequate solution.