Optimization of PEM Fuel Cell Operating Conditions to Target ImprovedPerformance

This paper presents a study to evaluate how a proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC)performance depends on the selected operating conditions and combination of these conditions.First, and by using the design of experiments (DoE) methodology the optimal combination oftemperature, operating pressure and cathode relative humidity is studied to obtain as response thepower output. A central composite design with 20 experimental runs (6 central points were used toassess the experimental error) was adopted to inspect which factors have significant effects andhow they interact to each other. Second, the propagation of error (PoE) methodology is combinedwith DoE to determine the operating conditions where the response could be less affected by thevariation transmitted from the selected operating conditions. A multi-optimization procedure iscarried out considering both power and PoE to minimize the variations in the power

Keywords:

Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells , Design of Experiments , Propagation of Error