• The Transactions of the Korean Institute of Power Electronics
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.134-141
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• 2010

Small PEM (Proton Exchange Membrane) fuel cell systems do not require humidification and have great commercialization possibilities. However, methods for controlling small PEM fuel cell stacks have not been clearly established. In this paper, a control method for small PEM fuel cell systems using a dual closed loop with a static feedforward structure is defined and realized using a DSP (Digital Signal Processor). The fundamental elements that need to be controlled in fuel cell systems include the supply of air and hydrogen, water management inside the stack, and heat management of the stack. For small PEM fuel cell stacks operated without a separate humidifier, fans are essential for air supply, heat management, and water management of the stack. A purge valve discharges surplus water from the stack. The proposed method controls the fan using double control loops to quicken transient response of the fan thereby improving the supply rate of air. Feedback control to compensate for the voltage change in fuel cell stack improves the response characteristics in fuel cell to load variations. The feasibility of proposed method was proved by the experiments with a 60W small PEM fuel cell system and operation of a notebook computer using this system.

• Transactions of the Korean hydrogen and new energy society
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• v.30 no.5
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• pp.401-410
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• 2019

The operating conditions greatly impact the efficiency and performance of polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) fuel cell systems and must be properly managed to ensure better performance and efficiency. In particular, small variations in operating conditions interact with each other and affect the performance and efficiency of PEM fuel cell systems. Thus, a systematic study is needed to understand how small changes in operating conditions affect the system performance and efficiency. In this paper, an automotive fuel cell system (including cell stack and balance of plant [BOP]) with a turbo-blower was modeled using MATLAB/Simulink platform and the sensitivity analyses of main operating parameters were performed using the developed system model. Effects of small variations in four main parameters (stack temperature, cathode air stoichiometry, cathode pressure, and cathode relative humidity) on the system efficiency were investigated. The results show that cathode pressure has the greatest potential impact on the sensitivity of fuel cell system efficiency. It is expected that this study can be used as a basic guidance to understand the importance of achieving accurate control of the fuel cell operating conditions for the robust operation of automotive PEM fuel cell systems.

• The Transactions of the Korean Institute of Power Electronics
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• v.13 no.6
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• pp.469-475
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• 2008

In this paper, control of small PEM(Proton Exchange Membrane) fuel cell stack by a microprocessor is introduced. The water management of fuel cell stack inside, a key technique in fuel cell control, can be achieved by adjusting the required air flow for fuel and cooling, and by purging the excessive water from the stack. It is very important to precisely control the BOS(Balance of Stack) since the stable operation of the fuel cell system mainly depends on it. In this study the fuel efficiency of the system is improved by the control of the system based on the measured air flow and purge cycle during the optimal operation and its effectiveness is proved by the experiments. The operating stability of the system is improved by the developed controller using a microprocessor and it is expected to be widely used for the control of small PEM fuel cell stack.

• Journal of Power Electronics
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• v.8 no.3
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• pp.239-247
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• 2008

This paper presents the design of 1 kW prototype high frequency link boost half bridge inverter-fed DC-DC power converters with bridge voltage-doublers suitable for small scale PEM fuel cell systems and associated control schemes. The operation principle of this converter is described using fuel cell modeling and some operating waveforms. The switching mode equivalent circuits are based on simulation results and a detailed circuit operation analysis at soft-switching conditions.

• Advances in Energy Research
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• v.8 no.4
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• pp.203-211
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• 2022

The aim of this paper is to analyze the performance of commercial fuel cell (rated capacity 1000W) with the help of resistive load and output power variation with change in H₂ flow rate and calculate the maximum power point (MPP) of the proton exchange membrane (PEM) while changing AC and DC load respectively. The factors influencing the output power of a fuel cell are hydrogen flow rate, cell temperature, and membrane water content. The results show that when the H₂ flow rate is changed from 11, 13, and 15 Lpm, MPP is increased from lower to higher flow rate. The power of the fuel cell is increased at the rate of 29% by increasing the flow rate from 11 to 15 lpm. This study will allow small-scale industries and residential buildings (in remote or inaccessible areas) to characterize the performance of PEMFC. Furthermore, fuel cell helps in reducing emission in the environment compared to fossil fuels. Also, fuel cells are ecofriendly as well as cost effective and can be the best alternative way to convert energy.

• Transactions of the Korean hydrogen and new energy society
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• v.24 no.5
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• pp.386-392
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• 2013

Polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) fuel cell stacks are constructed by stacking several to hundreds of unit cells depending on their power outputs required. Fuel and oxidant are distributed to each cell of a stack through so-called manifolds during its operation. In designing a stack, if the manifold sizes are too small, the fuel and oxidant would be maldistributed among the cells. On the contrary, the volume of the stack would be too large if the manifolds are oversized. In this study, we present a three-dimensional computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model with a geometrically simplified flow-field to optimize the size of the manifolds of a stack. The flow-field of the stack was simplified as a straight channel filled with porous media to reduce the number of computational meshes required for CFD simulations. Using the CFD model, we determined the size of the oxidant manifold of a 30 kW-class PEM fuel cell stack that comprises 99 cells. The stack with the optimal manifold size showed a quite uniform distribution of the cell voltages across the entire cells.

• 한국신재생에너지학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2009.06a
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• pp.274-277
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• 2009

본 논문에서는 소형 PEM(Proton Exchange Membrane) 연료전지 스택의 BOS(Balance of Stack) 제어에 관하여 논의한다. 별도의 가습 장치가 필요치 않고 BOS의 구성이 비교적 간단한 소형 PEM 연료전지 시스템에서는 팬과 퍼지밸브만의 제어를 통해 스택 내부 수분의 조절과 열 관리가 수행된다. 따라서 본 논문에서는 부하에 따른 최적의 공기유량을 계산하고 요구되는 유량의 공급을 위해 팬을 제어하는 알고리즘을 통해 소형 연료전지 시스템의 과도응답 특성과 안정성을 향상시키는 방법에 관하여 제안한다. 150W급 소형 연료전지 시스템을 꾸미고, 마이크로컨트롤러를 이용한 제어회로를 구현하여 실험함으로써 제안된 알고리즘의 유용함을 검증하였다.

• Journal of the Korean Solar Energy Society
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• v.34 no.4
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• pp.9-16
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• 2014

A proton exchange membrane is a core component in the proton exchange membrane fuel cell because the role of proton exchange membrane(PEM)is supplying proton conductivity to fuel cell, a gas separator, and insulating between an anode and cathode. Among various role of PEM, supplying proton conductivity is the most important and the proton conductivity is strongly related the structural evolution of PEM by hydration. Thus a lot of studies have done by past few decade based on small angle X-ray scattering and wide angle X-ray scattering for understanding morphological structure of the PEM. Resulting from these studies, several morphological models of hydrated PEM are proposed. Current sensing atomic force microscopy (CSAFM) can map morphology and conductance on the membrane simultaneously. It can be the best tool for studying heterogenous structured materials such as PEM. In this study, the hydration of the membrane is examined by using CSAFM. Conductance and morphological images are simultaneously mapped under different relative humidity. The conductance images, which are mapped from different relative humidity, are analyzed by statistical methode for understanding ionic channel variation in PEM.

• Transactions of the Korean hydrogen and new energy society
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.26-34
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• 2008

This study presents an aerodynamic design and an experimental performance test of a turbo air compressor consisted of mixed-flow impeller and curved diffuser for the PEM fuel cell vehicle application. Many studies compare the efficiency, cost or noise level of high-pressure and low-pressure operation of PEM fuel cell systems. Pressure ratio 2.2:1 is considered as design target The goal of compressor design is to enlarge the flow margin of compressor from surge to choke mass flow rate to cover the operational envelope of FCV. Large-scale rig test is performed to evaluate the compressor performance and to compare the effects of compressor exit pipe volume to stall or surge characteristics. The results show that the mixed-flow compressor designed has large flow margin, and the flow margin of compressor configuration with small exit volume is larger than that with large exit volume.

• Current Industrial and Technological Trends in Aerospace
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.95-105
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• 2009

Fuel cells are applied to the propulsion system of aircraft based on environmental-friendly characteristics with low noise and zero emission of CO2, currently many kinds of UAV and small manned aircraft equipped with fuel cells are being developed. Fuel cells for aircraft typically classified into PEMFC(Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell) type and SOFC(Solid Oxide Fuel Cell) type and the system is developed to adapt missions and operational conditions of aircraft. For UAV, various types of aircraft mostly based on PEM fuel cell technology are investigated for military or commercial uses, and the stability and endurance of system will be improved. For small manned aircraft, many researches are carried out to substitute the propulsion system by fuel cell, also some developments for the higher performance of APU of large commercial aircraft to apply fuel cells are in progress. In the future, a fuel cell aircraft will be expected to improve the reliability and efficiency with higher power density.