Department of Electrical and Mechatronics, Lac Hong University, Vietnam, Viet Nam
BibTex Citation Data :
@article{IJRED62184, author = {Tan-Thich Do and Trung-Kien Vi and Cong-Son Pham}, title = {Mathematical model to evaluate the effect of key operating conditions on proton exchange membrane fuel cell performance}, journal = {International Journal of Renewable Energy Development}, volume = {0}, number = {0}, year = {2026}, keywords = {Proton exchange membrane fuel cell; Fuel cell voltage; Fuel cell power; Energy efficiency; Water generation; Heat generation; Hydrogen utilization; Oxygen utilization.}, abstract = { Nowadays, proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) are regarded as a promising energy source for future applications due to their high power density, high efficiency, relatively low operating temperature, fast start-up capability, and zero emissions. During PEMFC operation, performance is influenced by numerous factors. Therefore, developing a mathematical model to evaluate the effects of key operating conditions on PEMFC performance and energy efficiency is both necessary and significant in the field of fuel cells. In this study, a mathematical model was developed using MATLAB/Simulink and subsequently validated through a series of experiments to assess its accuracy. The results demonstrate that PEMFC performance is strongly affected by operating conditions, including operating temperature, operating pressure, membrane thickness, cathode gas type, cell active area, and the number of cells in the stack. In addition, water, heat generation, energy efficiency, and gas consumption were also considered in the model. The findings indicate that operating temperature and pressure are the most influential parameters affecting PEMFC performance and energy efficiency. When the operating temperature increased, the cell performance improved due to enhanced electrochemical reaction kinetics and improved electrical conductivity. However, when the PEMFC operates at temperatures above 70 o C, a deterioration in performance is observed. This behavior can be attributed to membrane dehydration at elevated temperatures, which reduces proton conductivity and, consequently, lowers the output cell voltage. Increasing pressure reduces membrane resistance and interface contact resistance, leading to a decrease in voltage losses and an improvement in cell voltage. At a current density of 0.5 A cm −2 , the cell voltages are 0.550, 0.559, 0.564, 0.568, 0.571, and 0.574 V for anode operating pressures of 1.0, 1.5, 2.0, 2.5, 3.0, and 3.5 atm, respectively. Overall, this study provides a reliable and precise tool for predicting PEMFC performance under varying operating conditions. }, doi = {10.61435/ijred.2026.62184}, url = {https://ijred.cbiore.id/index.php/ijred/article/view/62184} }
Refworks Citation Data :
Nowadays, proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) are regarded as a promising energy source for future applications due to their high power density, high efficiency, relatively low operating temperature, fast start-up capability, and zero emissions. During PEMFC operation, performance is influenced by numerous factors. Therefore, developing a mathematical model to evaluate the effects of key operating conditions on PEMFC performance and energy efficiency is both necessary and significant in the field of fuel cells. In this study, a mathematical model was developed using MATLAB/Simulink and subsequently validated through a series of experiments to assess its accuracy. The results demonstrate that PEMFC performance is strongly affected by operating conditions, including operating temperature, operating pressure, membrane thickness, cathode gas type, cell active area, and the number of cells in the stack. In addition, water, heat generation, energy efficiency, and gas consumption were also considered in the model. The findings indicate that operating temperature and pressure are the most influential parameters affecting PEMFC performance and energy efficiency. When the operating temperature increased, the cell performance improved due to enhanced electrochemical reaction kinetics and improved electrical conductivity. However, when the PEMFC operates at temperatures above 70 oC, a deterioration in performance is observed. This behavior can be attributed to membrane dehydration at elevated temperatures, which reduces proton conductivity and, consequently, lowers the output cell voltage. Increasing pressure reduces membrane resistance and interface contact resistance, leading to a decrease in voltage losses and an improvement in cell voltage. At a current density of 0.5 A cm−2, the cell voltages are 0.550, 0.559, 0.564, 0.568, 0.571, and 0.574 V for anode operating pressures of 1.0, 1.5, 2.0, 2.5, 3.0, and 3.5 atm, respectively. Overall, this study provides a reliable and precise tool for predicting PEMFC performance under varying operating conditions.
Article Metrics:
Last update:
Last update: 2026-05-24 08:17:16
This journal provides immediate open access to its content on the principle that making research freely available to the public supports a greater global exchange of knowledge. Articles are freely available to both subscribers and the wider public with permitted reuse.
All articles published Open Access will be immediately and permanently free for everyone to read and download. We are continuously working with our author communities to select the best choice of license options: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike (CC BY-SA). Authors and readers can copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format, as well as remix, transform, and build upon the material for any purpose, even commercially, but they must give appropriate credit (cite to the article or content), provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made. If you remix, transform, or build upon the material, you must distribute your contributions under the same license as the original.
International Journal of Renewable Energy Development (ISSN:2252-4940) published by CBIORE is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
