Modeling and performance studies of a fuel-cell powered boost converter

The proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cell is becoming popular as an alternate power source for various applications. The paper presents a novel circuit model for a PEM fuel cell that can be used to design and analyze fuel-cell power system. The PSPICE-based model uses BJTs and LC elements available in the PSPICE library with some modification. The static and dynamic characteristics obtained through simulation are compared with experimental results obtained on a commercial fuel-cell module. The possibility of operating the fuel cell at its maximum power point is investigated. The performance of the fuel cell module when feeding a boost converter is studied through simulation and experiment and the waveforms are presented. The need for a buffer capacitor to make up for the voltage drop under transient switching operation is established.