Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell Signal-Based Diagnostics Using Empirical Fourier Transform

Proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) technology offers an attractive alternative to fossil fuels, especially for automotive applications, but it still needs to be improved in terms of reliability to be market competitive. This work presents a method to determine the health state of the cell using empirical Fourier decomposition (EFD) and Hilbert transform (HT) signal processing methods that are more suitable than conventional approaches for non-stationary and non-linear signals. The performance is found to be good in distinguishing the two faults of flooding and drying.