PEM fuel cell modeling using system identification methods for urban transportation applications

This paper presents a comparative study of Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) Fuel Cell (FC) models for integration in hybrid propulsion systems, based on a commercial FC from Nuvera, which is especially manufactured for this application. An existing model is used as a reference in order to build dynamical mathematical models which describe its dynamical behavior in the time domain. These mathematical models are obtained by applying system identification techniques to the reference model. The proposed FC models have been tested through simulations for the real drive cycle of the existing Metro Centro tramway in Seville.

► We present a study of PEM FC models for integration in hybrid propulsion systems. ► The models are obtained applying system identification to the reference model. ► The importance of simplifying the model is for testing control strategies. ► This linear model achieves a good approximation of dynamic behavior in the tramway.