TY  - JOUR
AU  - Armenta-Déu, Carlos
PY  - 2025
DA  - 2025/01/20
TI  - A Fuel Cell Control System for Performance Improvement under Variable Atmospheric Pressure Conditions
JO  - Recent Progress in Science and Engineering
SP  - 001
VL  - 01
IS  - 01
AB  - This work focuses on designing a control unit for improving Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell (PEMFC) performance powering electric vehicles when operating in variable atmospheric pressure conditions, a current situation in mountainous countries with sudden changes in road altitude. The paper studies and analyzes the PEM fuel cell behavior working with hydrogen supply from a pressurized tank and oxygen input from atmospheric air supply in journeys with continuous variation of road level due to the orography. The work proposes a control unit that regulates hydrogen and oxygen partial pressure to match each other, assuring correct fuel cell operation and improving performance. A simulation for a fuel cell powering a standard electric vehicle shows that fuel cell performance improves by 8.5%, enlarging the driving range by 7.8% and prolonging the fuel cell lifespan. The control unit is adaptive to all-electric vehicles powered by a PEM fuel cell. Although the simulation test runs for altitudes between sea level and 2000 m, it is valid for any altitude variation from sea level to 6000 meters, representing the practical totality of world roads.
SN  - ISSN: Pending
UR  - https://doi.org/10.21926/rpse.2501001
DO  - 10.21926/rpse.2501001
ID  - Armenta-Déu2025
ER  -