Simulation of the proton exchange membrane fuel cell: Dynamic modelling and an environment.

Abstract

The proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) is the focus of modeling and simulation efforts in order to better understand this technology and improve its design and operation. Simulated polarization curves for PEMFCs duplicate the observed performance of PEMFCs with varying degrees of success. In order for modelling and simulation to be more widely used in this field and elsewhere, effective tools must be made available for non-programmers to apply their knowledge to simulation problems. GestCell (A modelling and simulation environment based on Gest) is a new modelling and simulation environment designed with non-programmers in mind, in particular scientists studying PEMFCs. A friendly graphical interface allows users who are knowledgeable in a non-programming field to enter information about a system into GestCell, which automatically constructs a Gest specification. The Gest specification is highly readable for the user, and the system is able to generate a C++ program with the specification in order to allow the user to carry out simulation with the model, with very little knowledge in the area of simulation. GestCell is very general in nature and could be used in a wide variety of fields. It has a great deal of potential to be a powerful modelling and simulation environment.