Electric circuit modeling of fuel cell system including compressor effect and current ripples Abbas A. Fardoun a,* , Hassan A.N. Hejase b , Ali Al-Marzouqi b , Mahmoud Nabag b a Phonecia University, Lebanon b UAE University, Al-Ain, United Arab Emirates article info Article history: Received 9 May 2016 Accepted 14 July 2016 Available online xxx Keywords: Fuel cell Electric circuit modeling Current ripple Compressor effect abstract This study aims to investigate the development of an Electrical Circuit Model (ECM) that represents the behavior of a PEM fuel cell system. The ECM parameters are identified based on sets of impedance data obtained by using a characterization process known as Elec- trochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS). In this process, a small magnitude of alter- nating current sweeping a broad spectrum of frequencies is superimposed on a DC current drawn from the fuel cell while measuring the resulting voltage response. The measured impedance is fitted to an ECM using a nonlinear least-square fitting method. The proposed ECM is able to reflect the voltage response of the system to current ripples and represent the effect of the compressor. The proposed model is validated using a commercial fuel cell power module. In general, such model representation is useful for analyzing the effects of the operating conditions on the fuel cell performance, efficiency and durability. It also helps in comprehending the effects of current ripple on the fuel cell while operating with power-conditioning units © 2016 Hydrogen Energy Publications LLC. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. Introduction Fuel cells are considered as a promising solution to the global energy supply problem among other conventional and renewable energy sources. Efforts worldwide have intensified to maintain the development in this field, although it remains a relatively expensive technology that has yet to attain a sustainable commercial success [1]. As part of these efforts, researchers have been interested in modeling and under- standing the various phenomena associated with the opera- tion of fuel cells. The different models presented in the literature [2,3] aim to characterize the behavior of the fuel cells and to develop both diagnostic and control techniques in order to ensure safe and extended operation of the fuel cell systems. Among these models, are the Electrical Circuit Models (ECMs) that are widely used in interpreting observa- tions resulting from the characterization of the fuel cells and which can be integrated with existing electrical SW packages (e.g., PSPICE). Compared to the mechanistic models, this modeling technique provides a better understanding of the different effects of the operating conditions on the fuel cell's performance by observing the consequent changes in the circuit parameters. The ECM approach enables researchers to work on the optimization of the cell's fabrication and the operating conditions in order to enhance the efficiency and * Corresponding author. E-mail addresses: abbasfardoun@gmail.com (A.A. Fardoun), hhejase@uaeu.ac.ae (H.A.N. Hejase), hassana@uaeu.ac.ae (A. Al-Marzouqi), m.nabag@uaeu.ac.ae (M. Nabag). Available online at www.sciencedirect.com ScienceDirect journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/he international journal of hydrogen energy xxx (2016) 1 e7 http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhydene.2016.07.093 0360-3199/© 2016 Hydrogen Energy Publications LLC. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. Please cite this article in press as: Fardoun AA, et al., Electric circuit modeling of fuel cell system including compressor effect and current ripples, International Journal of Hydrogen Energy (2016), http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhydene.2016.07.093