Free open reference implementation of a two-phase PEM fuel cell model

In almost 30 years of PEM fuel cell modeling, countless numerical models have been developed in science and industrial applications, almost none of which have been fully disclosed to the public. There is a large need for standardization and establishing a common ground not only in experimental characterization of fuel cells, but also in the development of simulation codes, to prevent each research group from having to start anew from scratch. Here, we publish the first open standalone implementation of a full-blown, steady-state, non-isothermal two-phase model for low-temperature PEM fuel cells. It is based on macro-homogeneous modeling approaches and implements the most essential through-plane transport processes in a five-layer MEA. The focus is on code simplicity and compactness with only a few hundred lines of clearly readable code, providing a starting point for more complex model development. The model is implemented as a standalone MATLAB function, based on MATLAB’s standard boundary value problem solver. The default simulation setup reflects wide-spread commercially available MEA materials. Operating conditions recommended for automotive applications by the European Commission are used to establish new fuel cell simulation base data, making our program a valuable candidate for model comparison, validation and benchmarking.在近30年的质子交换膜燃料电池（PEM Fuel Cell）建模历程中，科研与工业应用领域已开发出不计其数的数值模型，但几乎无一完全对外公开。当前亟需在燃料电池实验表征与仿真代码开发两大领域推进标准化、建立统一基准，避免各研究团队从零开始重复开发工作。本文首次发布面向低温质子交换膜燃料电池的一款成熟完备、稳态非等温两相模型的开源独立实现方案。该模型基于宏观均相建模方法，针对五层膜电极组件（Membrane Electrode Assembly, MEA）实现了最核心的垂直平面输运过程。本实现聚焦代码简洁紧凑，仅包含数百行可读性优异的代码，可为更复杂的模型开发提供基础起点。该模型以独立MATLAB函数形式实现，依托MATLAB标准边值问题求解器完成计算。默认仿真设置采用市面主流商用MEA材料参数，同时采用欧盟委员会推荐的车用燃料电池运行工况，构建了全新的燃料电池仿真基准数据集，使得本程序可作为模型对比、验证与基准测试的优质候选方案。