PEM Fuel Cell Emulators: A Review

Proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) emulators are feasible solutions for conducting low-cost and safe developments. These types of systems have attracted the attention of global PEMFC manufacturers and research groups over the last few years. Owing to these emulators, it has been possible to develop and optimize PEMFC systems including power electronics and control without the need to use or damage a real PEMFC. However, despite the importance of PEMFC emulators in research, reported studies on this topic remain scarce. For this reason, this review describes the main characteristics and different types of PEMFC emulators (i.e., pseudo and electronic emulators), providing a basis for new emulator prototypes. Additionally, in this paper, the mathematical models that complement PEMFC emulators are presented (i.e., these models and emulators generate reliable measurements compared with real PEMFC systems). Examples of electronic circuit designs based on mathematical models (electrical and heat) are also presented to give some insight into the construction of new PEMFC emulators. Therefore, this paper proposes tools for the construction of new PEMFC emulators to boost the development of this technology.