The Application of Battery Charging Circuit using PEM Fuel-Cell

In this study, the experimental application of polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell (PEM-FC) with dc-dc boost converter is realized for compact design of electric vehicle (eV). The PEM-FC is an electro-chemical device which combines hydrogen with oxygen to produce electricity for charging batteries which drive an electric motor. The performance of the DCDC boost converter as power modulator for fuel cell is analyzed for varying loads in order to control dc compound motor for enhancing performance. This PEM-FC can produce max 40V electricity to charge the six 12V lead-acid batteries that are connected series are used to power the dc compound motor of eV. In order to charge these batteries, a dc-dc boost converter is used to increase the PEM-FC voltage to 72V that batteries need for charging. During the charging process, the system is feedback itself with current and voltage sensors. The power system is controlled by Arduino ATmega16U2 microcontroller that is able to decide the desired duty cycle of the boost converter. The experimental results prove the robustness of control algorithm.