An instrument-based testing platform and fuel control algorithm verification for direct methanol fuel cell

System integration is crucial to fuel cells. In addition to considering relative control rules and treatment of the reactants, the design and control of the balance of plant (BOP) are vitally important for a self-sustainable and optimized fuel cell system. In this study, a fuel cell control system is developed by utilizing an instrument-based system integration platform and sensor-less fuel concentration estimation and verification. A control measure is determined by both consumption and concentration change of the fuel. The feasibility of the sensor-less fuel concentration estimation is verified by experimental results. A testing platform, integrating software and hardware, which is used for the direct liquid fuel cell system, has developed in this study. It is an beneficial and flexible tool for developing relative controlling algorithms, evaluating efficiency of cells, or designing BOP of fuel cells.