n this paper, a steady state mathematic model of a proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) is built and validated. Simulations are also conducted for performance characteristics analysis of a PEMFC at several critical operating conditions. The simulation results show that a cell performance can be improved by a rise in cell temperature and reactive gas pressures, and it is not recommended that a PEMFC be operated at high output power level owing to a lower power generation efficiency. The results are very helpful for the optimization of operational parameters of PEM fuel cells. By utilizing the proposed model, the cost and time of a PEMFC power generating system can be considerably decreased in system design and operation.
