Battery knowledge · Other and emerging chemistries

Fuel cell

An electrochemical converter that makes electricity from a fuel, usually hydrogen, and oxygen as long as both are supplied, rather than storing energy in its electrodes. Fuel-cell vehicles still carry a battery to buffer power.

Example

Other and emerging chemistries: an example situation

Two chemistries can meet the same energy target with different voltage windows and charge termination.

Read Fuel cell alongside Flow battery in this context. A battery whose energy is stored in liquid electrolytes held in external tanks and pumped through a reaction stack. Energy and power scale independently, which suits long-duration grid storage; vanadium is the most developed chemistry.

Use in Lemonergy

Lemonergy Studio blocks

Tabulated fuel-cell stack worked example

Interpolated polarization table with explicit out-of-table diagnostic.

Blocks to use

  1. Tabulated fuel-cell stack

    Linearly interpolates a current-to-stack-voltage polarization table and reports power. An in-range output distinguishes interpolation from operation beyond the supplied current domain.

    Inputs & settings
    • Use the parameter values in the block reference.
    • Bundled example verified on the production release of 28 October 2026.

This overview identifies the components to use. Follow the example in Lemonergy for their connections and settings.

  1. Review the block inputs, units and model limits.
  2. Open the Studio example and run its bundled model.
  3. Compare the output channels with the numerical checks; change one input and run again.

Example. Use the defaults below with Stack current = 1.5 A. At 0 s, Stack voltage is 4.6 V. Additional checks are listed below.

Observe. Inspect the outputs and numerical checks on the block reference page.

This static table has no gas, thermal, pressure or electrochemical states. A measured polarization curve is required for a particular stack. The example verifies numerical behavior for synthetic parameters. Cell characterization and validation for an intended use are separate tasks.

Open Studio example →

Lemonergy Studio blocks

Reduced PEM fuel-cell stack worked example

Prescribed gas/temperature Nernst potential with activation, ohmic and limiting-current losses plus an identified polarization lag. No humidity, gas-flow or thermal network states.

Blocks to use

  1. Reduced PEM fuel-cell stack

    Computes a reduced PEM stack polarization from prescribed hydrogen/oxygen pressures and temperature. Nernst potential, activation, ohmic and limiting-current losses determine cell voltage. An identified first-order polarization lag adds dynamics. Faraday balance gives reactant consumption.

    Inputs & settings
    • Use the parameter values in the block reference.
    • Bundled example verified on the production release of 28 October 2026.

This overview identifies the components to use. Follow the example in Lemonergy for their connections and settings.

  1. Review the block inputs, units and model limits.
  2. Open the Studio example and run its bundled model.
  3. Compare the output channels with the numerical checks; change one input and run again.

Example. Use the defaults below with Stack current = 2 A, Cell temperature = 298.15 K, Hydrogen partial pressure = 100000 Pa, Oxygen partial pressure = 100000 Pa. At 0 s, Stack voltage is 6.038232542 V. Additional checks are listed below.

Observe. Inspect the outputs and numerical checks on the block reference page.

Positive gas pressures and temperature are required; current is nonnegative and below the limiting current. No hydration, gas-channel flow, internal thermal or conserving network states. Literature supplies background, not a claim to reproduce a full published model. The example verifies numerical behavior for synthetic parameters. Cell characterization and validation for an intended use are separate tasks.

Open Studio example →

References & further reading

Further reading on this topic

These sources provide broader context; they are not presented as citations for every statement in this entry.

  1. Promise and reality of post-lithium-ion batteries with high energy densities

    Jang Wook Choi, Doron Aurbach · Nature Reviews Materials · 2016

    Topic background · Post-lithium-ion materials and battery concepts, including practical cell-level limitations; historical 2016 perspective.

  2. DOE/EPRI 2013 Electricity Storage Handbook in Collaboration with NRECA

    Sandia National Laboratories · 2013

    Topic background · Storage technologies and grid services. The publisher notes that its historical cost and deployment figures are outdated.