Development of a power management unit for small portable direct borohydride fuel cell-NiMH battery hybrid system

In this study, a small portable fuel cell/battery hybrid system has been developed. The system consists of a single portable direct borohydride/peroxide fuel cell (DBPFC), NiMH battery and power management unit (PMU). The battery has been used as a primary power source and has been discharged at constant load. When its state of charge is reduced, the DBPFC charges the battery and powers the load simultaneously. A DC-DC Boost converter has been used as a PMU. The DBPFC has provided the total power of 0.21 Wh into the system during the charge. During this experimental study fuel (NaBH4) efficiency of 37% has been achieved in the hybrid system, while the system efficiency has been calculated as 34.5%. Copyright (C) 2012, Hydrogen Energy Publications, LLC. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.