Parameter Identification for Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell Using an Enhanced Puma Optimizer

Proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) represent a promising renewable energy technology that converts chemical energy from hydrogen and oxygen into electrical energy. Accurate mathematical modeling and precise parameter identification are essential for optimizing PEMFC performance and control. This study proposes a novel hybrid meta-heuristic algorithm, the mutated puma optimizer (Mu-PO), which integrates a mutation operator from differential evolution to enhance the exploration and exploitation capabilities of the conventional puma optimizer, enabling it to escape local minima and reach global optima in fewer iterations. A sum of squared error (SSE)-based objective function is formulated to minimize the discrepancy between estimated and experimental voltages. The proposed method identifies seven unknown parameters for three commercial PEMFC models (250 W, SR-12, and NedStack PS6), achieving SSE values of 0.6419, 1.0566, and 2.0791, respectively. Notably, Mu-PO attains these low SSE values in fewer than 50 iterations for all models, demonstrating rapid convergence. Comparative analysis using statistical indicators (minimum, mean, maximum, and standard deviation of SSE) confirms that Mu-PO outperforms well-established optimization algorithms in terms of convergence speed, stability, and accuracy. Furthermore, validation under dynamic operating conditions, including variations in pressure and temperature, demonstrates consistent and reliable parameter identification, highlighting the robustness and practical applicability of the proposed approach for PEMFC modeling and optimization.