In this paper, several control strategies for water management of Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) Fuel Cells are presented. The controllers were designed, developed and implemented in Fuel Cell Laboratory at Florida Atlantic University (FAU) in order to increase the efficiency and performance of PEM Fuel Cells. Two different pulsing approaches were implemented. The amplitude variations of the pulses were controlled through a regulator on the air source pump. Other parameters were tuned using computer software in conjunction with A/D, D/A, and electronic circuits. In addition, a fuzzy controller is proposed for water management of PEM based on Mamadani inference Systems. The preliminary experimental results demonstrate the effective of the method.

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Florida Atlantic University has recently developed a prototype interdisciplinary undergraduate fuel cell (FC) laboratory. The new laboratory addresses simple and effective approaches for the implementation of fuel cell technology and its applications through the innovative industrial design techniques, incorporation of real-time sensory interfacing and other applicable industrial advances. The implementation phase of the laboratory has been recently achieved in collaboration with a leading industry with over 15 years experience in design, fabrication and implementation of fuel cells in both stationary and mobile applications. Students from electrical, mechanical, ocean and computer engineering are currently benefiting from opportunities the laboratory provides in design, experiment and simulation of fuel cells. The laboratory consists of a prototype experimental station. The station contains three microcomputer, three Data Acquisition boards, several sensors and actuators, and eight experimental setups. Authors have recently offered a new course entitled "Introduction to Fuel Cell Technology" in conjunction with the FC laboratory. In addition, multidisciplinary student groups from senior design classes are utilizing the lab for FC design projects. It is anticipated that the current development of the new laboratory will have a direct impact on undergraduate education by creating a focal point for interdisciplinary learning, a balance between theoretical and hands-on experience in undergraduate teaching, and application of these educational tools in a vibrant technology sector. The evaluation plan for the course materials focuses on three general areas. The first focus is on the assessment of the course modules. The second focus is related to student-identified strengths/weaknesses of the course/modules. Finally, the third focus is to document the course/curricular refinements resulting from the evaluative data obtained by end of spring 2008 semester.