A critical survey on proton exchange membrane fuel cell parameter estimation using meta-heuristic algorithms

A reliable and accurate mathematical modelling is crucial for performance analysis and optimal control of proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) systems, which is mainly based on precise parameters estimation. With the significant computation advancement in the past decade, numerous meta-heuristic algorithms have been developed to solve such problem which have achieved quite promising results. Hence, this paper aims to undertake a comprehensive review on state-of-the-art meta-heuristic algorithms and related variants applied on PEMFC parameter estimation, which has greatly enhanced the diversity of algorithms compared with prior review. Note that over 160 literatures related to such problem are investigated for a systematic analysis and integration of relevant reported works. Particularly, these algorithms are classified into four categories, e.g., biology-based, physics-based, sociology-based and mathematics-based, upon which readers can systematically utilize these approaches to deal with PEMFC parameter estimation. Besides, various evaluation criteria, specific experimental performance, and other estimation techniques are also thoroughly discussed. Moreover, a thorough summary is carried out to systematically guide the readers to grasp and utilize these approaches. Lastly, some perspectives and recommendations are proposed in conclusion for future researches. In general, this paper can be regarded as a one-stop handbook for future in-depth researches in the related field. •Total twenty-eight meta-heuristic algorithms are elaborated.•Specific simulation results of different algorithms are provided.•Various evaluation criteria and other parameter estimation techniques are discussed.•A comprehensive table summarizes and compares all the estimation approaches.•Several constructive recommendations are given for future development.