Effects of operating parameters and load mode on dynamic cell performance of proton exchange membrane fuel cell

Abstract

Summary Utilization of fuel cells as a source of driving power would expose them to dynamic variable loading conditions depending on the driving profile and environmental circumstances. The present research study aims to investigate the dynamic behavior of a single‐cell proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) subjected to various loading modes and operation parameters. A fuel cell with hydrogen gas as fuel has been assembled as the test module. Three different voltage load modes were designed and applied to the cell. The corresponding current variation of the cell as its dynamic response was measured. The dynamic behavior of the cell was examined for various control parameters such as the cell working temperature, inlet humidification temperature, and stoichiometry. The experimental results indicated that the working temperature of 65°C provided the best fuel‐cell performance among the three investigated working temperatures of 45°C, 55°C, and 65°C. At different humidification temperatures, the Ta/Tc = 70°C/60°C humidification condition led to the best fuel cell performance due to the adequate wettability of the membrane. However, the humidification temperature might also have induced a minimal impact on the dynamic response of the fuel cell. Although past studies have indicated that higher stoichiometry achieved better cell performance, the experimental data of this study demonstrated that the cell performance of λa/λc = 1.5/2.0 was better than λa/λc = 1.0/1.0 or 3.0/3.0. The influence of the load modes on the performance of the fuel cell was distinguished when the load was high and driving load changed rapidly. Thus, in the present study, the dynamic behavior of a single cell has been investigated and the outcomes can be directly employed for validation of future theoretical models.

The Impact of Hydrogen Energy Storage on the Electricity Harvesting

“…The fuel cell output characteristics are quantified and compared, and the specific definition is shown in Eq. (19). 19), the power sensitivity coefficient when the temperature of the fuel cell changes, the power sensitivity coefficient when the hydrogen supply pressure of the hydrogen storage reactor changes, the cathode oxygen pressure, the power sensitivity coefficient when the proton exchange membrane area changes, and then the different parameters can be compared.…”

“…When the output current is less than 50 A, the environmental humidity RH has almost no effect on T opt . Reference [19] used the fuel cell tester of Arbin Instrument Company of the United States as the fuel cell test system to study the influence of hydrogen gas intake on fuel cell performance. The experimental results showed that in the case of increased hydrogen flow, the limit current density with a slight increase, the battery performance remains stable, so controlling the intake air volume within a certain range does not have a great impact on the fuel cell.…”

Effect of Operating Conditions on Voltage Transient Response of High‐Temperature Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell Under Load Changing

“…[ 7 ] Yang et al studied the effects of load patterns and operating parameters on the dynamic behavior of PEMFCs based on actual application environments. [ 8 ] Huang et al investigated the transient response of the PEMFC during start‐up and found that membrane dehydration leads to large differences in dynamic performance. [ 9 ] Yuan et al for the first time used fixed‐frequency impedance as an auxiliary signal to interpret the voltage response of a PEMFC and analyze the intrinsic mechanisms during dynamic operation.…”

The synergetic effect of air pollutants and metal ions on performance of a 5kWproton‐exchange membrane fuel cell stack

“…In addition, studies have evaluated the impact on PEMFC stack performance from the perspectives of operation parameter control, load mode, fuel gas composition, and so on. Adjusting the operating temperature, humidification temperature of fuel inlet, stoichiometry, mitigating the impact through the operation control of internal FC stack, and improving the tolerance to carbon monoxide, and made a considerable progress 41,42 …”