Dynamic behavior study on voltage and temperature of proton exchange membrane fuel cells

• Published in: Applied thermal engineering Vol. 145; pp. 343 - 351
• Main Authors: Zhao, Jing, Jian, Qifei, Luo, Lizhong, Huang, Bi, Cao, Songyang, Huang, Zipeng
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Elsevier Ltd 25.12.2018; Elsevier BV
• Subjects: Dynamic behavior; Dynamic response; Electric potential; Flooding; Fuel cells; Membrane hydration; Periodic purge; Proton exchange membrane fuel cell; Proton exchange membrane fuel cells; Protons; Temperature; Thermocouples; Variations; Dynamic behavior; Proton exchange membrane fuel cell; Periodic purge; Flooding; Membrane hydration
• ISSN: 1359-4311; 1873-5606
• DOI: 10.1016/j.applthermaleng.2018.09.030

•Voltage and temperature transient behavior of PEMFC stack under different step currents was investigated.•Solenoid valve periodic purge led to periodic oscillation of voltage and temperature.•Voltage response time and undershoots were related to membrane hydration.•Gravity affected water and temperature distribution.•Response time of temperature was longer than that of voltage. Transient characteristic is one of the important indicators for evaluating the dynamic performance of fuel cells. In this paper, an air-cooled proton exchange membrane fuel cell stack with a dead-end anode was experimentally tested to investigate its transient behavior at different step currents. During the experiment, the undershoot phenomenon was observed and the oscillation law of voltage at different stages was found. The possible influencing factors were discussed. Meanwhile, the temperature variations of the different cross-sections and different single cells were also analyzed in detail by the temperature readings of the 30 thermocouples embedded in the cathode flow channels. Furthermore, in order to compare the difference in the dynamic performance of the stack under different operating conditions, the related parameters, such as voltage fluctuation rate and temperature fluctuation rate, were introduced. This article helps to better understand the dynamic response mechanism of fuel cells and evaluate its dynamic performance.