Cold start cycling durability of fuel cell stacks for commercial automotive applications

V.F.5 Performance and Durability of Advanced Automotive Fuel Cell Stacks and Systems with Nanostructured Thin Film Catalyst Based Membrane Electrode Assemblies

Teaching Durability in Automotive Applications Using a Reliability Approach

Fatigue phenomena, which appear generally below the yield stress, is the cause of more than 80 % of in-service mechanical failures. However, the optimization of the weight and cost when designing mechanical components or structures, linked to improved performance, leads to increasingly stressed components. Therefore a fatigue design approach must be done by the engineer. This paper shows the ex...

Characteristic Behavior of Polymer Electrolyte Fuel Cell Resistance during Cold Start

In this study, experimental constant-current cold starts were performed on a polymer electrolyte fuel cell from −10°C to characterize high-frequency resistance behavior, water motion, and ice accumulation before, during, and after cold start. A diagnostic method for rapid and repeatable cold starts was developed and verified. Cold-start performance is found to be optimized when cell resistance ...

Development of Sensors for Automotive Fuel Cell Systems

The team assembled for this project will perform the following tasks: 1. Obtain representative samples of physical parameter sensors currently available to meet the targets specified in the fuel cells section of the Hydrogen, Fuel Cells and Infrastructure Technologies Program (HFCIT) Multi-Year R,D&D Plan (MYP). 2. Design and construct a facility for testing physical and chemical sensors under ...

A Simple Thermal Model of Pem Fuel Cell Stacks

A simple model is developed that determines the temperature distribution through a unit fuel cell with straight flow channels, in steady state operation. Using the large aspect ratio of the typical fuel cell geometry, the thermal model approximately decouples cross-plane thermal transport at each channel location. Using the fact that in-plane thermal conductivities are much larger than through-...