An experimental study on the hydrogen utilization in air-cooled proton exchange membrane fuel cell stack with a novel anode outlet design

Xianxian Yu, Yin Guan, Shanshan Cai, Zhengkai Tu and Siew Hwa Chan

Renewable Energy, 2024, vol. 231, issue C

Abstract: In the realm of portable power system, air-cooled fuel cells stand out for their lightweight design and emission-free operation. Anode purging has emerged as an effective method to alleviate performance degradation in the dead-end anode stack. However, purging frequency can affect hydrogen utilization and output performance. This research aims to reduce the purging frequency and enhance hydrogen utilization of air-cooled fuel cell stacks by introducing a novel anodic outlet endplate. The novel outlet helps to remove liquid water and nitrogen from the stack, improve the output performance, and save the hydrogen usage in the air-cooled fuel cell stack. The peak power outputs of stacks equipped with the novel and conventional anodic outlets are recorded at 2313.95 W and 2213.35 W, respectively. Significantly, the novel anodic outlet configuration demonstrates a 4.54 % increase in peak power. Moreover, this configuration extends the purging interval, leading to a reduction in purging frequency. Under current load of 62 A, the novel anode outlet stack prolongs the purging interval of 134.73 s compare to its counterpart with a conventional anodic outlet than that of the conventional anode outlet. The findings presented in this study are poised to offer valuable insights into optimizing their efficiency and promoting sustainable solutions.

Keywords: Proton exchange membrane fuel cell; Air-cooled; Dead-end anode; Portable power source; Novel anodic outlet; Purging interval (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:renene:v:231:y:2024:i:c:s0960148124010589

DOI: 10.1016/j.renene.2024.120990

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