Identifiability Analysis of Degradation Model Parameters from Transient CO 2 Release in Low-Temperature PEM Fuel Cell under Various AST Protocols

Andraž Kravos, Ambrož Kregar, Kurt Mayer, Viktor Hacker and Tomaž Katrašnik
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Andraž Kravos: Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, University of Ljubljana, Aškerčeva 6, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
Ambrož Kregar: Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, University of Ljubljana, Aškerčeva 6, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
Kurt Mayer: Institute of Chemical Engineering and Environmental Technologies, Graz University of Technology, Inffeldgasse 25C, 8010 Graz, Austria
Viktor Hacker: Institute of Chemical Engineering and Environmental Technologies, Graz University of Technology, Inffeldgasse 25C, 8010 Graz, Austria
Tomaž Katrašnik: Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, University of Ljubljana, Aškerčeva 6, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia

Energies, 2021, vol. 14, issue 14, 1-16

Abstract: The detrimental effects of the catalyst degradation on the overall envisaged lifetime of low-temperature proton-exchange membrane fuel cells (LT-PEMFCs) represent a significant challenge towards further lowering platinum loadings and simultaneously achieving a long cycle life. The elaborated physically based modeling of the degradation processes is thus an invaluable step in elucidating causal interaction between fuel cell design, its operating conditions, and degradation phenomena. However, many parameters need to be determined based on experimental data to ensure plausible simulation results of the catalyst degradation models, which proves to be challenging with the in situ measurements. To fill this knowledge gap, this paper demonstrates the application of a mechanistically based PEMFC modeling framework, comprising real-time capable fuel cell performance, and platinum and carbon support degradation models, to model transient CO 2 release rates in the LT-PEMFCs with the consistent calibration of reaction rate parameters under multiple different accelerated stress tests at once. The results confirm the credibility of the physical and chemical modeling basis of the proposed modeling framework, as well as its prediction and extrapolation capabilities. This is confirmed by an increase of only 29% of root mean square deviations values when using a model calibrated on all three data sets at once in comparison to a model calibrated on only one data set. Furthermore, the unique identifiability and interconnection of individual model calibration parameters are determined via Fisher information matrix analysis. This analysis enables optimal reduction of the set of calibration parameters, which results in the speed up of both the calibration process and the general simulation time while retaining the full extrapolation capabilities of the framework.

Keywords: proton-exchange membrane fuel cell; platinum degradation; mechanistically based; transient real-time modeling; accelerated stress test (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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