Experimental Study of Non-Destructive Approach on PEMFC Stack Using Tri-Axis Magnetic Sensor Probe

Yutaro Akimoto, Keiichi Okajima

Graduate School of Systems and Information Engineering, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Japan.

DOI: 10.4236/jpee.2015.33001                

Abstract

In this paper, the current distribution in a 300-W-class PEMFC stack was investigated in order to determine the operating state of the stack. Measurements of the magnetic field were performed on several cells in the stack. The vector of the magnetic field expressed the direction of the macroscopic current, which was from the anode side to the cathode side. This direction matched the polarity of the stack. In the measurement results, current distributions differed among cells; each cell had a different performance. Furthermore, we have tried to evaluate faults, such as flooding, by measuring the magnetic field and variations in the voltage.

Keywords

PEMFC, In-Situ Diagnosis, Current Distribution, Flooding, Magnetic Sensor

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

References

[1]	Cultura, A.B. and Salameh, Z.M. (2014) Dynamic Analysis of a Stand Alone Operation of PEM Fuel Cell System. Journal of Power and Energy Engineering, 2, 1-8. http://dx.doi.org/10.4236/jpee.2014.21001
[2]	Garrain, D., Lechon, Y. and de la Rua, C. (2011) Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cells (PEMFC) in Automotive Applications: Environmental Relevance of the Manufacturing Stage. Smart Grid and Renewable Energy, 2, 68-74. http://dx.doi.org/10.4236/sgre.2011.22009
[3]	Wu, J.F., Yuan, X.Z., Martin, J.J., Wang, H.J., Zhang, J.J., Shen, J., Wu, S.H. and Merida, W. (2008) A Review of PEM Fuel Cell Durability: Degradation Mechanisms and Mitigation Strategies. Journal of Power Sources, 184, 104119. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jpowsour.2008.06.006
[4]	Cleghorn, S.J.C., Derouin, C.R., Wilson, M.S. and Gottesfeld, S. (1998) A Printed Circuit Board Approach to Measuring Current Distribution in a Fuel Cell. Journal of Applied Electrochemistry, 28, 663-672. http://dx.doi.org/10.1023/A:1003206513954
[5]	Ghosh, P.C., Wuster, T., Dohle, H., Kimiale, N., Mergel, J. and Stolen, D. (2006) In-Situ Approach for Current Distribution Measurement in Fuel Cells. Journal of Power Sources, 154, 184-191. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jpowsour.2005.03.219
[6]	Wieser, Ch., Helmbold, A. and Gue Lzow, E. (2000) A New Technique for Two-Dimensional Current Distribution Measurements in Electrochemical Cells. Journal of Applied Electrochemistry, 30, 803-807. http://dx.doi.org/10.1023/A:1004047412066
[7]	Alaefour, I., Karimi, G., Jiao, K., Al Shakhshir, S. and Li, X. (2011) Experimental Study on the Effect of Reactant Flow Arrangements on the Current Distribution in Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells. Electrochimica Acta, 56, 2591-2598. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.electacta.2010.11.002
[8]	Alaefour, I., Karimi, G., Jiao, K. and Li, X. (2011) Measurement of Current Distribution in a Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell with Various Flow Arrangements—A Parametric Study. Applied Energy, 93, 80-89. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.apenergy.2011.05.033
[9]	Sasabe, T., Tsushima, S. and Hirai, S. (2010) In-Situ Visualization of Liquid Water in an Operating PEMFC by Soft X-Ray Radiography. International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, 35, 11119-11128. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhydene.2010.06.050
[10]	Tsushima, S., Teranishi, K. and Hirai, S. (2005) Water Diffusion Measurement in Fuel-Cell SPE Membrane by NMR. Energy, 20, 235-245. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.energy.2004.04.013
[11]	Hauer, K.-H., Potthast, R., Wüster, T. and Stolten, D. (2005) Magnetotomography—A New Method for Analyzing Fuel Cell Performance and Quality. Journal of Power Sources, 143, 67-74. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jpowsour.2004.11.054
[12]	Izumi, M., Gotoh, Y. and Yamanaka, T. (2009) Verification of Measurement Method of Current Distribution in Polymer Electrolyte Fuel Cells. ESC transactions, 17, 20401-20409.
[13]	Katou, T., Gotoh, Y., Takahashi, N. and Izumi, M. (2012) Measurement Technique of Distribution of Power Generation Current Using Static Magnetic Field around Polymer Electrolyte Fuel Cell by 3D Inverse Problem FEM. Materials Transactions, 53, 279-284.
[14]	Nasu, T., Matsushita, Y., Okano, J. and Okajima, K. (2012) Study of Current Distribution in PEMFC Stack Using Magnetic Sensor Probe. Journal of international Council on Electrical Engineering, 2, 391-396. http://dx.doi.org/10.5370/JICEE.2012.2.4.391
[15]	Okajima, K., Nasu, T. and Choi, S. (2014) Evaluation of 1-kW Class PEM Fuel Cell Stack under In-Situ Conditions Considering Individual Cells. Journal of Energy and Power Engineering, 8, 1543-1551.