Proton exchange membrane fuel cell operation and degradation in short-circuit

Rosa Elvira Silva (1) , Fabien Harel (2) , Samir Jemei (1) , Raphaël Gouriveau (1) , Daniel Hissel (1) , Loïc Boulon (3)

1 FEMTO-ST - Franche-Comté Électronique Mécanique, Thermique et Optique - Sciences et Technologies (UMR 6174)
2 FC LAB - Laboratoire Commun de Belfort : Hydrogène et Pile à Combustible pour les applications au transport
3 Institut de Recherche sur l'Hydrogène

This paper presents an experimental study dealing with operation and degradation during an electrical short circuit of a proton exchange membrane fuel cell stack. The physical quantities in the fuel cell (electrical voltage and current, gas stoichiometry, pressures, temperatures and gas humidity) are studied before, during and after the failure. After a short circuit occurs, a high peak of current appears but decreases to stabilize in a much lower value. The voltage drops in all the cells and even some cells presents reversal potentials. The degradation is quantified by using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy.

Mots clés: DEGRADATION

Domaines: Energie électrique

Rosa Elvira Silva, Fabien Harel, Samir Jemei, Raphaël Gouriveau, Daniel Hissel, et al.. Proton exchange membrane fuel cell operation and degradation in short-circuit. International Conference on Fundamentals and Development of Fuel Cells (FDFC 2013), Apr 2013, Germany. 6p. ⟨hal-00926309⟩