Research on membrane electrode assembly consistency of high-power proton exchange membrane fuel cell stack

doi:10.11949/0438-1157.20230745

Abstract

Abstract:

With the continuous increase of the application fields and scale of fuel cells, there is a growing demand for high-power fuel cell stacks. The voltage consistency of high-power fuel cell stacks is an important indicator to measure or affect the performance of the stack. In this paper, the single-cell voltage consistency of a 65 kW high-power stack produced by a certain company was studied, the influence of various operating conditions on stack consistency was investigated, and the possible reasons causing consistency problems were deeply analyzed and discussed. It is showed that the stack exhibited good consistency under rated power and its given operating conditions. The output power of the stack, stack operating temperature and temperature range, reactant gas stoichiometry, gas humidity, and other factors all have impact on the voltage consistency of the stack. Among them, the output power, air stoichiometry, and gas humidity dramatically influenced on cell consistency most significantly, and an increase in output power, a decrease in air stoichiometry and air humidity will greatly reduce the stack consistency. On the basis of the research results, suggestions on operating conditions for maintaining the consistency of high-power fuel cell stacks were put forward in this paper. This work is of great significance for improving the design and optimizing the operating conditions of high-power stacks, and promoting the development of fuel cell technology and industry in China.

Key words: proton exchange membrane fuel cell, high-power reactor, voltage consistency, influence of operation conditions

摘要：

随着燃料电池应用领域的拓宽以及应用规模的不断扩大，大功率燃料电池电堆的需求也不断上升。大功率燃料电池电堆的电压一致性是衡量或影响电堆性能的重要指标。对某公司生产的65 kW大功率电堆进行了单电池一致性的研究，考察不同运行条件对于电堆一致性的影响，并对其产生的可能原因进行了深入的研究和讨论。研究结果表明：在额定功率和给定的运行条件下，电堆表现出了较好的一致性；电堆输出功率、电堆温度和温差、反应气体计量比、气体湿度等对电堆膜电极一致性均有较大的影响。其中输出功率、空气计量比、气体湿度对于电堆一致性的影响最为强烈，输出功率增高、空气计量比和空气湿度降低均会大幅度降低电堆的一致性。在研究结果的基础上，提出了保持大功率燃料电池电堆一致性的运行条件的建议。可为改善大功率电堆的设计和优化大功率电堆的运行条件，及促进我国燃料电池技术及产业的发展提供参考。

关键词: 质子交换膜燃料电池, 大功率电堆, 电压一致性, 运行条件影响

CLC Number:

TQ 028.8

Hong CHEN, Kun JIANG, Tingjiang TANG, Yiyuan HUANG, Bin CHI, Shijun LIAO. Research on membrane electrode assembly consistency of high-power proton exchange membrane fuel cell stack[J]. CIESC Journal, 2024, 75(2): 637-646.

陈宏, 江坤, 唐廷江, 黄易元, 池滨, 廖世军. 大功率质子交换膜燃料电池电堆膜电极一致性研究[J]. 化工学报, 2024, 75(2): 637-646.

Figures/Tables 10

Fig.1 Stack test system and experiment scene

Table 1 List of stack parameters

参数	数值	参数	数值
额定功率	65 kW	额定电流	540 A
电堆质量	45 kg	单电池数	210片
电堆长度	440 mm	电堆宽度	419 mm
电堆高度	124 mm	活性面积	300 cm²

Fig.2 Polarization curve and power curve of stack (a) and electrode voltage distribution at rated power (b)

Fig.3 Voltage distribution at different output power point and average single cell voltage and voltage fluctuation

Table 2 Output performance of the stack at different power point

电流/A	电压/V	功率/kW	平均单片电压/V	单片电压波动率
180	150	27	0.731	0.16
300	147	44	0.717	0.21
420	140	59	0.669	0.40
540	133	72	0.638	0.50

Fig.4 Influence of anode and cathode gas stoichiometric ratio on voltage consistency at different current

Fig.5 The influence of pressure on voltage consistency under different current and single cell voltage at anode/cathode gas pressure 120/100, 140/120 kPa

Fig.6 Influence of temperature on voltage consistency and average singe cell voltage at different current

Fig.7 Influence of temperature difference on voltage consistency at different current

Fig.8 The influence of anode and cathode humidity on voltage consistency and influence of anode and cathode humidity on average voltage at different current

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