Steady State Isotopic Transient Kinetic Analysis Study of PEM Fuel Cell Anodes (SPA)

The hydrogen oxidation reaction at Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell anodes is poisoned by part per million levels of carbon monoxide. Pt is the catalyst of choice for the oxidation of pure hydrogen, but it has recently been demonstrated that there is a dynamic equilibrium between CO adsorbed on Pt or Pt/Ru nanoparticles and CO in the gas phase, and that this equilibrium is affected by the competitive adsorption between CO and hydrogen. The purpose of this research is to perform Steady State Isotopic Transient Kinetic Analysis (SSITKA) experiments using the isotopic exchange between 13CO and 12CO to investigate the competitive adsorption of hydrogen and CO on commercial Pt and PtRu catalysts.JRC.D.4-Isotope measurement

EU harmonised terminology for low temperature water electrolysis for energy storage applications

This report was prepared under the Framework Contract between the Joint Research Centre (JRC) and the Fuel Cells and Hydrogen second Joint Undertaking (FCH2JU). This document is the result of a collaborative effort between industry partners, research organisations and academia participating in several Fuel Cell and Hydrogen second Joint Undertaking funded projects in Low Temperature Water Electrolysis applications. The objectives of the report is to present to those involved in research and development a comprehensive and harmonised compendium of various terminology terms which are encountered in low temperature water electrolysis applications.JRC.C.1-Energy Storag

EU HARMONISED TEST PROTOCOLS FOR PEMFC MEA TESTING IN SINGLE CELL CONFIGURATION FOR AUTOMOTIVE APPLICATIONS

PEMFC due to their high energy density, low operating temperature and high efficiency are considered to be very suitable for vehicle propulsion. In such applications, fuel cells could encounter operating conditions which are severe to the materials involved. Fuel cell testing shall as close as possible reflect conditions encountered in real life. To enable a fair comparative assessment of the performance of MEA under operating conditions foreseen in future automotive applications, a set of representative operating conditions in addition with a test methodology is proposed. The aim of a unified set of harmonised operating conditions is to comparatively test and evaluate the performance of different MEAs in single cells. The current document is the result of a cumulative effort of industry and research organisations participating in FCH-JU funded projects for automotive applications, in establishing a harmonised test protocol for assessing PEMFC performance and durability at a single cell level. This document presents a set of reference operating conditions such as temperature, pressure, humidification, gas flow and composition at the fuel and oxidant inlet representative for future automotive applications. It also defines boundaries of these conditions within which the cell is expected to operate. While not specifying single cell design details, cell operation in counter flow is mandatory for comparative assessment. A methodology is established to examining the relative influence that the individual operating parameters exert on the MEA performance in single cell configuration once the cell is subjected to the more challenging boundary conditions defined in this document which are also called as stressor conditions. In addition to operating conditions, the most likely stressor conditions for single cell testing could be identified as follows: Load cycling, Mechanical effects, Fuel Air contaminants (impurities), and Environmental Conditions. In this document the focus is on stressors related to Operating Conditions and Load Cycling. Deviations from the automotive reference Operating Conditions may result in changes to both cell performance and durability. In principle the influence of each stressor on cell performance could be studied individually. However, since a number of stressors are inter-linked, (changing the value of one stressor could inevitably change the value of another), the stressor tests have been grouped into four families of Stressors, namely: Cell Temperature Stressor Tests, Reactants Gas Inlet Humidification Stressor Tests, Reactants Gas Inlet Pressure Stressor Tests, Oxidant Stoichiometry Stressor Tests. The aim of these tests is to study the effect of each stressor on the the cell voltage at three different current densities representative of activation, ohmic polarization and mass transfer regimes as a function of each stressor condition. The successful operation of a fuel cell depends not only on its performance but also on its durability. Fuel cell durability is evaluated through endurance testing by applying a repetitive load profile to the cell and measuring performance degradation in terms of cell voltage decrease as function of operating hours. To assess the cell degradation rate a dynamic load cycle for endurance testing is proposed. The Fuel Cell Dynamic Load Cycle is used in this document and is derived from the New European Driving Cycle modified for fuel cell applications. In addition to the definition of representative reference and stressor operating conditions, the document also provides a rationale for their selection. The use of sound science-based, industry-endorsed test methodologies and protocols enables true comparison of MEAs originating from different sources either commercial or developed within different projects. It also enables evaluating the rate of progress achieved towards reaching agreed technology performance targets.JRC.F.2-Energy Conversion and Storage Technologie

EU harmonised cyclic voltammetry test method for low-temperature water electrolysis single cells

This report on “EU Harmonised Cyclic Voltammetry Test Method for Low Temperature Water Electrolysis Single Cells“ was carried out under the Framework Contract between the Joint Research Centre and the Fuel Cells and Hydrogen second Joint Undertaking (FCH2JU), Rolling Plan 2018.JRC.C.1-Energy Storag

Fuel Cell Testing Protocols: An International Perspective

An overview of international polymer-electrolyte fuel cell (PEMFC) test procedures is presented. This overview is the first step in the global harmonization of testing methods. Many techniques and procedures determining stack performance and durability are discussed. Each approach has differences that may or may not impact the data and data quality. Through experiments, it was found that differences in the results from two methods for measuring sequential polarization curves are minimal. Answers to questions regarding differences in the aging duty cycles need to be determined experimentally. The results of these experiments are expected to help the harmonization process, to facilitate the understanding of test results, and, possibly, to accelerate the commercialization of PEMFCs.JRC.F.2-Cleaner energ

SOCTESQA - Solid Oxide Cell and Stack Testing, Safety and Quality Assurance

Many research facilities and industrial companies worldwide are engaged in the development and the improvement of solid oxide fuel cells/stacks (SOFC) and also of solid oxide electrolysis cells/stacks (SOEC). However, the successful application of fuel and electrolysis cells/stacks in real world conditions requires reliable assessment, testing and prediction of performance and durability. Therefore the EU-project SOCTESQA will start at the beginning of May with the aim to develop uniform and industry wide test procedures and protocols for SOC cell/stack assembly. The paper presents the main objectives, the project consortium, the structure, the work packages and the workflow plan of the project. The project builds on experiences gained in the FCTESTNET, FCTESQA series of projects taking up the methodology developed there. It will address new application fields which are based on the operation of the SOFC cell/stack assembly in the fuel cell and in the electrolysis mode, e.g. stationary SOFC μ-CHP, mobile SOFC APU and SOFC/SOEC power-to-gas systems. The test procedures will include current-voltage curves, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and long term tests both under steady state and dynamic operating conditions. The project partners are from different countries in Europe: French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission (CEA), Technical University of Denmark (DTU), Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development (ENEA), Joint Research Centre – European Commission (JRC) from Belgium, European Institute for Energy Research (EIFER) from Germany and German Aerospace Center (DLR). All of them have long-term experience in the development, testing and harmonization of solid oxide cells/stacks. The project will have a clear structure based on an initial definition phase, the development of generic test modules, the corresponding experimental validation phases and the review of the test procedures. Several of these validation loops will result at the end of the project in final test modules, which will be confirmed by round robin tests. Moreover, the project will address safety aspects, liaise with standardization organizations and establish contact with industrial practice. This collaborative project will essentially help to accelerate the development and the market penetration of hydrogen and fuel cell (H2&FC) energy systems in Europe

Identification of critical parameters for PEMFC stack performance characterization and control strategies for reliable and comparable stack benchmarking

This paper is focused on the identification of critical parameters and on the development of reliable methodologies to achieve comparable benchmark results. Possibilities for control sensor positioning and for parameter variation in sensitivity tests are discussed and recommended options for the control strategy are summarized. This ensures result comparability as well as stable test conditions. E.g., the stack temperature fluctuation is minimized to about 1 °C. The experiments demonstrate that reactants pressures differ up to 12 kPa if pressure control positions are varied, resulting in an average cell voltage deviation of 21 mV. Test parameters simulating different stack applications are summarized. The stack demonstrated comparable average cell voltage of 0.63 V for stationary and portable conditions. For automotive conditions, the voltage increased to 0.69 V, mainly caused by higher reactants pressures. A benchmarking concept is introduced using “steady-state” polarization curves. The occurring 20 mV hysteresis effect between the ascending and descending polarization curve can be corrected calculating the mean value of both voltages. This minimizes the influence of preceding load levels, current set points, and dwell times

Time-dependent Carbon Monoxide Effect on PEM Single Cell Anode Performance - A Numerical Modeling Study

The objective of this investigation is to gain a better understanding of how the transients in Re CO concentration in the fuel influence the response of a proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) anode. A mathematical model has bean developed in order to study the effect of heterogeneous processes, namely, the catalytic carbon monoxide (CO) adsorption, and the dissociative chemisorption of hydrogen (HZ) on platinum (R), and subsequently their electreoxidation reactions, and their coupling with the fluid flow, on mass and energy fluxes between gas and solid phases in the PEMFC anode. The time-dependent species distribution within the entire PEMFC anode structure and the two-dimensional laminar flow fields in the single anode channels were simulated. The model of the electro-calytic reactions on the active sites of the anode accounts for a time-varying surface coverage of adsorbed species in terms of adsorption, desorption and electo-oxidation rate. A well-accepted multi-step heterogeneous reaction mechanism is used (Springer, T.E. et at., J. Electrochem. Soc. 148 (11) (2001) A11- A23). The surface coverage with adsorbed species is calculated as function of space and time, and the numerically predicted flow field, species mass fractions, potential and current density fields agree well with published experimentally determined data. The developed code is shown to be able to describe the transient behavior of the catalytic CO poisoning on Pt, thus leading to a better understanding of the intrinsic chemical reactions and their interaction with momentum, mass and heat transport in the PEMFC anode. A significant performance drop is predicted when a H2- ppm CO fuel mixture is used in comparison to pure Hz. The lower performance is due to CO adsorption on the Pt catalyst surface, lowering thus the HZ oxidation.JRC.F.2-Cleaner energ

Paving the Way for Standards for Fuel Cells

Motivation. Fuel cells have the potential to replace many current energy systems and offer significant energy, environmental and economic benefits compared to several other competing energy conversion technologies currently in use today. Intensive development efforts are being made throughout the world to improve the viability of the technology. As a result, fuel cells have become the leading technology for hydrogen utilisation as an energy carrier over the past ten years. However, fuel cell technologies are not yet mature enough for a broad range of end user applications and need to be further developed as there are significant technological challenges to be addressed. Today there is a tendency for diverse test methods and protocols to be used in the fuel cell community. On the other hand, given that fuel cell developments are underway worldwide, there is a critical need for common agreed methods to measure and assess their power output, efficiency, dynamic behaviour and durability. In order to make comparisons between the various kinds of fuel cells and the results obtained under a tremendous variety of boundary conditions and operation regimes, it is important to have testing procedures, test protocols and measurement methodologies harmonised. The harmonisation of testing procedures, the ultimate goal of the Fuel Cell Testing, Safety & Quality Assurance (FCTESQA) Specific Targeted Research Project (STREP), contributes to the early and market-oriented development of specifications and pre-standards. Eventually, the experimentally validated and benchmarked procedures will be cast into international standards.JRC.DDG.F.2-Cleaner energ