Host: The Japan Society of Mechanical Engineers
Name : [in Japanese]
Date : October 10, 2020 - October 11, 2020
Pages 0170-
After the startup of a polymer electrolyte fuel cell (PEFC) at subzero temperatures, one problem is increasing the cell power at an early stage. For the stable operation below freezing, the cell is started at low current density. After the cell temperature exceeds 0 °C, the power is supposed to increase as soon as possible without any shutdown caused by dry-out or flooding. This study conducted experiments using a single cell simulating the inside of a stack, and evaluated the effect of generated water during the cold startup on the cell power increase in the subsequent normal operation above freezing point. The cell with newly designed separators made of heat insulation materials was used to realize the adiabatic condition, and the cell startup from -10 °C followed by the current increase to 0.5 A/cm2 at 4 °C was succeeded. However, the cell shut down after a short time, and this suggests that the water generated during the cold startup causes a deterioration of cell performance in the subsequent operation.
