Experimental Analysis of a PEM Fuel Cell Performance at Variable Load with Anodic Exhaust Management Optimization

In this paper an investigation on the performance of a commercial Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) fuel cell, tested at the laboratories of the University of Bologna, is carried out. The investigation takes into account the management of anodic exhaust and relevant effects on the flooding phenomenon. To address the problem of flooding, it is necessary to run periodically the purge process of the fuel cell (FC) resulting into an overall decrease of the efficiency of the transformation process. This operation is performed by opening the so-called Outlet Control Valve (OCV) located along the anodic exhaust line. The aim of this analysis is to optimize the purge process to: (i) increase the FC lifetime, (ii) reduce the amount of hydrogen that is discharged with water and (iii) increase the FC efficiency. An investigation on the benefits in terms of fuel utilization factor and costs, resulting from optimization of the FC purge process, has been analyzed.