Grant: Strategic Projects - Group

The objective of the proposed research is to enable manufacturers and users of polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells (PEMFC) to deploy measurement and diagnostic technology that is affordable and that allows in-situ monitoring of parameters that determine performance and health of a fuel cell stack. The operation of a fuel cell depends on the optimized regulation of the flow of reactants, products, heat and charged species in conjunction with reaction kinetics. In current fuel cell stack technology, the regulation and control of these processes is based on elaborate design and material features in conjunction with heat and water management and relies on global performance indicators (e.g .stack voltage and current, outlet relative humidity and temperature, pressure drop), which are relatively insensitive to local changes in conditions that are believed to be the precursors to performance drop and degradation. The proposed technique is based on fibre optics and allows time-resolved and spatially-distributed measurements of several key performance parameters simultaneously. The technique will enable acquisition of a rich array of data under actual operating conditions, and the determination of stressors impacting performance, degradation and durability. The proposed work will also enable the development of more effective accelerated stress testing procedures that are critically needed by the fuel cell industry.