Volume 63

Simulation-Driven Optimization and Development of a Traditional Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell Stack for Operating under 105 ℃ Meilin Pan, Daijun Yang, Jiang Qin, Pingwen Ming, Bing Li, Cunman Zhang, Yirui Lu1, Chenqian Hua

Abstract

Perfluorosulfonic acid (PFSA) membranes limit proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) to stable operation at elevated temperatures due to inadequate water retention. This study, a combination of simulations and experiments are employed to address this limitation. A 5 kW fuel cell (FC) stack tested up to 105 °C showed decreased performance at higher temperatures, offset by increased pressure—consistent with simulations. Under optimized conditions, it maintained an average voltage of 0.668 V at 1.8 A/cm² with voltage fluctuations under 5 mV over an hour, although voltage oscillations occurred at higher current densities. The study clarifies PEMFC behavior at high temperatures and suggests directions for future research.

Keywords elevated temperature, perfluorosulfonic acid membrane, high pressure, fuel cell stack