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Effect of ambient conditions on performance and current distribution of a polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell

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Abstract

The performance and current distribution of a free-breathing polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) was studied experimentally in a climate chamber, in which temperature and relative humidity were controlled. The performance was studied by simulating ambient conditions in the temperature range 10 to 40 °C. The current distribution was measured with a segmented current collector. The results indicated that the operating conditions have a significant effect on the performance of the fuel cell. It was observed that a temperature gradient between the fuel cell and air is needed to achieve efficient oxygen transport to the electrode. Furthermore, varying the air humidity resulted in major changes in the mass diffusion overpotential at higher temperatures.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratory of Advanced Energy Systems, Helsinki University of Technology, PO Box 2200, Fin-02015 HUT, Finland

    T. Hottinen, M. Noponen, T. Mennola, O. Himanen, M. Mikkola & P. Lund

Authors
  1. T. Hottinen
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  2. M. Noponen
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  3. T. Mennola
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  4. O. Himanen
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  5. M. Mikkola
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  6. P. Lund
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Correspondence to T. Hottinen.

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Hottinen, T., Noponen, M., Mennola, T. et al. Effect of ambient conditions on performance and current distribution of a polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell. Journal of Applied Electrochemistry 33, 265–271 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1024184824662

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1024184824662

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