摘要
Focusing on the stack performance is important for practical use of PEM （proton exchange membrane） fuel cells. This paper describes the experiments and evaluation on the performance of 1-kW class PEM FC （fuel cell） stacks for reliability improvement. We investigated the stack performance, voltage distributions, and internal resistance of the single cells of a PEMFC stack. The standard deviation of individual cell voltages increased almost linearly with the current load by 2.5 times that in the case of an open-circuit voltage, with a standard deviation of 33 A. From the results of the current-interrupt tests, the internal resistance of the FC stack was calculated to be 43.53 mΩ. The internal resistances of each individual cell were not uniform. The average internal resistance was 0.505 mΩ at 18 A, which was less than that calculated from the stack current-interrupt test. We also investigated the current distribution in the PEM FC stack under in-situ conditions using a triaxial magnetic sensor probe. From the results, the current distribution tended to concentrate on the underside of the cell. Each I-V curve at the divided plane can be obtained using the developed method.
