Compression and Operating Parameters Effect on the Performance of the PEM Fuel Cell-An Experimental Investigation

The effects of the compression of MEA and the ambience in which they act, pertains to the performance in terms of temperature, relative moisture content of the reactants and their subsequent flow rates were subjected to an inquisitive analysis through a series of experiments. The fuel cell subjected to the experimentation, had a membrane in the single cell, and also houses an electrode assembly, occupying the active space of about 25 cm2 with Nafion® 212CS membrane. The compression effects of MEA were studied with three different gasket thicknesses with the same torque. The outcome of the investigation done experimentally advocates that compression effect plays an important role only with high relative humidity. The results also reveal the role played by the significant factors in temperature and the relative humidity takes utmost significance in the performance of the fuel cell. © 2021. MechAero Foundation for Technical Research & Education Excellence.