Experimental analysis of pulsing techniques in a proton exchange fuel cell

The purpose of this study is to investigate the impact of pulsing reactant flows on the performance of a PEMFC at low current density. This study considers a full range of pulsing flows and their effect in voltage over time. The factors evaluated were voltage, pressure, and flow rates of each reactant flow over time. A specific current density was set for the experiments. The experiments were performed at lower flow rates and temperatures of reactants than in standard operating conditions. The experiments used constant temperature of reactants as well as constant relative humidity. Comparison made between continuous flow and several sets of pulsing flows for hydrogen and air were developed. Pulsing of reactants opens an opportunity as a practical water management procedure. In addition, this technique helps extending performance range on PEMFC when a limited amount of reactants is supplied. The data collected was presented in graphical form.