Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
10567367 | Journal of Power Sources | 2005 | 6 Pages |
Abstract
Research and development was conducted on a proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cell stack to demonstrate the capabilities of Ionomem Corporation's composite membrane to operate at 120 °C and ambient pressure for on-site electrical power generation with useful waste heat. The membrane was a composite of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), Nafion®, and phosphotungstic acid. Studies were first performed on the membrane, cathode catalyst layer, and gas diffusion layer to improve performance in 25 cm2, subscale cells. This technology was then scaled-up to a commercial 300 cm2 size and evaluated in multi-cell stacks. The resulting stack obtained a performance near that of the subscale cells, 0.60 V at 400 mA cmâ2 at near 120 °C and ambient pressure with hydrogen and air reactants containing water at 35% relative humidity. The water used for cooling the stack resulted in available waste heat at 116 °C. The performance of the stack was verified. This was the first successful test of a higher-temperature, PEM, fuel-cell stack that did not use phosphoric acid electrolyte.
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Authors
Leonard J. Bonville, H. Russell Kunz, Ying Song, Anthony Mientek, Minkmas Williams, Albert Ching, James M. Fenton,