Internal currents in response to a load change during fuel cell start-up

The transient response of proton exchange membrane fuel cells during start-up is an important issue for backup power systems. These require a very short start-up time which limits the use of batteries during a blackout. In this study the fuel cell was initially inerted with nitrogen at the cathode and thus the start-up procedures occurred in two stages: gas supply in open-circuit and load connection. The influence of the current time-profile, the cell voltage at the connection and the gas flow rates on the voltage variation were investigated using a segmented fuel cell permitting the measurements of the internal local currents. We found that the voltage during the filling of the cathode is not sufficient to determine which fraction of the cathode was filled with oxygen. In the case of a step change in current, the start-up time decreases as the voltage at the moment the cell is connected increases. In response to a ramp, the asymptotic power value is reached quickly.

► Transient response of a proton exchange membrane fuel cell during start-up. ► Internal local currents measured in a segmented fuel cell. ► Fraction of the cathode compartment filled with oxygen. ► Influence of the current time-profile and of the stoichiometric coefficients.