Optimization of energy efficiency and purge strategy of an open-cathode PEMFC stack with a dead-end anode configuration

Tan-Thich Do (Department of Electrical and Mechatronics, Lac Hong University, Vietnam)
Trung-Kien Vi (Department of Electrical and Mechatronics, Lac Hong University, Vietnam)
Phuoc-Dong Doan (Department of Mechanical Engineering, School of Engineering, King Mongkut’s Institute of Tecnhnology Ladkrabang, Bangkok, Thailand)

International Journal of Renewable Energy Development
Accepted Articles

Nowadays, proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) are acknowledged as promising energy solutions toward reaching net-zero emissions by 2050 due to their highlighted properties. To enhance electrochemical reactions and improve hydrogen utilization, the dead-end anode (DEA) configuration was employed to investigate the voltage and energy efficiency of an open-cathode PEMFC stack (100 W-20 cells) at optimal fan speed. The results show that when the operating current and purge interval increased, the stack voltage decreased owing to water impurities, water, and nitrogen buildup in the flow field anode channel. At optimal purge intervals of 540, 360, 280, and 60 s, the energy efficiency was achieved at 45.55%, 45.31%, 43.11%, and 35.05%, respectively. Compared to a previous study, these values represent increases of 25.22%, 12.91%, 9.15%, and 2.09% for operating currents of 1, 3, 5, and 8 A, respectively. These improvements were achieved by optimizing the fan speed, purge interval, and microcontroller unit power consumption. Finally, a hydrogen purge strategy was developed to optimize energy efficiency, considering voltage stability and hydrogen consumption. This study provides meaningful insights into optimizing the energy efficiency of open-cathode PEMFC stacks across various load levels.