The diagnosis of flooding or drying is an important factor in improving the reliability and durability of PEMFCs. Indeed, flooding and drying lead to a reduction in the output voltage delivered by the fuel cell. Among the various diagnostic techniques, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) is a powerful tool. In this study, EIS measurements were carried out on a 500 W stack comprised of 16 elementary cells. Electrochemical impedance spectra were recorded either on each cell or on the stack. Use of an electrical equivalent circuit model revealed that flooding mainly affects the transfer resistance and the cathodic Warburg impedance. A diagnostic tool based on these two components is proposed.
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