Statistical Short Time Analysis for Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell Diagnostic‐Application to Water Management

Abstract

High frequency concomitant voltage and pressure measurements on a single proton exchange membrane fuel cell are presented in this paper. Voltage, anodic and cathodic pressure measurements were shown to be highly sensitive to gas relative humidity and temperature of the cell. Fast voltage dips corresponding to pressure spikes at the anode were observed and indicate a flooding occurrence due to the blockage of anode inlet by liquid water. In a generalize flooding of the cell, pressure drop fluctuations are easily recognizable and result in voltage fluctuations and drift. A methodology based on short‐time analysis on both, voltage and pressure signals, is used to quantify the effects of flooding and drying within proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) systems. Intermittent behavior is highlighted on the standard deviation of the voltage for flooding and drying cases. Simultaneous analysis of the standard deviation short‐time for voltage and pressure signals allows for the differentiation between flooding and drying cases. Concomitant pressure and voltage fluctuations can be easily detected and monitored for a reliable diagnostic of proton exchange membrane fuel cell systems.

Electrochemical noise analysis of a PEM fuel cell stack under long-time operation: noise signature in the frequency domain

“…Sure, it is necessary to provide cross-measurements between voltage electrochemical noise and pressure and flows rate signals. These cross-measurements have been already down in our previous work with a single cell [21] where statistical descriptors were calculated in the time domain.…”

“…But the development of reliable diagnostics tools applicable without operation interruption is still an open problem. One of the promising possibilities allowing in-situ diagnosis of electrochemical energy sources, without system perturbations, is related to electrochemical noise analysis (ENA) [21][22][23]. Indeed, electrochemical noise measurements can provide statistical descriptors with the high sensibility to diagnose the behavior of an electrochemical system without any interruption.…”

A new concept of water management diagnosis for a PEM fuel cell system

“…Statistical methods are also employed for PEMFC fault diagnosis. Based on the collected cell voltage data, cathode and anode pressure drop signals, a diagnostic strategy is carried out in [44]. The considered method is related to the calculation of statistical descriptor level of cell voltage which is susceptible to water management.…”

Design, Development and Testing of a Monitoring System for the Study of Proton Exchange Fuel Cells and Stacks

“…For the detection of fluctuations in these parameters in cases of flooding and drying, a standard deviation is used. With this study, a reliable tool is obtained for the study of these systems [17].…”