Advancing the Utility of Electrochemical Pressure Impedance Spectroscopy (EPIS) as a New Fuel Cell Diagnostic Technique

Fuel cells are versatile, low-emission alternative energy sources, but their optimization and failure analyses are complex due to their black-box nature. For fuel cells to perform at peak proficiency, each component requires a different level of hydration, yet these parameters are currently unattainable with conventional diagnostic techniques. In consultation with Greenlight Innovation, this project focuses on further developing of electrochemical pressure impedance spectroscopy (EPIS) to investigate water transport within operating cells. Initial tests, which focused on the effects of varying fuel cell operating conditions, suggested that EPIS can be optimized to probe changes in the hydration state of fuel cell components. The project’s current focus is the addition of new mechanical components to ensure the cell is isolated from the system and that the results obtained from EPIS are purely indicative of the cell’s response without undesired system effects. This addition allows for more consistent perturbation through the channel to provide more accurate diagnostics on the water transport in the cell. Further tests are required to ensure accurate and reproducible results can be obtained with this modification. Additional work has focused on using EPIS to diagnose degradation through accelerated stress testing. The initial stages of these analyses suggest that EPIS can provide early warnings to address performance losses before they become evident with conventional tests. Additional work needs to be completed to fully understand what forms of degradation can be detected with this technique. Support from Mitacs would enable further investigation into both of these studies in order to improve the technique and provide more applications for its use.

Faculty Supervisor:

Byron D. Gates

Student:

Partner:

Greenlight Innovation

Discipline:

Physics

Sector:

Manufacturing

University:

Simon Fraser University

Program: