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 is 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 the further development of electrochemical pressure impedance spectroscopy (EPIS) to investigate water transport within operating cells. The initial results are promising and suggest that EPIS can be optimized to probe changes in the hydration state of fuel cell components. As a fuel cell test station designer and manufacturer, Greenlight Innovation would have the ability to incorporate this new technique into their products for widespread commercialization, to be marketed for fuel cell research and development for industrial and academic laboratories. Additionally, test stations already in the field can be remotely retrofitted with EPIS through only minor hardware adjustments. This would provide an additional diagnostic technique to current test station users. The goal is to improve the metrics by which fuel cells are measured by providing new methods to assist in the real-time probing of processes and failure mechanisms within operating cells.

Faculty Supervisor:

Byron Gates

Student:

Partner:

Greenlight Innovation

Discipline:

Physics

Sector:

Manufacturing

University:

Simon Fraser University

Program: