The test-bed research of a low power low-temperature PEM fuel cell

The article presents the results of testbed research of Horizon H-300 PEM Fuel Cell. It is a Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cell (PEMFC) which reaches 300 Watt output power. It is a power source for hyper-light prototype vehicles taking part in the Shell Eco-Marathon competition. The aim of the research was to develop the load characteristics of a PEM type cell. The tests were carried out in a steady state of operation and included developing the characteristics of the output voltage concerning the load current. The current load was carried out by a programmable electronic load with the ability to accurately determine the load current. It also allows for measuring the output voltage. The tests were carried out in the load current range 0.2 - 7A, which is a significant range of the cell's operating parameters which is used in the vehicle. During the tests, hydrogen consumption was also measured at individual points of the cell's operation using a flow meter. This has also allowed the development of the characteristics of fuel consumption and power generated by the cell. The developed characteristics are presented in this article. A linear characteristic of power and fuel consumption in the function of the current loading on the cell was obtained for practically the whole range of the tested loads. Also, the specific fuel consumption is linearly dependent on the load power, and the lowest values (in the example the highest efficiency) were obtained at the lowest value of load power. (paper)