Study of the performance of a proton exchange membrane fuel cell

Abstract

As fossil fuels become scarce, finding new sources of efficient, reliable, and renewable power generation is critical. One device being given lots of attention for this purpose is a fuel cell. Fuel cells not only produce electricity, but also heat which can be recovered for residential use and increase the overall system efficiency. Test benches were constructed to measure and record data from fuel cells under a range of electrical loads. Energy balance was constructed to characterize the fuel cell system using experimental data. The energy balance resulted in a first law gross electrical efficiency of over 44 percent and a second law efficiency greater than 52 percent for the opening range of the fuel cell system.