An experimental study on the hydrogen utilization in air-cooled proton exchange membrane fuel cell stack with a novel anode outlet design

In the realm of portable power system, air-cooled fuel cells stand out for their lightweight design and emission-free operation. Anode purging has emerged as an effective method to alleviate performance degradation in the dead-end anode stack. However, purging frequency can affect hydrogen utilization and output performance. This research aims to reduce the purging frequency and enhance hydrogen utilization of air-cooled fuel cell stacks by introducing a novel anodic outlet endplate. The novel outlet helps to remove liquid water and nitrogen from the stack, improve the output performance, and save the hydrogen usage in the air-cooled fuel cell stack. The peak power outputs of stacks equipped with the novel and conventional anodic outlets are recorded at 2313.95 W and 2213.35 W, respectively. Significantly, the novel anodic outlet configuration demonstrates a 4.54 % increase in peak power. Moreover, this configuration extends the purging interval, leading to a reduction in purging frequency. Under current load of 62 A, the novel anode outlet stack prolongs the purging interval of 134.73 s compare to its counterpart with a conventional anodic outlet than that of the conventional anode outlet. The findings presented in this study are poised to offer valuable insights into optimizing their efficiency and promoting sustainable solutions.