Automotive Cold Start of a PEMFC System by Using a Methanol Solution as Antifreeze

Abstract

The startup ability and durability at winter conditions has been a key issue for fuel cell vehicles. To reduce ice formation and to improve the cold start and lifetime of the PEMFC system, the remained water is commonly purged with dry gases at shutdown. This paper proposes an alternative cold storage method based on the use of a methanol solution as antifreeze. In order to study the cold start ability of a PEMFC system by using this method, cold start experiments at -10°C were performed with a 4 kW PEMFC stack. The results show that the stack can be successfully started at -10°C after being stored with the methanol solution and after these cold starts no performance degradation was observed. Furthermore, the use of the antifreeze method at shutdown may reduce its time and improve the energy efficiency of the system.