Abstract
Filtration of cathode air is one of the challenges in operating proton-exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cells. The poisoning with air contaminants can lead to rapid performance degradation and initiate an aging process of the fuel cell. Various commercially available cathode filters are being tested in a laboratory gas test bench within the research project X-EMU (03B10502B and 03B10502B2). A literature review of harmful gas contaminants in the air used for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) on the cathode side was conducted. Experimental investigations took place at 40 °C with synthetic humid air containing low concentration contaminants such as ammonia, nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, hydrogen sulfide, and toluene. Test durations varied from 3 to 24 h depending on the filtration efficiency. Each gas contaminant showed different reactions with the investigated filters. The filters did not let sulfur-containing components pass. However, carbon monoxide could not be filtrated by any of the tested filters. The filtration of nitrogen oxides was not efficient for all tested filters, while additional filter materials were essential for a successful filtration of ammonia. Comparative results lead to a discussion of possible effects on a fuel cell with an outlook on optimization of the filtration behavior.
Highlights
Due to their high efficiency, fast start-up, zero-emissions, high driving ranges, and short refueling times, fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEV) based on proton-exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cell systems represent a promising solution to reach the goal of sustainable mobility [1,2,3]
A literature review of harmful gas contaminants in the air used for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) on the cathode side was conducted
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Summary
Due to their high efficiency, fast start-up, zero-emissions, high driving ranges, and short refueling times, fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEV) based on proton-exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cell systems represent a promising solution to reach the goal of sustainable mobility [1,2,3]. The breakthrough of fuel cells requires low total costs of ownership (TCO) and durable and reliable systems. To reduce the TCO of FCEVs, the service life of fuel cell systems needs to be increased significantly. For commercial vehicles with a required service life of 25,000 to 40,000 h, a replacement of the fuel cell system is out of the question for reasons of competitiveness [4]. Preventing the intrusion of particulates and contaminants via the air and hydrogen processing systems in both the cathode and the anode of the fuel cell stack plays an important role [5,6]. Hydrogen (H2) with a high purity of 99.999% (Hydrogen 5.0) provided by the hydrogen tank is used to minimize the probability of severe contamination of the fuel cell stack. Is particle filtration essential to prevent blockages within the gas diffusion layers (GDLs), and chemical filtration of key air contaminants found in the ambient air such as NH3, SO2, NOx, and CO and the use of as pure as possible hydrogen [7]
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