Power Electronics for Extending Lifetime and Robustness of Fuel Cell Systems

Abstract

The papers in this special section focus on the fuel cell systems with particular emphasis on extended the lifetime and robustness of these systems. The fuel cell is an electrochemical device that converts the chemical energy stored in a fuel directly into electrical energy, with only heat and water as by-products. Hence, it is one of the cleanest technologies for producing electric power. However, the durability of fuel cells is a main concern for the massive deployment of fuel cell technology for transportation and stationary power generation applications. The fuel cell power generation system consists of a fuel cell stack and the balance of plant consisting of auxiliary units such as air compressor, cooling circuit, power converter, etc. The fuel cell’s lifetime is closely related to its electrode/electrolyte material aging and degradation during its operation. Over time and with use, the degradation of fuel cell performance cannot be avoided; however, with well-designed balance of plant and control system, the rate of performance degradation can be minimized, and the robustness of the fuel cell systems can be improved.