Analysis of Ice Formation during Start-Up of PEM Fuel Cells at Subzero Temperatures Using Experimental and Simulative Methods

Abstract

Freeze start is a challenge in the commercialization of PEM fuel cells. In this study, ice formation in cell layers is investigated through experiments and simulations. Segmentation of the fuel cell on the test bench allows to determine the local distributions of current density and high frequency resistance over the active cell area. The location and timing of ice formation are analyzed in the experiments. It is shown that the formation of ice lenses can be detected by local measurements of the high frequency resistances. Then, a multiphysical CFD model is built and validated with the measurements and the commonalities and differences between the model results and the experiments are studied. It is shown that the model determines the freeze start behavior very well in wide operating ranges. Together with the findings from the experimental investigations, the model will finally be used to investigate local ice formation in detail.