Fuel starvation

Abstract

The most important purpose of this work is to analyze the phenomenon of a fuel starvation of a PEM FC system. The incentive for automotive FC applications is quite different from that for stationary power generation or other applications. The dynamic characteristics of FC must be considered. Experimental results based on a PEMFC (500 W, 40 A) noticeably substantiate that, to employ an FC in dynamic applications, its current or power slope must be limited to improve an FC performance, including its voltage-current curve and lifetime. The use of other kinds of auxiliary power source(s) as depicted in the paper, such as batteries or supercapacitors to cooperate with FC main source, is mandatory for high dynamic applications, particularly for future FCVs.