Professional Documents
Culture Documents
How To Build A Fuel Cell
How To Build A Fuel Cell
How To Build A Fuel Cell
Table 1. Example Voltage and Power Requirements for Fuel Cell Applications
The fuel cell stack power output can be designed by calculating the highest possible power and voltage spike
that may occur during device operation (based upon the load) and then putting a safety factor into the power
design calculation. After the initial power requirements have been estimated, then we can begin preparing the
fuel cell parts and materials. The essential parts of a fuel cell as shown in Figures 1 and 2 are:
Of course, there are many auxiliary components that are added to commercial fuel cell stacks to optimize and
monitor the fuel cell stack output. Separate humidification (https://www.fuelcellstore.com/fuel-cell-testing/fuel-cell-humidifiers) and
cooling systems are needed for larger stack sizes to ensure that the system temperature remains low enough
for the Nafion® perfluorinated membrane (https://www.fuelcellstore.com/fuel-cell-components/membranes/nafion) to stay hydrated to conduct
protons efficiently. When contemplating the appropriate fuel cell design, a few basic considerations are:
• Fuel and oxidant need to be evenly distributed across the surface area of each cell and uniformly
distributed through the stack. This will ensure even power and water generation within the stack.
• The temperature must be uniform throughout the fuel cell stack. This becomes challenging as the
number of cells increase, and the load draws a high-level of power. Uniform temperature ensures a
homogenous rate of power distribution since water becomes more difficult to manage as the temperature
increases.
• If designing a fuel cell with a polymer electrolyte, the membrane must not dry out or become flooded with
water. Water management issues greatly decrease the performance of the fuel cell.
• The resistive losses should be kept to a minimum. One method of reducing these losses is to have good
contact between the conductive components to allow the electrons to flow with minimal resistance.
• The stack must be properly sealed to ensure no gas leakage. The gaskets must be appropriately sized to
adequately seal the stack.
• The stack must be sturdy and able to withstand the necessary environmental conditions.
Figure 2. Single Fuel Cell Stack Parts
After you have compiled these materials, the first step is to prepare the polymer electrolyte membrane.
When treating the film, make sure that it is submerged at all times so that it is evenly hydrated. The solution
temperature should be monitored to make sure that the temperature remains at 80 °C. After the polymer
electrolyte membrane is dipped in each solution, it should be dried in a clean place.
Each fuel cell MEA requires two pieces of catalyst/electrode material – one for the anode and the other for the
cathode. The GDL, such as the carbon fiber cloth, is the substrate for holding the catalyst and is often coated
with Teflon (https://www.fuelcellstore.com/fuel-cell-components/dispersions/teflon-dispersions) on one side to help with the water
management in the fuel cell stack. The catalyst layer is often applied using one of several methods, such as
painting, screen-printing, sputter diffusion, electrochemical deposition, electroless deposition, or mechanical
deposition. The easiest and lowest cost method for creating your first fuel cell stack is screen-printing.
The three layers (electrode-PEM-electrode) are then sandwiched between a set of heating plates and then
heated to 90 °C under pressure for one hour to evaporate the solvents from the liquid Nafion® coating. The
temperature is then raised to 130 °C over the next thirty minutes. Once the heating plates and the PEM-
electrode “sandwich” reach 130 °C, additional pressure should be applied to the three layers. After two minutes
at that temperature and pressure, the temperature is turned off, and the plates and MEA are cooled to room
temperature. After hot-pressing, the electrodes and membrane should be fused together.
1. End plate
2.Current collector and gaskets
3. Flow field plate
4. MEA and gaskets
5. Flow field plate
6. Current collector and gaskets
7. End plate
The number of MEA and flow field plate layers will depend upon the calculated voltage and power requirements
for the particular application. The first fuel cell stack that you create will most likely have only one cell, but
sophisticated stacks for automotive and back-up power supply applications usually have hundreds of cells.
Conclusion
Building fuel cell stacks is a fun and educational way to learn about several different engineering and scientific
disciplines. Many materials and parameters must be considered when designing and building fuel cells. Some
of the most fundamental design considerations include the power required, size, materials, components and
operating conditions. After building your first fuel cell stack, you will easily be able to optimize your fuel cell
stack with detailed design requirements such as material and component selections, flow field, gas diffusion,
gasket, and current collector design.
Tags: fuel cells fuel cell fuel cell design gas diffusion electrode GDE gde GDL gdl gas diffusion layer Nafion PEMFC polymer electrolyte
membrane fuel cell polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell system testing fuel cell testing MEA membrane electrode assembly
PRODUCTS RELATED TO THIS ARTICLE
$0.00 $0.00 $0.00
Add to Cart Add to Cart Add to Cart
CT Carbon Cloth
with MPL -
W1S1009
$19.00
Add to Cart
$0.00
Add to Cart
RELATED ARTICLES
Read More
What is a Fuel Cell?
Posted by Dr. Colleen Spiegel | On 11.01.2016 | Added in Fuel Cell Information |
Fuel cells are electrochemical devices that convert chemical energy from the reactants
directly into electricity and heat. The device consists of an electrolyte layer in contact with a
porous anode and cathode on either side. An illustration of a fuel cell with reactant/product
gasses and the ion conduction flow directions through the cell is...
Read More
Considerations for Fuel Cell Design
Posted by Dr. Colleen Spiegel | On 05.11.2017 | Added in Fuel Cell Information |
When you first consider your fuel cell stack design, you will need to calculate several
main factors to make sure you are getting the power that is required. This post will
provide you with an overview of the initial considerations for fuel cell design in room-
temperature fuel cells.
Read More
Fuel Cell Operating Conditions
Posted by Dr. Colleen Spiegel | On 05.30.2017 | Added in Fuel Cell Information |
Fuel cell operating conditions depend upon the cell and stack design. The operating
parameters that affect fuel cell performance are: Operating Pressure, Operating
Temperature, Flow Rates of Reactants, and Humidity of Reactants. Using the correct
operating condition for each parameter is...
Read More
Fuel Cell System Design
Posted by Dr. Colleen Spiegel | On 06.13.2017 | Added in Fuel Cell Information |
Fuel cell system designs range from very simple to very complex
depending upon the fuel cell application and the system efficiency
desired. A fuel cell system can be very efficient with just the fuel cell
stack and a few other balance-of-plant components or may require
many outside components to optimize...
Read More
The Effect of Clamping Pressure on Fuel Cell Performance
Posted by Dr. Colleen Spiegel | On 02.12.2019 | Added in Fuel Cell Information |
There are many steps involved in the manufacturing of a fuel cell stack. One of
these steps is the hot pressing of the polymer electrolyte membrane to the two gas
diffusion layers (GDLs). This creates a three-layer laminate membrane electrode
assembly (MEA). Other steps involve the machining or etching of the...
Read More
Chemical Hydrides
Posted by Dr. Colleen Spiegel
| On 03.12.2019 | Added in Component Information, Fuel Cell
Information, Electrolyzer Information, Hydrogen Storage Information
|
Fuel cells often use compressed hydrogen as the fuel; however, many other hydrogen sources can be used
with fuel cells. Chemical hydride storage is an alternative method of producing hydrogen via a chemical
reaction. These reactions involve chemical hydrides, water, and alcohols. The chemical reactions are not
reversible, and the byproducts must be discarded. Hydrogen fuel can also...
Read More
Fuel Cell Reactant Delivery
Posted by Dr. Colleen Spiegel | On 05.21.2019 | Added in Fuel Cell Information |
Small plant components are required to deliver the reactants to
the fuel cell with the required conditions. Examples of these
components are blowers, compressors, pumps, and humidification
systems used to deliver the gases to the fuel cell with the proper
temperature, humidity, flow rate and...
Read More
Transport Phenomena in Micro and MEMs Fuel Cells
Posted by Dr. Colleen Spiegel | On 06.04.2019
| Added in Fuel Cell
|
Information
As fuel cell size decreases, the transport phenomena of the fuels and water
changes in the fuel cell. In standard fuel cell designs, the movement of fuel and
water is governed by volumetric effects, but surface effects become critical as
dimensions shrink. A good rule of thumb is that millimeter-scale devices are small
enough for...
Read More
Stationary Fuel Cell Power Applications
Posted by Dr. Colleen Spiegel | On 10.08.2019 | Added in Fuel Cell Information |
Fuel cells can be used for primary power, backup power, or combined heat and
power (CHP) for stationary applications. Stationary fuel cells can be sized to power
anything from a single-family home to a large business center, which means they
make sense for a wide range of markets including retail, data centers, residential,
telecommunications, and...
Read More
Gas Diffusion Layer Comparison Chart - 2021
Posted by Fuel Cell Store | On 08.11.2021 | Added in Component Information, Fuel Cell Information, Gas Diffusion Layer
Information |
Gas Diffusion Layers (https://fuelcellstore.com/fuel-cell-components/gas-diffusion-layers) (GDL) are one of the
components in different types of fuel cells including, but not limited, to Proton Exchange
Membrane and Direct Methanol fuel cells. Gas Diffusion Layers serve to provide conductivity in
the cell and control the contact between the reactant gases and the catalyst (https://fuelcellstore.com/fuel-
cell-components/catalyst). This layer also aids in managing the water transport out of the membrane. Another
essential function of a GDL is to provide a connection between the membrane electrode assembly
(https://fuelcellstore.com/fuel-cell-components/membrane-electrode-assembly) and graphite plates (https://fuelcellstore.com/fuel-cell-
components/plates/fuel-cell-graphite-plates) in the fuel cell stack.
Read More
Showing 1 to 4 of 4 (1 Pages)
WRITE A COMMENT
Your Name:
Your Comment:
Post Comment