Investigation on the Operating Conditions of Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell Based on Constant Voltage Cold Start Mode

The cold start property is one of the main factors restricting the fuel cell application in the automotive field. The constant voltage cold start method of the fuel cell works under low start voltage and produces high heat, which can shorten the start-up time of the fuel cell at low temperature and has the opportunity to be applied to fuel cell vehicles. Meanwhile, in the constant voltage cold start mode, the fuel cell needs to operate under a large current, and more water is generated during the start-up process. Thus, the optimization of operating conditions for the constant voltage cold start is particularly important. However, there are relatively few studies on the optimization of operating conditions for the constant voltage cold start with a single-cell voltage less than 0.3 V. In this work, the cold start experiment of the fuel cell with constant voltage is carried out. According to the cold start experiment, the different cold start voltage, back-pressure, and the inlet flow rate are examined. Based on the experiment data, the operating conditions have a great influence on the cold start property of the fuel cell and the optimized operating conditions of the constant voltage cold start are obtained.

Automated summary

The optimization of operating conditions for constant voltage cold start is crucial in improving the cold start property of fuel cells. Experimental results show that different cold start voltage, back-pressure, and inlet flow rate have significant impacts on the cold start performance of fuel cells, and optimizing the operating conditions can achieve the optimized constant voltage cold start conditions.