subject: Fuel Cells Durability & Performance --- Aarkstore Enterprise [print this page] This book provides an interdisciplinary review for fuel cell developers, manufacturers and suppliers working in the fields of fuel cells materials, stacks, system design, fabrication, and testing. Important topics to be addressed include:
Factors Affecting Durability & Performance
Electrocatalysts - The Platinum Issue
Testing, Protocols, Balance of Plant
Beyond PEM
Membranes and MEAs
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Table of Contents :
CHAPTER 1
DOE Fuel Cell R&D Activities: Transportation, Stationary, and Portable Power Applications
Terry Payne, PhD, PE, Technology Development Manager, and Nancy Garland, PhD, Acting Fuel Cell Team Leader, Office of Hydrogen, Fuel Cells and Infrastructure Technologies, U.S. Department of Energy
The Department of Energys Hydrogen Program initiated new research and development projects aimed at reducing component cost and increasing stack durability and performance of transportation and stationary fuel cells. Updated progress in the Program including highlights from the new projects includes operation of a membrane electrode assembly over 7300 with voltage cycling. Market transformation activities in the Program such as forklifts for distribution centers and fuel cells for backup power will be discussed.
CHAPTER 2
FCV Development at Nissan - Current Status and Future Perspective
Kev Adjemian, Nissan Research Center, Nissan Motor Co., Ltd., Japan
Nissan Motor Company has recently developed their latest generation in-house stack which possesses many enhancements over the previous generation. Compared to the former stack, this design has doubled the power density and provides a longer lifetime while simultaneously reducing the overall cost. This has been accomplished with the development of an ultra-thin metal separator which has increased the maximum power by 40 kW, reaching a total of 130 kW. Additionally, the platinum usage has been halved which has resulted in both an increase in durability and a reduction of cost. Future research will be focused on additional enhancements of the stack and system in order to achieve FCV commercialization under the Nissan Green Program.
CHAPTER 3
Degradation of Gas Diffusion Media
Rod Borup, PhD, Institute for Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Research Fuel Cell Program Manager, Fuel Cell Team Leader, Los Alamos National Laboratory*
Gas Diffusion Layer (GDL) degradation over the lifetime of a PEMFC system can play an important role in the overall performance of the system. GDLs tend to show decreasing hydrophobicity during operational lifetimes, which change the fuel cells operating characteristics with respect to water removal and power density. Aging conditions vary the degree of GDL hydrophobicity loss, while exposure to impurities have been shown to both decrease and increase the hydrophobicity. To understand GDL degradation, we utilize a number of characterization methods, including measurements of surface energy, contact angle, pore size distribution, elemental analysis, FTIR, microscopy and in situ RH tests. *In collaboration with: J.Davey, LANL; D.Wood, Cabot Corp.
