Experimental study of the effects of ambient conditions on the performance of open-cathode PEM fuel cells

Abstract

Open-cathode fuel cells (FCs) are promising for applications where simplicity, low mass, and compactness are critical, such as mobile, portable, and off-grid systems. Their simplified operating conditions management system (SOCMS) reduces system complexity and mass but may increase sensitivity to ambient air temperature and relative humidity (RH). Limited understanding of how these factors affect the performance of lightweight Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) FCs, may explain their limited use in commercial applications. Therefore, this study aims to experimentally investigate the steady-state performance of a 250W PEMFC open-cathode system. The testbench, equipped with a climate chamber, exposes the FC to six ambient scenarios, ranging from 0 °C to 35 °C and 9% to 81% RH. The stack net power, temperature and fan power are evaluated and the gross power output is determined. The best net power was found at 35 °C and 75% RH, while the lowest was observed at 35 °C and 9% RH. The fan power affected the performance, particularly at high temperatures and high power levels. Overall performance deviations remained below 6%, confirming moderate robustness to ambient conditions. These insights can support the development of more robust control strategies for lightweight open-cathode FC systems, while also offering potential value for closed-cathode configurations.