SAN FRANCISCO STATE UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING

ENGR 699: Independent Study

Fuel Cell Manual

Prepared By: Jorge Corona Instructor: Dr. Ganji

Table of Contents Objective ......................................................................................................................... 1 Apparatus........................................................................................................................ 1 Test Procedure................................................................................................................ 2 Safety........................................................................................................................... 2 Before Loading the System.......................................................................................... 3 Experiment 1: Loading the Fuel Cell with the Fan OFF ............................................... 3 Experiment 2: Loading the Fuel Cell with the Fan On.................................................. 3 Shutting Down.............................................................................................................. 3 Required Results............................................................................................................. 4 Report .......................................................................................................................... 4 Backup Material for Fuel Cell Experiment ....................................................................... 9 Fuel Cells ..................................................................................................................... 9 General Maintenance for Performance ...................................................................... 11 Measuring the Current and Voltage from the Load Circuit ......................................... 11 Fuel Cell Startup/Shutdown Cycle ............................................................................. 12 Measure Data Using the Control Unit ........................................................................ 12 Measure Data Using the Computer............................................................................ 13 BSZ Software ......................................................................................................... 13 NexaMon OEM Software ........................................................................................ 15 Common Error: Low Battery Voltage ......................................................................... 17 Charging the Batteries ............................................................................................ 17 Sample Results ............................................................................................................. 18 Conclusion .................................................................................................................... 23 Recommendation .......................................................................................................... 23 Equations ...................................................................................................................... 24 Sample Graphs of Data................................................................................................. 24 Terminology: .............................................................................................................. 24 References.................................................................................................................... 25

Objective
The objective of this experiment is to evaluate the efficiency, fuel consumption, and power of the Polymer Electrolyte Membrane (PEM) fuel cell. The experiment is to be performed in two trials, one trial without a fan and the other with a fan.

Apparatus
The fuel cell experiment has many components and is setup as seen in Figure 1. A low maintenance PEM fuel cell enclosed in a steel/acrylic container distributed by Ballard technologies is used to perform this experiment. The maximum net power is 1200 W of unregulated power at a nominal voltage of 26 VDC and current of 46 A. The maximum parasitic power is 250 Watts. The fuel cell requires a battery to both start up and shutdown, so two 12 VDC batteries are used in series. A DC/DC converter BSZ-PG 1200 manufactured by Isle Steuerungstechnik und Leistungselektronik GmbH is used to protect the fuel cell and batteries. A controller is required to send start/stop signals and allows the user to manually configure and monitor the fuel cell. An AC fan is mounted on top of the container, directly above the fuel cell air intake. The fuel cell is connected to a Hydrogen (99% Hydrogen gas) tank mounted to the wall. The fuel cell is connected to a DC/DC converter connected to both a control unit and two 12 VDC batteries. The control unit is connected to the computer via COM1 and COM2 ports to measure and collect data. Once the system is started it charges the batteries then a relay switch automatically switches from the batteries to the load circuit. The load circuit is set up to output 1200 watts at full load. There are six light switches in parallel and each switch has two light bulbs (rated at 100 Watts at 24 V) in parallel.

Figure 1. Setup of fuel cell experiment

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Test Procedure
Safety
Before starting the system it is crucial that the work area be clear from any flammable substance around the hydrogen tank. The hydrogen ground wire needs to be tightly connected to the ground port and hydrogen tank properly. Note that this step is easily forgotten as seen in Figure 2 and is a safety concern. Upon verifying the correct grounding ensure the hydrogen tank is tightly closed. Remember to open the hydrogen tank you turn the knob counterclockwise and to close it, you turn it clockwise. In addition make sure that you do not disconnect any component of the experiment while the fuel cell is running, this includes batteries, wires, bulbs, etc. Do not jam anything in the AC Fan Unit while it is on, or touch any component of the fuel cell. An enclosure ensures that things do not get caught in the fuel cell, but take precaution when running the AC Fan Unit. In order to avoid any sparks while the experiment is running make sure to plug the multi-meter leads into the load circuit ports prior to running the experiment.

Figure 2. Missing Ground Wire on Hydrogen Tank, Safety Concern

System Start up
Open the hydrogen tank valve slowly. Set the pressure going into the fuel cell to 50 psi by slowly tightening the regulator valve. Start the system by pressing the System ON button on the control unit. After the system goes to Standby the system will auto start the fuel cell. Alternatively you can press the Nexa ON button to start the fuel cell. The fuel cell will quietly turn on and start consuming the hydrogen. If there is not sufficient hydrogen pressure going into the fuel cell, the system will send a failure alert and the fuel cell will turn off. If this occurs simply adjust the pressure using the regulator valve to a pressure greater than 50 psi and press the Nexa On button.

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Before Loading the System

You can monitor the status of the fuel cell from either the control unit or the supplied software on the computer. To navigate through the control unit refer to the Measure Data Using the Control Unit section in the appendix. For convenience it is easier to collect data using the computer, please see the Measure Data Using the Computer for detailed explanation in the appendix. To measure the voltage and current on the load circuit, refer to Measuring the Current and Voltage from the Load Circuit in the appendix.

Experiment 1: Loading the Fuel Cell with the Fan OFF

Once the system and fuel cell have been started and the fuel cell is in the Reloading phase of the Power mode, you can start loading the system. Load the system by turning on a light switch and waiting 10 seconds to turn on the second switch. Repeat this process until you have turned on all six light switches. The system can only take the full load for limited times so do not have all six light switches on for longer than 10 seconds. Note: when doing both Experiment 1 and Experiment 2 dont forget to measure the current and voltage from the load circuit.

Experiment 2: Loading the Fuel Cell with the Fan On

In order to see how oxygen affects the efficiency of the fuel cell connect the fan to the wall outlet, when the fuel cell is in the Standby mode; you will need to wait for the t_reload (3 minutes) time for the fuel cell to shutdown and go to the Standby mode. After you connect the fan press the Nexa On button and wait for the system to kick start up again. Make a NEW data log file, and repeat the loading of the fuel cell.

Shutting Down
When the experiment is complete, you can manually turn off the fuel cell by pressing the Nexa OFF button or wait for the t_reload time to be reached. Once the fuel cell is turned off it will be in Standby mode and you can turn the system off by pressing the System OFF button. Alternatively, you can turn off the system, which will turn off the fuel cell itself by pressing the System OFF button. After the system has been shutdown you can close the hydrogen tank by turning the knob clockwise and disconnect the fan, if it was used. If a computer was used, you can also turn it off. Turn off and store any measurement devices, such as the current probe and multi-meter. Note: make sure to download your log files from the computer before shutting down.

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Required Results
a. Using data collected and comparing it with the manufactures data, plot the following: Net Current vs. Output Voltage Net Current vs. Gross Power Net Current vs. Net Power Net Current vs. Parasitic Power Net Current vs. Net System Efficiency (% HHV) Net Current vs. Hydrogen Fuel Consumption (SLPM) b. Using the data when the fan was ON/OFF, plot the following: Net Current vs. Net System Efficiency (% HHV) Net Current vs. Hydrogen Fuel Consumption (SLPM)

Report
Your report should be a formal report that addresses different aspects of the experiment. Specific emphasis should be put on a comprehensive discussion of all your experiential results and your experimental observations in the form of tables and graphs for the fuel cell. Compare your results with the manufacturers data. You should include a recommendation section in your report to discuss possible alternatives and ways to improve the experiment. In a separate section of your report discuss the following question: A. What is a Hydrogen Economy? B. Are PEM fuel cells the answer the todays fossil fuel crisis? C. How do precious metals play a role in fuel cells and a Hydrogen Economy? D. What are some advantages and disadvantages of fuel cells? E. How does nano technology play a role in fuel cells?

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F.

Figure 3. Nexatm Power Module2

Figure 4. Two WP18-12 (12 VDC) Batteries

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Figure 5. DC/DC Converter

Figure 6. Control Unit

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Figure 7 Pspice Theoretical Maximum Circuit Schematic

Figure 8. Load Circuit Box

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Figure 9. Schematic Of Oxygen Air Flow to Nexatm Power Module

Figure 10. 2500 RPM AC (115 Volts, 60 Hz) Fan On Top Of Fuel Cell Enclosure

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Backup Material for Fuel Cell Experiment

Fuel Cells
Fuel cells are electrochemical devices that convert chemical energy from fuels into electrical energy while giving off waste heat and water. Fuel cells complete this complex cycle in a single step that does not involve moving parts, as seen in Figure 11. Fuel cells share similar characteristics as those in engines and batteries. Batteries, like fuel cells, have an electrochemical nature that leads to a process that generates power. However, unlike batteries, which will cease to produce electrical energy when they are discharged, fuel cells do not need to recharge and will continue to generate electrical energy as long as fuel is supplied. Unlike engines, fuel cells avoid the combustion process and are not limited by thermodynamic limitations of heat engines, such as the Carnot cycle. Fuel cells have a higher efficiency than combustion engines and incorporate elements that have minimal pollutant capabilities, which make them an ideal candidate for green technology.

Figure 11. Single step fuel generation to DC in a fuel cell Fuel cells are capable of processing a wide variety of fuels and oxidants, but most fuel cells use hydrogen as fuel and ambient air as in oxidant.1 The basic structure of a fuel cell can be seen in Figure 12. Fuel flows into the anode (negative electrode) while an oxidant is fed into the cathode (positive electrode) continuously. Electrochemical oxidation and reduction reactions take place in the electrodes to produce an electric current through the electrolyte. The electrolyte determines the name of the fuel cell, the chemical reactions that take place in the cell, the kind of catalyst required, the fuel required, and the temperature range in which the cell operates. 1

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Figure 12. Schematic of an individual fuel cell 1 The most common type of fuel cell is a Polymer Electrolyte Membrane (PEM) fuel cell. The operating temperature ranges from 60-80 C, which makes them the most likely candidate to be used in small applications, such as automotive or small-scale backup power generation. The PEM process is illustrated in Figure 13 and occurs in the following steps: 1. Pure hydrogen gas is fed into the anode, stripping the electrons and turning them into positively charge hydrogen ions. a. These positively charges ions get passed through an electrolyte and go to the cathode electrode. b. Simultaneously the negatively charged electrons are moved to the cathode via an external circuit where the load is located. 2. When the electrons are brought back together with their ions, they are mixed with oxygen from the air and form water. a. The by-product is waste heat and water

Figure 13. PEM operation diagram

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General Maintenance for Performance

For optimal performance run the experiment several times. After a long-time without use the performance dramatically decreases over time and in order to regain the performance loss several runs need to be done. To illustrate how substantial the performance loss is after one year without use several experimental trials were run. The first trial averaged a maximum gross power (fuel cell power) of 1150 Watts. After about 20 more runs the gross power rose to 1420 Watts, which is the expected numerical value at maximum load.

Measuring the Current and Voltage from the Load Circuit

The voltage from the load circuit can be measured with a multi-meter by plugging in the prongs into the load circuit ports. Note: Stick the prongs into the ports prior to running the experiment. The current of the load circuit is measured with the FLUKE Y8100 DC/AC Current Probe. To measure the current, do the following as seen in Figure 14: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Set the current rating to 200A , using the switch on the current probe Turn on the current probe via the toggle switch and lock it Clamp the probe to the positive wire Connect the probe to the multi-meter Turn on the multi-meter and set it to VDC Adjust the sensitivity by moving the small wheel on the Current Probe, such that the multi-meter reads 0 VDC

Figure 14. Measuring The Voltage And Current Of The Load Circuit Note: the current probe measurements are in voltages, so you are going to have to convert the voltages into amps; the conversion factor is 200 A to 2 V. 1-11

Fuel Cell Startup/Shutdown Cycle

The fuel cell power module will go through the following modes of operation: 1. Standby a. This is the initial startup of the system. It checks if the fuel cell is able to provide energy by receiving an okay signal. If everything is okay the DC/DC converter BSZ-PG 1200 will switch to the Power mode. 2. Power mode (Green LED on) a. I_Charge phase i. The fuel cell will act as a current source and will increase its current to I_ch_Max. Due to the nature of the circuit, when you increase the current in the circuit the voltage on the battery will also increase. At some time the battery voltage will reach V_ch_Max and then switch to the V_Charge phase. b. V_Charge phase i. In this phase the fuel cell will act as a voltage source and its output voltage will equal V_ch_Max. The voltage will remain constant and the current will continue to decline, charging the battery until it reaches I_Change. Once the current drops below I_Change the fuel cell will switch to the Reloading phase. c. Reloading i. The fuel cell will continue to act as a voltage source and is now ready to use until it reaches the t_reload time. If the fuel cells current (I_Charge) is more than the minimum battery current (I_Change) the t_reload time will be reset. Once the time has reached the t_reload time the system will go into Shutdown mode. 3. Shutdown mode (Blinking green LED) a. The current slowly decreases to zero amps and continues to shutdown. At any point during the shutdown process, if the battery reaches minimal voltage (V_ch_Min) it will return to the Power mode.

Measure Data Using the Control Unit

The Control unit consists of 4-line LCD display with 3 LED that have System/Nexa On/OFF buttons plus DC/DC and Nexa Parameter buttons, as seen in Figure 6. Table 1 shows the LED functions and Table 2 shows both the System and Nexa Parameters. To navigate to a specific parameter continue to press on the System/Nexa Parameter button until you reach the desired parameter. Table 1. LED Functions LED Status Green On Slow blinking Quick blinking Yellow On Red On

Description DC/DC converter in mode Power DC/DC converter in mode Standby DC/DC converter in mode Shutdown Nexa Warming Nexa Error or DC/DC error 1-12

Table 2. Nexa and System Parameter Nexa Button Nexa State o Standby o Start Up o Normal Operation o Normal Shutdown o Failure Shutdown o Warning o Non Restartable Stack Temperature Stack Voltage Stack Current Fuel Pressure Fuel Leak Fuel Consumption Oxygen Concentration Air Temperature Purge Cell Voltage Stack Power

System Button DC/DC Phase o Start o Standby o I-Charge o U-Charge o t-Charge o Shutdown o Error o Nexa Voltage Battery Voltage Battery Current V_Charge_Min V_Charge_Max I_Charge_Max I_Change Reload Time DC/DC Failure o 0x02 TEMP_Error o 0x04 V_Out_MIN_Error o 0x08 V_Out_Max_Error o 0x10 V_Nexa_Min_Error o 0x20 V_Nexa_Max_Error o 0x40 I_Max_Error o 0x80 Nexa-Start_Error

Measure Data Using the Computer

BSZ Software
The purpose of the BSZ software is to let the user view the status of the system, view a graph of specific parameters such as Stack Voltage, Temperature, and Power, and to change specific parameters on the control unit such as the t_reload time. To run the software on the computer turn the computer on and type in the user name and password. Once the computer is fully started you can start the BSZ software, by double clicking on the BSZ icon as seen in Figure 15. From this screen, as seen in Figure 16, you can see the Startup/Shutdown Cycle. At this screen you can change a setting on the control unit, such as the t_reload time or

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the minimum battery voltage (V_ch_Min); to do any changes, change any value and press the send button. The Nexa Tab allows the user to view the fuel cell Information but not save any data, as seen in Figure 17; you can select the check boxes to visually graph the data that is selected; this graph is in real time when the fuel cell is running.

Figure 15. BSZ Startup

Figure 16. BSZ Main Tab 1-14

Figure 17. BSZ Nexa Tab,

NexaMon OEM Software

NexaMon OEM software is used to collect data from the system. The data collected is saved as a CSV files and can be opened in any spread sheet application such as Microsoft Excel. To run the software double click on the NexaMon OEM icon, as seen in Figure 18.

Figure 18. Nexamon OEM Start Up Select the data you wish to collect, such as fuel consumption, as seen in Figure 19. Then follow these steps to configure your log file, as seen in Figure 20: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Click on the folder icon under the Data Logging text, in order to create a log file. Name the file and click the save button. Adjust the time period to 1s Press the Log: ON switch to start logging data. Press the Start: ON switch to connect to the fuel cell (COM 2 port). You can now run Experiment 1 and or Experiment 2

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Figure 19. Nexamon OEM Software Selecting Data You Want To Collect

Figure 20. Logging Data Steps 1-16

Common Error: Low Battery Voltage

If Nexatm fails to start and you get an error from the control unit, as seen in Figure 21, most likely it is due to the battery not being properly charged. Do the following to check the battery status: 1. Check the control unit and see if it says Nexa Error a. Note that the Error LED will turn on and be red, in addition to the green POWER LED 2. If the control unit has Nexa Error then use the DC/DC button to navigate until the LCD screen shows the Battery Voltage 3. Verify that the Battery Voltage is at the V_ch_Min of 22 V DC

Figure 21. Checking The Control Unit For Low Batteries

Charging the Batteries

If the batteries need charging do the following: 1. Using the control unit, press the System Off button on the control unit 2. Once the system is off, close the hydrogen tank, disconnect the two batteries from each other and use the 12 VDC chargers to charge each battery separately, as seen in Figure 22. 3. Once each battery is charged, reconnect the batteries, re-open the hydrogen tank and turn the system back on

Figure 22. Charge Each Battery Separately, When The Fuel Cell Is Off

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Sample Results
Graph 1. Net Current Vs. Output Voltage With Fan On
40

35

30

25 Output Voltage (V)

20

15

10

0 0 10 20 Net Current (A) Ouput Voltage (V) Manufacture's Voltage (V) 30 40 50

Graph 2. Net Current Vs. Gross Power With Fan On

1600

1400

1200

1000 Power (W)

800

600

400

200

0 0 10 20 Net Current (A) Gross Power (W) Manufacture's Gross Power (W) 30 40 50

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Graph 3. Net Current Vs. Net Power With Fan On

1400

1200

1000

Power (W)

800

600

400

200

0 0 10 20 Net Current (A) Net Power (W) Manufacture's Net Power(W) 30 40 50

Graph 4. Net Current Vs. Parasitic Load With Fan On

300

250

200

Power (W)

150

100

50

0 0 10 20 30 Net Current (A) 40 50

Parasitic Load (W)

Manufacture's Parasictic Power (W)

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Graph 5. Net Current Vs. Hydrogen Consumption With Fan On

20 18 16 14 12 10 8 6 4 2 0 0 10 20 Net Current (A) Hydrogen Consumption (SLPM) Manufacture's Hydrogen Consumption (SLPM) 30 40 50

Graph 6. Net Current Vs. Efficiency With Fan On

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Hydrogen Conumption (SLPM) Net System Efficiency (% HHV)

0.6

0.5

0.4

0.3

0.2

0.1

0 0 10 20 Net Current (A) Efficiency (%HHV) Manufacture's Efficiency (%HHV) 30 40 50

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Graph 7. Net Current Vs. Efficiency Fan ON/OFF. This Data Is Averaged From 4 Trials, 2 With The Fan On And 2 With The Fan Off.
0.65

0.60

Net System Efficiency (% HHV)

0.55 Fan No Fan

0.50

0.45

0.40 0.00

10.00

20.00

30.00 Net Current (A)

40.00

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Graph 8. Net Current Vs. Hydrogen Consumption. Fan ON/OFF. This Data Is Averaged From 4 Trials, 2 With The Fan On And 2 With The Fan Off.
18.00

16.00

14.00

Hydrogen Consumption (SLPM)

12.00

10.00 Fan No Fan 8.00

6.00

4.00

2.00

0.00 0.00

10.00

20.00

30.00 Net Current (A)

40.00

50.00

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Table 3. Averaged Data For Loading With Fan On

Net Voltage (V) 37.97 35.54 33.01 30.21 28.31 28.44 Output Current (A) 9.18 17.05 26.18 37.46 48.53 49.31 Net Current (A) 9.53 18.80 28.03 37.03 49.50 53.43 Gross Power (W) 348.56 606.06 864.21 1130.66 1373.62 1402.19 Net Power (W) 248.44 489.93 730.55 965.09 1289.97 1392.47 Parasitic Load (W) 100.12 116.13 133.66 165.57 83.65 9.72 Hydrogen Consumpti on (SLPM) 3.00 5.55 8.59 12.14 15.83 16.19 Efficiency (%HHV) 0.60 0.57 0.52 0.49 0.45 0.45

mH2 (kg/s) 4.065E-06 7.52E-06 1.164E-05 1.645E-05 2.145E-05 2.194E-05

Table 4. Averaged Data For Loading With Fan Off

Net Voltage (V) 37.77 35.28 32.43 30.37 28.30 28.52 Output Current (A) 9.20 17.18 26.74 37.02 48.53 49.32 Net Current (A) 9.53 18.80 28.03 37.03 49.50 53.43 Gross Power (W) 347.41 605.98 865.72 1124.25 1373.51 1405.86 Net Power (W) 248.44 489.93 730.55 965.09 1289.97 1392.47 Parasitic Load (W) 98.97 116.05 135.17 159.16 83.54 13.39 Hydrogen Consumpti on (SLPM) 3.00 5.67 8.68 12.24 15.93 16.15 Efficiency (%HHV) 0.60 0.56 0.52 0.48 0.45 0.45

mH2 (kg/s) 4.065E-06 7.683E-06 1.176E-05 1.659E-05 2.159E-05 2.188E-05

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Conclusion
The following conclusion is based on four data sets. Prior to the four data sets, the fuel cell was run over 30 times in order to get the optimal performance because it was not ran for one year. The fuel cell max load went from 1150 to 1420 watts after around 20 full load runs. The batteries where charged about three times during the test runs. Two trials were run with the fan off and two trials were run with the fan ON. Graphs 1 through Graph 6 show only runs with the fan on. The average was taken between the two trials with the fan on and fan off, for Graphs 7-8. From Graph.1, we can clearly see that our Net Voltage is higher than the manufactures data. From Graph 2, we can see that our Gross Power was just short of the manufactures data. Graph 3 shows that the data collected compared to the manufactures data is slightly off; this might be due to the current probe accuracy since the current probe is a little outdated. Because the Net Power was somewhat off the Parasitic load was all over the place compared to the manufactures data, as seen in Graph 4. Graph 5 shows a very linear relationship with the Net Current and Hydrogen Consumption (SLPM), also the Hydrogen Consumption data collected is always less then the manufactures data. Graph 6 shows that the data collected has a higher efficiency (% Higher Heating Value) then the manufactures data. In the manual, the manufacture states that the efficiency is measured in (% Lower Heating Value) but I believe this is a typo because it would mean that the efficiency (%HHV) for the manufacture would be much less then what it is. Graph 7 shows that when the fan is on the fuel cell is slightly more efficient then when the fan is off. From Graph 8, you can see that when the fan is on the Hydrogen Consumption is slightly more then when it is off. From the results you can conclude that the fuel cell works most efficient when you use it, and the results are within agreement of the manufactures data. You can almost conclude that with the addition of the fan, there is a slight efficiency gain.

Recommendation
I would recommend an addition fan be installed to clearly see how the extra air flow affect the fuel cell efficiency.

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Equations
Power Standard Liters Per Minute

Ohms Law

Mass Flow Rate of Hydrogen

Fuel Cell Efficiency (% Higher Heating Value)

Sample Graphs of Data

Terminology:
o Gross Power: Power output by the fuel cell o Net Power: Power output by the load circuit o Net Current: Power output by the load circuit o Output Voltage: Voltage output by the fuel cell o Parasitic Load: Load output from the fan/pump/controller of the system = Gross Power Net Power o SLPM: Standard Liters Per Minute

Note: In the manual it says that the (% Lower Heating Value) was used but it is evident that (% Higher Heating Value) was used to calculate the efficiency

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References
1. Fuel cell Handbook (Seventh Edition), page 1, by EG&G services, Parson, Inc Science Applications International Corporation, (2004) U.S. Department of Energy 2. NexaTM Power Module Users Manual, MAN5100078, by Ballard ENGR 463: Thermo Power Systems Lab Manual, Ganji and Meguerdichian, 2007 Ganji, A. Professor of Mechanical Engineering, San Francisco State University

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