Automotive Subzero Cold-Start Quasi-Adiabatic Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell Fixture: Design and Validation

Subzero automotive cold-starts of proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) stacks require accelerated thermal rises to achieve nominal operating conditions and close-to-instantaneous usable output power. Advances in the material, structure and operational dependence on the balance between the maximum power output and the electrochemical conversion of hydrogen and oxygen into water requires validation with subzero cold-starts. Herein are presented the design and validation of a quasi-adiabatic PEMFC to enable single-cell evaluation, which would provide a more cost-effective option than stack-level testing. At -20 °C, the operational dependence of the preconditioned water content (3.2 verse 6.2) for a galvanic cold-start (