Characteristics of the Multi-kW Class Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cell Stack for a Hybrid Electric Golf Cart

Abstract

?The fabrication method for the main components of the polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell stack such as electrodes, membrane-electrode assemblies, and bipolar plates was established for the effective electrode area of 240 cm2. A counter-flow type 100-cell stack was fabricated by using the above components and then a maximum power of 7.44 kW for H2/O2 and 5.56 kW for H2/air could be obtained at 70oC and 1 atm. It was seen that the distribution of the OCV for unit cells in the stack was uniform but the voltage deviation increased as the load increased due to the IR drop and the electrode polarization. The stack was applied to the power source of the fuel cell/battery hybrid electric golf car. It produced about 1 kW at a room temperature operation during the test run, which occupied about 43% of the total power required by the 2.3 kW motor.1. Introduction