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One of the bottlenecks hindering the usage of polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell technology in automotive applications is the highly load-sensitive degradation of the cell components. The cell failure cases reported in the literature show localized cell component degradation, mainly caused by flow-field dependent non-uniform distribution of reactants. The existing methodologies for diagnostics of localized cell failure are either invasive or require sophisticated and expensive apparatus. In this study, with the help of a multiscale simulation framework, a single polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) model is exposed to a standardized drive cycle provided by a system model of a fuel cell car. A 2D multiphysics model of the PEMFC is used to investigate catalyst degradation due to spatio-temporal variations in the fuel cell state variables under the highly transient load cycles. A three-step (extraction, oxidation, and dissolution) model of platinum loss in the cathode catalyst layer is used to investigate the cell performance degradation due to the consequent reduction in the electro-chemical active surface area (ECSA). By using a time-upscaling methodology, we present a comparative prediction of cell end-of-life (EOL) under different driving behavior of New European Driving Cycle (NEDC) and Worldwide Harmonized Light Vehicles Test Cycle (WLTC).
Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells (PEMFC) are energy efficient and environmentally friendly alternatives to conventional energy conversion systems in many yet emerging applications. In order to enable prediction of their performance and durability, it is crucial to gain a deeper understanding of the relevant operation phenomena, e.g., electrochemistry, transport phenomena, thermodynamics as well as the mechanisms leading to the degradation of cell components. Achieving the goal of providing predictive tools to model PEMFC performance, durability and degradation is a challenging task requiring the development of detailed and realistic models reaching from the atomic/molecular scale over the meso scale of structures and materials up to components, stack and system level. In addition an appropriate way of coupling the different scales is required.
This review provides a comprehensive overview of the state of the art in modeling of PEMFC, covering all relevant scales from atomistic up to system level as well as the coupling between these scales. Furthermore, it focuses on the modeling of PEMFC degradation mechanisms and on the coupling between performance and degradation models.