The Effect of Platinum Catalyst (MEA) Loading (.4/.4 g/cm2) (.4/.1 g/cm2) (.1/.4 g/cm2) at Temperatures of (70oC, 80oC, 90oC), and Relative Humidities of (50%, 75%, 100%), on the Power of a Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cell
School Name
Heathwood Hall Episcopal School
Grade Level
10th Grade
Presentation Topic
Engineering
Presentation Type
Non-Mentored
Oral Presentation Award
3rd Place
Abstract
With resources and training done at the University of South Carolina, this research was completed with the intent to discover whether the power of a Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cell (PEM) is affected by three different catalyst (MEA) loadings; each at three different temperatures, and three different relative humidity readings (RH). The procedure consisted of the assembly of the fuel cells and the running of the fuel cell testing system, which measures the current, voltage, and power. The results were analyzed with power/current comparison graphs, as well as an Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) test for each of the nine variables.
The results showed the highest amount of power in the .4/.4 (mg/cm2) loading at 80oC and 100% RH. The lowest power readings were in the .4/.1 loading. It is important to note the reaction on the hydrogen side of the MEA (anode) is significantly shorter than the reaction on the oxygen side of the MEA (cathode). This is because separating the input (water) requires two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom. To balance the amounts of each atom, there must be twice the loading on the oxygen side. Because of this, the loading of .1/.4 produced a lower power reading than the .4/.4 loading but a higher reading than the .4/.1 loading. Therefore, with a ratio of 1:2 (anode:cathode loading), the higher the MEA loading, the higher the power.
Recommended Citation
Weiss, John C., "The Effect of Platinum Catalyst (MEA) Loading (.4/.4 g/cm2) (.4/.1 g/cm2) (.1/.4 g/cm2) at Temperatures of (70oC, 80oC, 90oC), and Relative Humidities of (50%, 75%, 100%), on the Power of a Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cell" (2015). South Carolina Junior Academy of Science. 246.
https://scholarexchange.furman.edu/scjas/2015/all/246
Start Date
4-11-2015 2:00 PM
End Date
4-11-2015 2:15 PM
The Effect of Platinum Catalyst (MEA) Loading (.4/.4 g/cm2) (.4/.1 g/cm2) (.1/.4 g/cm2) at Temperatures of (70oC, 80oC, 90oC), and Relative Humidities of (50%, 75%, 100%), on the Power of a Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cell
With resources and training done at the University of South Carolina, this research was completed with the intent to discover whether the power of a Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cell (PEM) is affected by three different catalyst (MEA) loadings; each at three different temperatures, and three different relative humidity readings (RH). The procedure consisted of the assembly of the fuel cells and the running of the fuel cell testing system, which measures the current, voltage, and power. The results were analyzed with power/current comparison graphs, as well as an Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) test for each of the nine variables.
The results showed the highest amount of power in the .4/.4 (mg/cm2) loading at 80oC and 100% RH. The lowest power readings were in the .4/.1 loading. It is important to note the reaction on the hydrogen side of the MEA (anode) is significantly shorter than the reaction on the oxygen side of the MEA (cathode). This is because separating the input (water) requires two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom. To balance the amounts of each atom, there must be twice the loading on the oxygen side. Because of this, the loading of .1/.4 produced a lower power reading than the .4/.4 loading but a higher reading than the .4/.1 loading. Therefore, with a ratio of 1:2 (anode:cathode loading), the higher the MEA loading, the higher the power.
