Clean Source of Energy for Pollution Restraining: Performance Evaluation of PEM Fuel Cell

Clean source of energy is the essential requirement of coming future to maintain a stable ecosystem on the earth, distressed by the global warming due to steep increase in the pollution. A step moving towards this urgent need is the Fuel Cell operating by the use of hydrogen and its continuous improvement in performance. In this paper an investigation was made on the performance of Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) Fuel Cell with 25 cm2 Nafeon-117 membrane area, serpentine channels, with 0.8 mm deep by 1 mm wide every 0.9 mm. The performance was identified to be influenced by number of operating parameters such as temperature, humidification of gas streams; anode hydrogen flow rate and cathode oxygen flow rate. The PEM fuel cell under consideration was given the highest voltage at 75 0C temperature of fuel cell, 75 0C temperature of anode humidification, 50 x 10-6 m3 min-1 of anode flow rate. The maximum open circuit voltage was obtained at cathode flow rate of 150 x 10-6 m3 min-1. Also, the current density and voltage characteristics were observed and experimental data obtained was validated by using co-relation given by Khazaee.