Fuel Cell Test Facility

Two Argonne engineers prepare a fuel cell stack for testing.

Fuel cells convert the chemical energy of hydrogen into electricity with high efficiency and very little pollution. They are promising power sources for electric and hybrid vehicles, as well as for buildings and other types of "distributed power." Fuel cell developers, government agencies, and U.S. automakers need independent testing to evaluate and validate fuel cell technologies.

The Fuel Cell Test Facility at Argonne National Laboratory provides this independent resource. The facility is designed for testing and evaluating fuel cell stacks and systems up to 100 kW. Through standardized tests and test conditions, Argonne provides its sponsors with comparative data on the performance, operational characteristics, and durability of fuel cells. The test results also help developers and sponsors evaluate technical progress.

The Fuel Cell Test Facility provides direct comparisons of competing fuel cell technologies in terms of performance and operational characteristics. Fuel cell developers and automobile companies conduct tests under widely varying conditions, and the resulting jumble of data can obscure comparisons. Argonne's independent testing clarifies claims and helps validate the capabilities of competing technologies.

For stacks and systems up to 100 kW, the equipment allows control of the temperature, pressure, humidity, and flow rate of both the fuel and air supplies. The effect of these operating parameters on performance can be quantified under various power profiles. The fuel can be either pure hydrogen or simulated reformate (the output gas of a reformer, a device to produce hydrogen from other fuels). The effectiveness of water management systems can also be monitored and evaluated. Future testing is expected to include the evaluation of integrated fuel cell systems, including fuel reformers, compressor/expanders and energy storage devices.

The Fuel Cell Test Facility is equipped with

• Custom-designed gas and thermal management systems for precise control of experimental conditions
• Versatile and expandable computer-based data acquisition and control system
• Large, fast, and controllable solid-state power supplies

March 2008