Diagnosis Method of Failure in PEMFC Using Magnetic Fields

Proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) are currently used in various applications because they are compact, lightweight, and easy to start up. One of the challenges in PEMFCs is the improvement of gas diffusion. To overcome this challenge, appropriate water management in the gas diffusion layer and flow channels is necessary. Therefore, PEMFC diagnostic techniques are needed to detect flooding and plugging, which affect performance and efficiency. In this study, the magnetic field inside a PEMFC was analyzed to evaluate the changes caused by the internally generated water. Three cell types were used in the experiments: normal, channel-modified, and membrane–electrode assembly-modified cells. The results showed that the current was diverted because of the channel modification and water content, which resulted in a significant difference in the vertical magnetic field. This indicates that power generation inhibition due to flooding can be detected using vertical magnetic fields.