Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell Stack Durability Prediction Using Arrhenius-Based Accelerated Degradation Model

To expand the applications of proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) stacks, it is essential to address the issue of their short lifetime. Various studies are being conducted to improve this limitation, and efficient methods for verifying durability in a short period of time are required. This study presents a novel dynamic load cycling protocol designed to emulate the real-world driving conditions of commercial vehicles. This protocol was employed as an accelerated degradation test for PEMFC stacks under two elevated temperatures (65 and 80 °C), each conducted for 1000 h. A bi-exponential model, incorporating Arrhenius principles, was fitted to the degradation data. During this process, a mixed effects modeling approach was employed to distinguish between fixed and random effects within the model parameters. The activation energy was consistent across all cells and was thus designated as a fixed effect. Activation energy, which predominantly affects the long-term durability of PEMFC stacks, was estimated as 0.808 eV. By applying this estimated value to the Arrhenius equation, we calculated the acceleration factors for the degradation of fuel cell performance. Specifically, the rate of voltage degradation was found to be approximately 1.516 times faster at 65 °C and 4.923 times faster at 80 °C, compared to the standard operating temperature of 60 °C. Additionally, Monte Carlo simulations were conducted to predict the failure-time distribution under normal use conditions, estimating a median lifetime of 3884 h, which corresponds to 155,360 km of driving. This methodology offers a reliable and time-efficient framework for assessing PEMFC durability, with significant implications for reducing testing costs and accelerating the development of hydrogen fuel cell technology.