Magnetic-Based Dual-Cell Mechanism in Fuel Cell

Proton exchange membrane fuel cells have garnered widespread attention as energy conversion devices due to their pollution-free and high-efficiency characteristics. However, inevitable degradation occurs under certain typical operating conditions, with some details of the degradation mechanisms still being a subject of debate. When hydrogen supply is insufficient, the reverse current that occurs in fuel cells can cause severe platinum degradation in the catalyst layer, leading to a unique dual-cell mechanism where half of the original fuel cell continues to generate electricity, while the other half electrolyzes water due to the reverse current. Magnetic field measurement, as a powerful non-invasive diagnostic tool, has achieved great success in water-related faults in fuel cells, but it has not been deeply explored for gas-related faults. Therefore, this paper, for the first time, uses external magnetic field measurement to obtain information on the distribution of lateral currents related to the dual-cell mechanism. This study aims to extend the theoretical understanding of lateral current distribution in fuel cells, which was previously based on water-related faults, and to fill the gap in the study of gas-related faults in traditional fuel cells based on external magnetic fields. Additional experimental proofs are provided at https: //github.com/HaoyiYu-1/supplementary-experiments.