Author(s)

YinHao Yang^*, JueXiao Chen, Chang Du

Affiliation(s)

School of Automotive Studies, Tongji University, Shanghai 201804, China.

Corresponding Author

YinHao Yang

ABSTRACT

Proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) are considered one of the most promising alternative power sources for future vehicles due to their high energy conversion efficiency, zero pollution, and wide availability of fuel sources. Enhancing the low-temperature start-up capability of fuel cell systems is crucial for their widespread commercial application in the future. However, current experimental research findings are primarily based on single fuel cells or low-power stacks, with very limited studies on the impact of cold start on high-power systems. This leads to a significant gap between current scientific research and practical application, and the relevant results cannot be directly applied to actual systems. Therefore, research on low-temperature cold start of high-power fuel cells is of great significance. In this study, a 130kW fuel cell system was designed, and AVL Cruise M software was used to model and simulate the low-temperature cold start process of the fuel cell. By studying the start-up current loading strategies and the effects of operating parameters on fuel cell performance changes under –30 ℃ experimental conditions, key information reflecting the state changes within the fuel cell stack was obtained. Based on this, a low-temperature cold start loading strategy corresponding to the specific temperature was proposed.

KEYWORDS

PEMFC; –30 ℃ cold start; Cruise M simulation; Loading strategy

CITE THIS PAPER

YinHao Yang, JueXiao Chen, Chang Du. –30 ℃ cold start strategy of  designed fuel cell system. Eurasia Journal of Science and Technology. 2025, 7(2): 47-54. DOI: https://doi.org/10.61784/ejst3075.

REFERENCES

[1] Zang L, Hao L. Numerical study of the cold-start process of PEM fuel cells with different current density operating modes. Journal of Energy Engineering, 2020, 146(6): 04020057.

[2] Gwak G, Ju H. A rapid start-up strategy for polymer electrolyte fuel cells at subzero temperatures based on control of the operating current density. international journal of hydrogen energy, 2015, 40(35): 11989-11997.

[3] Lei L, He P, He P, et al. A comparative study: The effect of current loading modes on the cold start-up process of PEMFC stack. Energy Conversion and Management, 2022, 251: 114991.

[4] Lei L, He P, He P, et al. Numerical Research on the Cold Start-up Strategy of a PEMFC Stack from -30° C. Journal of Thermal Science, 2022: 1-13.

[5] Ríos G M, Schirmer J, Gentner C, et al. Efficient thermal management strategies for cold starts of a proton exchange membrane fuel cell system. Applied Energy, 2020, 279: 115813.

[6] Luo M, Zhang J, Zhang C, et al. Cold start investigation of fuel cell vehicles with coolant preheating strategy. Applied Thermal Engineering, 2022, 201: 117816.

[7] Li M, Dai C H, Guo A, et al. Experimental study on dynamic voltage uniformity of a 2 kW aircooled PEMFC. Electrical Engineering, 2018, 100: 2725-35. 79.

[8] Migliardini F, Palma T D, Gaele M, et al. Cell voltage analysis of a 6 kW polymeric electrolyte fuel cell stack designed for hybrid power systems. Materials Today: Proceedings, 2019, 10(3): 393- 399.