Fuel cell single cell testing station: fixture design

• Main Author: Tan, Wei Jie
• Other Authors: Chan Siew Hwa
• Format: Final Year Project
• Language: English
• Published: Nanyang Technological University 2023
• Subjects: Engineering::Mechanical engineering
• Online Access: https://hdl.handle.net/10356/168272
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

Electric vehicles are becoming more widespread in recent years as an alternative to mitigate the environmental impact of transportation. The Singapore government has set a goal of eliminating vehicles with internal combustion engines by 2040, thus the increase in the number of EVs. BEVs are the more common EVs now, however there has been significant progress in PEMFC research making it a more viable option. There is still a need to test and validate this technology and thus a need to create a fixture. This report focuses on designing an adjustable testing kit for Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cells (PEMFCs) that can accommodate variations in membrane size. The aim is to create a testing kit that is easily assembled while maintaining its accuracy. The testing kit allows for the easy control and measurement of compressive forces and the measurement of other parameters such as temperature, and coolant and fuel flow rates. This allows for future experimentation into finding the optimal performance of the PEMFC by optimizing those parameters. The report also discusses the design process of the alignment feature, the end plates, and the pressure gauge. The report concludes with a final design and recommendation for future testing of this PEMFC design.