Integration of the components in a small-scale stationary research PEFC system

With the primary aim of studying the integration of the components in a polymer electrolyte fuel cell (PEFC) system, a test facility for research on small-scale stationary PEFC systems has been built at the Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm. In this paper the PEFC system with control system and measurement equipment is described in detail together with the first experimental data. The research PEFC system has a flexible configuration and allows fuel cell systems from approximately 0.2 to 4 kWel to be tested. The main feed is natural gas, but the fuel cell stack can also be run on humidified hydrogen. The main limitation in the system integration is the power mismatch of the fuel cell stack and fuel processor. The paper begins with a literature review of research/test PEFC systems.