Accurate Fuel Cell Testing by optimized Mass Flow Control

• Fuel cells play a key role in our energy transition, converting green hydrogen back into electricity. To ensure optimal performance, precise flow measurement and control are essential during fuel cell development and testing. This is where Bronkhorst’s expertise contributes to this dynamic field.

• Whether you assemble a test system yourself or buy a system from a fuel-cell testing specialist, the quality of the flow measurements and controls will determine how accurately you can characterize your fuel cell performance.

• It is not without reason that for fuel cell testing, thermal bypass flow meters and controllers are usually chosen. Their specifications match the application: accurate, fast, low pressure drop, outstanding repeatability and easy to convert for other gasses than the calibration gas.

• Flow meters are normally calibrated with nitrogen and converted to the customer gas via a conversion model. This works excellent but does introduce limited measurement uncertainty. For example, when measuring fuel cell Faradaic efficiency, the highest accuracy is required. For those situations real gas hydrogen calibration is advised.

• With the increasing size of fuel cell (and electrolyser) stacks, the required flow rates in test systems also increase. Real gas calibration becomes difficult due to high gas consumption and safety requirements. Bronkhorst has addressed these problems by designing a real gas closed loop calibration system with negligible gas consumption and safe operation. This system enables hydrogen flow calibrations up to 200 m3n/h which corresponds to the flow rate for a 350kW fuel cell.

• Bronkhorst would like to be your partner for flow, pressure and humidification applications. We offer an extensive range of instruments for gasses and liquids, available with explosion protection levels and various fieldbuses.