Non-invasive Method and System for Local Ionomer Impedance Determination in Polymer Electrolyte Fuel Cells

Simple SummaryContent extracted from patent full text and abstract with AI.

This invention describes a non-invasive method and system to locally measure and map the electrical impedance (and thus the ionic conductivity) within the ionomer layer of polymer electrolyte fuel cells (PEFCs). By attaching multiple electrodes to the cell’s conductive layers and applying alternating currents at various frequencies, the system can analyze voltage responses to create a detailed map of conductivity across the membrane and catalyst layer without interrupting or disassembling the cell. Advanced processing of these measurements allows for real-time evaluation of fuel cell health, performance, and degradation.

Use CasesContent extracted from patent full text and abstract with AI.

• Monitoring the real-time health and performance of fuel cells in electric vehicles and stationary power systems.
• Detecting local degradation, water flooding, fuel starvation, humidity imbalances, and other faults in operational fuel cells.
• Guiding maintenance and preventive repairs by providing spatially resolved diagnostics of membrane or catalyst layer condition in fuel cell stacks.
• Enabling research and development in fuel cell technology by providing spatial maps of conductivity and other key parameters under operating conditions.
• Quality control and validation of fuel cells during manufacturing.

BenefitsContent extracted from patent full text and abstract with AI.

• Non-invasive—does not require disassembly, replacement, or interruption of normal fuel cell operation.
• Enables localized, spatially resolved diagnosis rather than averaging values across the whole cell, allowing for early and precise detection of faults or degradation.
• Supports real-time monitoring and fast data acquisition, improving operational safety and efficiency.
• Can differentiate between various failure modes (e.g., water flooding, catalyst layer degradation, humidity imbalances) for targeted troubleshooting.
• Reduces maintenance costs and improves fuel cell longevity by enabling preventive interventions.

Technical Classifications (CPCs)

Inventors & Applicants

Patent Abstract

The present invention discloses a method and a system for the determination of the impedance of a polymer electrolyte fuel cell (8), said method comprising the steps of: a) attaching a plurality of electrical contacts (En) to one or a pair of conductive layers (2, 4) between which the ionomer layer (6) is sandwiched; b) applying an AC current over pairs of the electrical contacts (En) of said plurality of electrical contacts (En) according to a determined AC current application scheme; c) measuring the voltage response to the applied AC current over pairs of electrical contacts (En) of said plurality of electrical contacts (En) according to a determined voltage measuring scheme; and d) evaluating the measured voltage response according to the determined voltage measuring scheme in dependency of the determined application scheme; and e) determining from the evaluated measure voltage responses the impedance of the electrochemical cell, preferably as a conductivity distribution over the ionomer layer (6); and f) preferably comparing the determined impedance values in dependency of the determined application scheme with a number of known impedance patterns.