EXPERIMENTAL INVESTIGATION OF ACTIVE AREA ENLARGEMENT ON THE PERFORMANCE OF PEM FUEL CELLS

International Hydrogen Technologies Congress, İstanbul, Türkiye, 10 - 13 Mayıs 2026, ss.463-466, (Tam Metin Bildiri)

Scaling up the active area of proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cells is a critical step toward their practical

implementation in transportation and stationary power applications. However, enlarging the active area introduces

challenges related to reactant distribution, current density homogeneity, ohmic losses, and thermal management. In

this study, the effect of active area enlargement on PEM fuel cell performance is experimentally investigated using

single-cell configurations with different active areas. Fuel cell tests were conducted on cells with incrementally

increased active areas under identical operating conditions to isolate the impact of geometric scaling. Polarization

curves and power density characteristics were obtained to evaluate performance trends. In addition, electrochemical

impedance spectroscopy (EIS) measurements were performed to analyze changes in ohmic resistance and charge

transfer behavior associated with increased active area. The experimental results indicate that while larger active

area cells provide higher total power output, performance per unit area is influenced by increased ohmic resistance

and non-uniform current distribution. The findings highlight critical design considerations for scaling up PEM fuel cells

and provide experimental guidance for large-area cell and stack development.