Article published FC LAB
Fuel cell testing
As the reference research institute in France for fuel cell systems desgined for transport applications, FC Lab studies the behavior of future generators under real temperature and vibration conditions.
Fuel cells currently offer performance and integration characteristics sufficient to produce prototype vehicles. But when will they become marketable? Despite the significant progress made, certain obstacles remain: excessive cost, insufficient lifetime and insufficient reliability. The objective of FC Lab is to overcome these obstacles. A joint laboratory of CEA LITEN, CNRS, INRETS (national institute of transport and safety research) and four French universities, it has become the national reference research center for fuel cell systems designed for transport applications. FC Lab comprises approximately 40 full-time researchers and 25 doctoral researchers. It conducts system/component failure and durability analyses based on real usage conditions.
In order to test their behavior in transport environments, fuel cells need to be placed in operation under relevant temperature and vibration conditions, and coupled to a test bench or generator, as necessary. The test bench is equipped with a vibration generator composed of a vibrating table (1,220 x 1,220 mm2) associated with an electrodynamic vibrator with a frequency range of 5 to 2,000 Hz. The maximum vibration force of 35 kN produces an acceleration of 3 g at 6 Hz vibration ± 1 inch amplitude for a weight of 250 kg (up to 500 kg by limiting the analysis range). This equipment can be used to test fuel cell behavior in all spatial dimensions (not simultaneously), under standard or specific load conditions (e.g. mission-specific vehicle load conditions). The vibrating table can be equipped with a 2 m3 climatic hood to simulate real temperature and vibration conditions. The possible temperature range is – 45 to 130°C, with a variation of 1°C per minute. The test bench can also be used to perform hygrometry tests. Note: the hood can be used independently of the vibrating table.
All equipment has been purchased within the framework of a program established by the interministerial planning and development committee (CIADT) and backed by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). This exceptional test facility can be used by industrial manufacturers to test different types of equipment under various vibration and climatic conditions.
