Impurity effect on proton exchange membrane fuel cell

Hydrogen produced by reforming of fossil fuel would be preferable in early stage of proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cell operation. Impurities other than hydrogen could cause catalyst poisoning and fuel cell performance degradation. Hydrogen produced by reformation process include about 2% methane. The presence of methane up to 10% is reported negligible degradation in cell performance. However, the study of methane more than 10% in hydrogen stream had not been done. In this study, the influence of methane on performance of PEM fuel cell was investigated by means of current vs. potential curve, long run (10 hr) test and electrochemical impedance measurement.