Abstract
This paper covers our investigation into a decline in fuel cell performance resulting from hydrogen fuel containing impurities. The results of the investigation are summarized as follows: 1) Impurities that are estimated to be mixed in hydrogen fuel have been investigated; 2) The existence of CO, formaldehyde, formic acid, hydrogen sulfide, sulfur dioxide and benzene poisonings have been pointed out, and their extents were evaluated and compared; 3) Poisoning effects of sulfur compounds were extremely strong, and the development of poisoning is slow compared with that of CO poisoning; 4) It has been pointed out that a decline in electricity generation occurs when the Pt-Ru type catalyticelectrode is utilized for poisoning of formaldehyde, formic acid, hydrogen sulfide, sulfur dioxide and benzene, as compared with when the Pt type is utilized; 5) It has been confirmed that no poisoning behavior was found for methane.
Keywords:Fuel Cells, PEM, Current Density, Catalyst, Alternative Fuel