EA Elektro-Automatik has offered a series of bi-directional DC power supplies and regenerative DC loads ideal for fuel cell stack testing.

Fuel cell performance requires adherence to a variety of specifications, so test engineers must conduct a series of characterization, performance, and durability tests. Fuel cells are characterized by determining their resistance. Fuel cell performance is usually indicated via polarization curves by measuring its voltage and current. A durability test is the test after a fuel cell stack reaches operating conditions, the stack is subjected to a continuous series of charge/discharge cycles to ensure that it will work safely and reliably in the field.

“In response to the demand for clean energy, the market for fuel cells is growing at a compound annual growth rate of 26.4% and is projected to reach $848 M by 2025. Uses for fuel cells include power generation for commercial vehicles such as buses and forklifts, backup power generation systems, and for other power sources. To ensure the design and manufacturing of quality fuel cells, EA Elektro-Automatik offers its EA-PSB 10000 2-quadrant power supplies and EA-ELR 10000 Series electronic loads. Both the PSB power supplies and the EA-ELR loads sink up to 30 kW and feedback the energy to the grid to enable testing of any size fuel cell stack,” said Markus Schyboll, CEO of EA Elektro-Automatik (EA).