ABSTRACT
The characterization of a fuel cell or its component refers to the process of testing and assessment of overall fuel cell performance or individual component performance. As seen in Chapter 5, fuel cell performance depends on various losses, namely, activation losses, ohmic losses, concentration losses, and fuel crossover and short-circuit losses. Each of these losses depends not only on the operating conditions but also on the materials, design, and construction of fuel cells and their components. Even though two fuel cells may have the same design, the uncertainty in manufacturing may lead to slightly different fuel cell polarization curves. The fuel cell has several components that are physically coupled, and their design and construction can vary from cell to cell. Hence, each fuel cell needs to be characterized for its performance and to find the best or optimum operating conditions for practical applications.
