Polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell as a hydrogen flow rate monitoring device

There is a substantial demand for hydrogen flow rate monitoring devices in applications where hydrogen is utilised or produced and which include oil refineries, ammonia production, food and chemical industries, coal gasification, methane steam reforming and water electrolysis. In this paper, a polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) fuel cell has been demonstrated for measuring accurate flow rates of hydrogen or hydrogen-containing gases. The concept involves applying a constant voltage to a PEM fuel cell to oxidise the entire hydrogen supplied to the anode compartment of the fuel cell and observing limiting current values attained and relating these to the hydrogen flow rates. PEM fuel cells with an active area of 50 cm² were constructed and used to accurately measure the flow rates of hydrogen up to 170 mL/min. A device with a capability to monitor significantly higher hydrogen flow rates can be constructed by using several cells in a stacking arrangement or by using electrically isolated cells in a single device. The paper discusses advantages and limitations of the technique and the flow rate-measuring response for gases containing 5–100 % hydrogen. The response time for hydrogen gas was of the order of 1–2 min. However, the fuel cell flow field design can be optimised for faster response times.