The phase transition from supercooled water to ice is closely related to the electrochemical performance and lifetime of an energy device at sub-zero temperatures. In particular, fuel cells for passenger cars face this issue because they are frequently started and stopped under sub-zero conditions during the winter season. However, there is a lack of visual information regarding the processes that occur within the fuel cell stack, and insight into how to improve the safety and performance during cold starts is lacking. In this study, we developed an operando neutron imaging system to visualise the water distribution inside an automotive single cell simulating a fuel cell stack during cold starts. This was achieved using a rapid heating unit. In addition, we showcased cold-start tests at three different sub-zero temperatures, and the obtained results suggest that pre-conditioning residual water and post-cold-start meltwater have an impact on the rapid cold-start performance.

中文翻译：

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快速冷启动期间汽车聚合物电解质燃料电池的中子成像


从过冷水到冰的相变与能源设备在零度以下温度下的电化学性能和寿命密切相关。特别是，乘用车燃料电池面临这个问题，因为它们在冬季经常在零度以下的条件下启动和停止。然而，缺乏有关燃料电池堆内发生的过程的可视化信息，并且缺乏有关如何提高冷启动期间安全性和性能的见解。在这项研究中，我们开发了一种原位中子成像系统，用于可视化汽车单电池内部的水分布，模拟冷启动期间的燃料电池堆。这是使用快速加热装置实现的。此外，我们还展示了三种不同零度以下温度下的冷启动测试，获得的结果表明，预处理残水和冷启动后融水对快速冷启动性能有影响。