03-04-2025 - Lecture Hall E

PhD presentation

Mitigating Thermal Stress in Solid Oxide Fuel Cells

Matthis de Lange

Solid Oxide Fuel Cells (SOFC) are a promising technology for reducing emissions in the maritime industry. They offer several advantages over other emerging solutions, including fuel flexibility, high efficiency, and low pollution. However, one major challenge with SOFCs is their inherently slow dynamic response to load changes. The issue is not that the power response itself is slow, but rather that rapid power fluctuations impose excessive thermal stress on the SOFC stack. This accelerates degradation and increases the risk of failure.
This presentation will explore two indicators for thermal stress in SOFCs: the temporal temperature gradient and the spatial temperature gradient. We will examine how the operating strategy influences these stress factors and analyze the trade-offs involved in using the control strategy to enhance the dynamic load response while mitigating thermal stress.

03-04-2025 - Lecture Hall E

PhD presentation

Experimental Study on the Effect of Ship Load Profile on PEMFC Durability

Sara Tamburello

Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells (PEMFCs) are emerging as a promising technology for sustainable energy systems. However, improving their durability is essential to ensure effective and reliable application in the maritime sector. The development of durability enhancement strategies requires a deep understanding of the system’s degradation mechanisms. Currently, most knowledge on PEMFC degradation originates from the automotive sector, where standardized durability testing—such as those based on the New European Driving Cycle (NEDC)—has been developed to simulate real-world vehicle operation and assess long-term performance. However, these protocols are not directly applicable to maritime PEMFC, as ship operational profiles are various and significantly different from automotive ones.
To support the broader adoption of PEMFCs in marine applications, there is a critical need for durability testing protocols specifically tailored to maritime operating conditions. My PhD research aims to take the first steps toward the development of such standardized testing procedures. In this presentation, I will introduce a newly developed testing protocol designed to evaluate the durability of PEMFCs under a representative ship load profile. I will provide an overview of preliminary results from the first experimental campaign, highlighting the impact of load-induced degradation on cell performance. Additionally, I will discuss how advanced electrochemical analyses can provide deeper insights into the underlying degradation mechanisms.