SERC
engineers Greg Chapman and Michael Winkler recently delivered a custom
hydrogen fuel cell test station and two proton exchange membrane fuel cells
to Professor Ben Choi at Auburn University in Auburn, Alabama. Greg and
Michael spent one week integrating the test station into the university
lab where it will be housed and training Professor Choi and his team of
graduate student researchers in the operation and maintenance of the station.
SERC will continue to provide consultation to Auburn to insure that their
equipment functions well.
This is the third in a series of
test stations and fuel cells provided by SERC to other universities. This
installation di.ers from those previously provided to the University of
Michigan and Ketterin University in that the Auburn test station is equipped
with a stateof- the-art external humidi.cation system for the stack supply
air.
The external humidi.cation system
allows precise control and measurement of supply air relative humidity
prior to entering the stack, eliminating the need for an internal humidi.cation
section within the fuel stack.
The Auburn team has developed a detailed
mathematical model of the internal operation of fuel cells and will use
the test station’s custom features to control relative humidity in order
to validate and calibrate their mathematical model. Professor Choi has
had a long association with the South Korean automaker, Hyundai, and at
one time served as the all-time youngest member of the Hyundai board of
directors. Alabama has become a major center for automobile manufacturing
and has plants for both South Korean manufacturers, Hyundai and Kia.
SERC is proud to be helping Professor
Choi and his research group in advancing the state-of-the-art in automotive
fuel cells.

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