Patricia L. Loyselle

Glenn Research Center, Cleveland, Ohio

Kevin P. Prokopius

Analex Corporation, Cleveland, Ohio

Larry A. Becks

QSS Group, Cleveland, Ohio

Thomas H. Burger, Joseph F. Dick, George Rodriguez, Frank Bremenour, and Zedock Long

Akima Corporation, Fairview Park, Ohio 

NASA Glenn Research Center’s Fuel Cell 

Stack, Ancillary and System Test and 

Development Laboratory

NASA/TM—2011-216813

June 2011
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Patricia L. Loyselle

Glenn Research Center, Cleveland, Ohio

Kevin P. Prokopius

Analex Corporation, Cleveland, Ohio

Larry A. Becks

QSS Group, Cleveland, Ohio

Thomas H. Burger, Joseph F. Dick, George Rodriguez, Frank Bremenour, and Zedock Long

Akima Corporation, Fairview Park, Ohio 

NASA Glenn Research Center’s Fuel Cell 

Stack, Ancillary and System Test and 

Development Laboratory

NASA/TM—2011-216813

June 2011

National Aeronautics and

Space Administration

Glenn Research Center

Cleveland, Ohio 44135
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Hanover, MD 21076–1320

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NASA/TM—2011-216813 iii

Contents

Introduction...................................................................................................................................................1

Test Facility’s Purpose and Capabilities.......................................................................................................1

Facility Configuration and Subsystems ........................................................................................................6

Hydrogen/Fuel Subsystem............................................................................................................................7

Air/Oxidant Subsystem.................................................................................................................................8

Gaseous Purge Subsystem ............................................................................................................................9

Coolant Subsystem........................................................................................................................................9

Deionized Water Supply Subsystem.............................................................................................................9

Power Load Control Subsystem....................................................................................................................9

Data Acquisition and System Safety Controls............................................................................................11

Ventilation Subsystem ................................................................................................................................12

Summary.....................................................................................................................................................12

List of Figures

Figure 1.—Fuel Cell Test Facility (front side) including data monitoring, collection and control 

system...................................................................................................................................................2

Figure 2.—PEM Fuel Cell Test Facility (back side).....................................................................................2

Figure 3.—SOFC test stands (front side)......................................................................................................3

Figure 4.—SOFC test stands (back side)......................................................................................................3

Figure 5.—Large tubular furnace SOFC stand (front view).........................................................................4

Figure 6.—Large tubular furnace SOFC stand (back view). ........................................................................5

Figure 7.—Small tubular furnace SOFC stand (four—front view). .............................................................5

Figure 8.—Small tubular furnace SOFC stand (four—back view)...............................................................6

Figure 9.—Hydrogen gas supply manifold and cylinder storage. ................................................................7

Figure 10.—Close-up view of the hydrogen gas supply manifold. ..............................................................7

Figure 11.—Hardware used for filtering/humidifying the supply air and deionizing tap water as 

the supplied cooling media...................................................................................................................8

Figure 12.—The 21.2 kW DC motor with dynamometer and motor controller. ........................................10

Figure 13.—The 21.2 kW DC motor/dynamometer controls. ....................................................................10

Figure 14.—PLC, data acquisition, ventilation and ancillary system controls...........................................11

NASA/TM—2011-216813 1

NASA Glenn Research Center’s Fuel Cell Stack, Ancillary

and System Test and Development Laboratory

Patricia L. Loyselle

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Glenn Research Center

Cleveland, Ohio 44135

Kevin P. Prokopius

Analex Corporation

Cleveland, Ohio 44135

Larry A. Becks

QSS Group

Cleveland, Ohio 44135

Thomas H. Burger, Joseph F. Dick, George Rodriguez, 

Frank Bremenour, and Zedock Long

Akima Corporation

Fairview Park, Ohio 44126

Introduction

A flexible (modular) fuel cell test facility was designed and constructed at the NASA Glenn Research 

Center for the evaluation of fuel cells, ancillary components and powerplant subsystem designs in support 

of NASA’s exploration and aeronautics missions. The facility allows for testing of fuel cell powerplants 

and components under a variety of conditions with minimal reconfiguration. Fuel cells and subsystems of 

various types can be easily evaluated utilizing various fuels and oxidants under both static as well as 

dynamic power load conditions.

Test Facility’s Purpose and Capabilities

NASA’s future missions require the operation of fuel cell powerplants under a variety of conditions 

and utilizing various reactants. This fuel cell facility was designed with the flexibility to evaluate both 

components and subsystems under many of the conditions expected for a particular mission. The central 

facility test area (Figs. 1 and 2) was originally configured to allow for testing of large Proton Exchange 

Membrane (PEM) fuel cells and powerplants or multiple smaller fuel cells and powerplants in excess of 

10 kW using either humidified or non-humidified gaseous reactants. This capability was important to 

adequately evaluate not only the fuel cell and powerplant behavior by themselves but also under various 

reactant feed architectures and power management configurations. The original infrastructure has since 

been modified to also accommodate a bank of five high temperature furnaces in order to evaluate 

individual Solid Oxide Fuel Cells (SOFCs) and stacks. Figures 3 and 4 show the test facility including the 

SOFC infrastructure.

Depending on fuel cell type, fuel cell powerplants can operate on a variety of fuels that include 

hydrogen containing various impurities, reformate or direct from hydrocarbon fuels. The facility was 

designed with this fuel variability in mind, as well as the potential need to prehumidify the fuel prior to 

entry into the fuel cell. The typical oxidant used for fuel cells for NASA missions is oxygen; however, 

this can also be delivered as oxygen with various impurities or as air. The facility currently is configured

to accommodate air, humidified or not humidified, however the facility can be reconfigured to handle 

oxygen. Fuel reformers can also be accommodated in the facility allowing the evaluation of future 

reformer designs, fuel cell stack designs operating under reformate, and power systems’ designs relying 

upon reformate fuel. 
NASA/TM—2011-216813 2

Figure 1.—Fuel Cell Test Facility (front side) including data monitoring, 

collection and control system.

Figure 2.—PEM Fuel Cell Test Facility (back side).
NASA/TM—2011-216813 3

Figure 3.—SOFC test stands (front side).

Figure 4.—SOFC test stands (back side).
NASA/TM—2011-216813 4

Various different fuel cell types can be tested with a minimum level of design, fabrication, and 

installation effort. Specifically, there has been much attention drawn to the utilization of solid oxide fuel 

cells for aerospace applications. Ample area, up to 100 ft2

, is available to accommodate high temperature 

furnaces and any necessary reactant pretreatment for the operation and testing of solid oxide fuel cell 

stacks and power systems. The large tubular furnace shown in Figures 5 and 6 can be used to test 4 in.

diameter solid oxide fuel cells as well as small solid oxide fuel cell stacks. The large furnace is part of a 

complete test stand that provides for semi-automated control of flow, pressure and temperature to the cells 

under test. It contains safety interlocks that prevent the flow of hydrogen to the cell/stack in the event of 

furnace shutdown. It also contains a data acquisition system that allows for complete monitoring of the 

cell’s performance during the entire test duration. The four small tubular furnaces shown in Figures 7 and 

8 have been sized to allow for testing of cells up to 2 in. in diameter. Each of the four stations has been 

outfitted with mass flow controllers for the hydrogen fuel and mass flow meters for the air reactant and 

nitrogen purge gases. Individual temperature controllers monitor the cell’s temperature at each station.

The data acquisition system for monitoring the performance of each test stand is contained in a portable 

equipment rack. The test facility is designed to run unattended allowing for life cycle studies to be 

performed on a number of different solid oxide fuel cells and solid oxide fuel cell stacks.

The current facility configuration is adequate for the evaluation of individual or multiple fuel cells or 

subsystems at a total gross power output of up to 12 kW. With minimal component and facility 

alterations, the facility could accommodate stacks and power systems with outputs exceeding 25 kW.

Figure 5.—Large tubular furnace SOFC stand (front view).
NASA/TM—2011-216813 5

Figure 6.—Large tubular furnace SOFC stand (back view).

Figure 7.—Small tubular furnace SOFC stand (four—front view).
NASA/TM—2011-216813 6

Figure 8.—Small tubular furnace SOFC stand (four—back view).

Facility Configuration and Subsystems

The fuel cell test facility can be used for the evaluation and characterization of individual cells and 

stack designs, ancillary components and power subsystems. Ancillary components can be evaluated 

individually or as part of a fuel cell power subsystem. Subsystem designs and performance characteristics 

can also be evaluated and optimized under various operating conditions within the facility. The fuel cell 

facility is composed of several subsystems; hydrogen/fuel, air/oxidant, gaseous purge, coolant, deionized 

water supply, power load control, data acquisition and system safety controls, and ventilation. The 

hydrogen/fuel subsystem allows for the control and monitoring of several key parameters including 

pressure, flow rate, temperature and humidity. The air/oxidant subsystem also allows for the control and 

monitoring of the same parameters as the hydrogen system but also includes a “clean-up” system for the 

inlet gas to remove particulates and other contaminants such as oil prior to entry into the fuel cell. The 

gaseous purge subsystem provides for the quick removal of reactants from the system as well as an inert 

environment for select hardware. The coolant loop removes the waste heat produced by the fuel cell stack 

or subsystem as well as the waste heat generated by the electronic load bank. The deionized water supply 

subsystem feeds on demand treated water to the reactant humidification tanks and to the 32 kW air-cooled 

chiller. The power drawn from the fuel cell stack or subsystem can be controlled in two ways, via an 

electronic load bank or by the utilization of an electric motor/dynamometer system. The electronic load 

allows for the testing and evaluation of fuel cells as well as fuel cell power subsystems under “ideal” 

power load conditions. A 21 kWe DC electric motor/dynamometer assembly allows for the testing and 

evaluation of fuel cells as well as fuel cell power subsystems under “real” power load conditions. Power 

draws from the stack can be easily tracked and performance curves established at various motor speeds.

The data acquisition and control system manages the collection of data, monitors the entire process and 

facilitates safe system shutdowns. Lastly, the ventilation subsystem maintains a safe working environment 

during test operations, keeping the concentration of hydrogen gas below 1 percent by volume in air

(Hydrogen’s lower explosive limit of 4 percent by volume in air). Provided in the following sections is a 

detailed description of these subsystems.
NASA/TM—2011-216813 7

Hydrogen/Fuel Subsystem

A six-station high purity hydrogen k-bottle gas manifold is located directly outside of the test facility 

as seen in Figures 9 and 10. Figure 9 gives an overall view of the subsystem with the cylinder storage 

cages while Figure 10 focuses on the gas manifold alone. Prior to entering the facility, the hydrogen 

pressure is regulated from bottle pressure down to 100 psig. If the manifold pressure should exceed 

100 psig, a relief valve opens venting the excess pressure through a vent stack located 15 ft above the 

building roofline. In addition to the pressure relief there is a flow-limiting orifice located in the supply 

line just before it enters the room to further minimize the quantity of hydrogen permitted into the facility.

The size of this orifice can be changed to meet demand. The currently installed orifice limits the amount 

of hydrogen into the room to a level that could operate up to a 12 kW fuel cell stack or fuel cell stack 

power system dead-ended.

Figure 9.—Hydrogen gas supply manifold and cylinder storage.

Figure 10.—Close-up view of the hydrogen gas supply manifold.
NASA/TM—2011-216813 8

Inside the facility, the dry hydrogen gas can be fed directly to the test article or be humidified prior to 

entering the stack. The hydrogen gas can be humidified up to a level of 100 percent relative humidity.

Flow rates, pressures, relative humidities, and temperatures of the hydrogen stream into and out of the 

fuel cell process are monitored via a LabView data acquisition system. Excess hydrogen is vented via a 

manifold header which directs the gas out of the facility and through the vent stack preventing the 

hydrogen concentration in the room from exceeding 1 percent by volume in air, thereby maintaining a 

safe operating environment at all times.

Air/Oxidant Subsystem

The current fuel cell test facility uses air as its oxidant supply. Pure oxygen could be used with 

minimal modification to the facility. The current air subsystem is configured to deliver air at pressures 

between 5 psig and 60 psig and at temperatures between 25 and 80 °C. The air flow capacity is 25 scfm 

and is currently limited by the air filter/driver system. The air supply line pressure is 120 psig and the 

oxidant is first pretreated through a series of filters and a dryer to remove particulates, oil and water 

before entering the fuel cell process. Specifically, the building air first enters a coalescing filter, followed 

by a heatless regenerative desiccant dryer, particulate filter and lastly a vapor adsorbing filter. In a similar 

manner to the hydrogen fuel, the dry air can be humidified as required based on the fuel cell 

manufacturer’s specifications. Figure 11 shows the tank used for humidifying the particulate-free 

dry air and the series of filters and the heatless air dryer. The filter/dryer subsystem has been labeled 

“FILTERED-AIR SYSTEM” as seen in the figure. Flow, pressure, relative humidity, and temperature are 

monitored throughout a given test. Exit air lines from the test article are routed underneath the installed 

facility ventilation system and are exhausted outside of the building during operation. 

Figure 11.—Hardware used for filtering/humidifying the supply 

air and deionizing tap water as the supplied cooling media.
NASA/TM—2011-216813 9

Gaseous Purge Subsystem

This facility is equipped with a gaseous nitrogen purge system. There are two k-bottles of nitrogen 

located inside the test facility to handle the removal of hydrogen and air from the fuel cell inlet and outlet 

process lines downstream of the humidification tanks. This tie-in line allows for the quick removal of the 

supplied fuel and oxidant from the system to safely allow changes in test articles, for performing 

modifications to the existing system and in the event of an emergency shutdown. There is also a tie-in to 

an installed purge box that contains mass flow controllers for both gases and to a collection pan used to 

contain water that is drained from the hydrogen humidification tank and the hydrogen gas/liquid water 

phase separator on the exhaust side of the stack. This will vent any soluble hydrogen gas out of the pan 

and up to the roof vent stack. This is in place in order to maintain a concentration of hydrogen below 

1 percent by volume in the contained space, well below hydrogen’s lower flammability limit of 4 percent

by volume in air. Once sufficiently vented, the collection pans on both the hydrogen side and the air side 

can be drained. For a complete purge of the entire process, a k-bottle of nitrogen can be installed inside 

the six-station gas manifold outside of the facility. This is required after completing a major facility 

modification or when the system has been idle for a significant period of time. 

Coolant Subsystem

Inside the fuel cell test facility is an air-cooled, closed loop 32 kW chiller that will handle the heat 

dissipation requirements from the 12 kW resistive electronic load bank and from any water-cooled fuel 

cell stack or subsystem under test. Deionized water coolant flows to both pieces of hardware and can be 

individually regulated and monitored for pressure, flow rate and temperature into and out of the 

equipment. A separate fill line allows for the addition of deionized water to the system at the chiller 

reservoir in the event of evaporation or other loss.

Deionized Water Supply Subsystem

The facility contains a deionized water system capable of delivering deionized water at flow rates up 

to 0.75 gpm. The system consists of a 5 μm prefilter followed by an activated carbon tank, a mixed bed 

(worker) tank, and lastly a second mixed bed (polisher) tank. This particular subsystem pretreats the 

supply of tap water from the building prior to entering the process. The pretreated water is fed to both the 

hydrogen and air humidification tanks and is also available to replenish the coolant water supply that is 

circulated through the 32 kW chiller.

Power Load Control Subsystem

Power loads can be applied to a test article by two methods. The first is through a resistive electronic 

load bank which is used for testing and evaluation of stacks and subsystems under “ideal” power load 

conditions. This load can be operated in three different modes; controlled current, controlled voltage or 

controlled resistance. Each of these modes can be operated under steady state conditions, ramped 

conditions, or by providing a user defined power profile. The electronic load is capable of providing loads 

up to 12 kW and accommodating stack voltages between 0 and 100 V.

Along with the load bank, a 21 kW DC electric motor is also available for dissipating the generated

power from the fuel cell stack under test. It can be utilized to perform systems level testing under “real” 

power load conditions. Performance characteristics under various motor speeds can be evaluated using the 

motor combined with a motor controller and a water brake absorber or dynamometer which will provide 

resistance to the rotating motor shaft allowing the user to obtain profiles of torque, rpm, and horsepower 

from the unit. All of the described hardware, including the data acquisition system for the dynamometer, 

can be seen in Figure 12.
NASA/TM—2011-216813 10

The water is fed to the dynamometer directly from the building supply which is regulated to a given 

pressure. The water’s inlet pressure, flow, and temperature are all monitored and recorded. The outlet 

temperature is also recorded in order to prevent the water from reaching and exceeding its boiling point. 

The discharged water is collected into a holding tank equipped with level switches and an audible alarm 

to prevent it from accidentally overflowing. The collected water, in turn, is pumped out of the facility and 

into the building drain. Figure 13 shows all of the controls used for providing resistance to the DC motor 

under test. 

Figure 12.—The 21.2 kW DC motor with dynamometer and motor controller.

Figure 13.—The 21.2 kW DC motor/dynamometer controls.
NASA/TM—2011-216813 11

Systems level testing under “real” power load conditions will be useful for evaluating both the 

ancillary components and the design of a scaled-up fuel cell power plant for various power and propulsion 

applications. Optimization of the size and weight for each component is critical for aerospace applications 

and can be investigated with relative ease here.

Data Acquisition and System Safety Controls

A LabView data acquisition system from National Instruments allows for monitoring and acquisition 

of data on individual cell and overall stack voltages, fuel cell stack temperatures, and instruments with 

four 20 mA outputs. Collected data can in turn be easily compiled and downloaded for evaluating fuel cell 

stacks or subsystems under various power duty cycles and operational conditions. Currently, over 100 

channels are available to accommodate fuel cell stack, ancillary component and subsystem performance 

information. The modular nature of the equipment allows for easy expansion as it becomes necessary.

The data acquisition system works hand-in-hand with a programmable logic controller (PLC) that 

monitors the entire process and facilitates mandatory shutdowns when upsets during normal operation 

occur. A visual touch screen allows for the operational control of normally closed and normally open 

process solenoid valves during system startups and shutdowns. Along with the visual display screen, there 

are a total of four Emergency-Stop (E-Stop) buttons in the facility to suspend test operations when 

necessary. These operate in conjunction with two hydrogen combustible alarm detectors. When the 

hydrogen concentration in the room reaches 1 percent by volume of hydrogen’s lower flammability limit 

in air or if an E-Stop button is activated, the PLC commands the system to close the hydrogen inlet supply 

valve, open the hydrogen vent line and institute a nitrogen purge of the system. Strobe lights, warning 

signs, a horn, and test in progress lights have been installed at both facility doors as additional measures 

for safe operation of various fuel cell stack test articles. Figure 14 shows a picture of the test facility’s 

monitoring and control system. The only device missing from the picture is one of the data acquisition 

chassis which was in for calibration. 

Figure 14.—PLC, data acquisition, ventilation and 

ancillary system controls.
NASA/TM—2011-216813 12

Ventilation Subsystem

Two ventilation hoods contain all process tubing and instrumentation used for testing the fuel cell 

stacks, components and subsystems. Any hydrogen lines not contained within the ventilated area are 

welded to prevent potential leak paths from fittings. Both hoods operate with installed two-speed 

explosion proof fans. The first is rated at 3000 cfm with a 3 hp motor and the second is set at 1500 cfm 

with a 1.5 hp motor. The larger of the two hoods vents the majority of process tubing on both the 

hydrogen and air sides along with the open space where the fuel cell test article is placed while the 

smaller hood handles the hydrogen humidification tank and the rest of the tubing. The hoods have been 

configured to operate at high speed when the E-Stop condition is not satisfied, when activated or when 

hydrogen in excess of 1 percent is detected. If a major leak of hydrogen into the facility were to occur, the 

higher ventilation fan speed would be sufficient to safely remove the hydrogen from the facility and 

maintain the hydrogen concentration well below the 4 percent lower explosive limit.

Summary

At the NASA Glenn Research Center, a fully operational fuel cell test and evaluation laboratory is 

available which is capable of evaluating fuel cell components and systems for future NASA missions.

Components and subsystems of various types can be operated and monitored under a variety of conditions 

utilizing different reactants. This fuel cell facility can test the effectiveness of various component and 

system designs to meet NASA’s needs.
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NASA Glenn Research Center’s Fuel Cell Stack, Ancillary and System Test and 

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Loyselle, Patricia, L.; Prokopius, Kevin, P.; Becks, Larry, A.; Burger, Thomas, H.; Dick, 

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14. ABSTRACT

At the NASA Glenn Research Center, a fully operational fuel cell test and evaluation laboratory is available which is capable of evaluating 

fuel cell components and systems for future NASA missions. Components and subsystems of various types can be operated and monitored 

under a variety of conditions utilizing different reactants. This fuel cell facility can test the effectiveness of various component and system 

designs to meet NASA’s needs. 

15. SUBJECT TERMS

Fuel cell power plants; Electric power supplies; Energy sources; Spacecraft power supplies; Electric power; Energy storage; Fuel cells 

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