Design of a low-cost proton exchange membrane fuel cell stack

This paper presents the design of a small proton exchange membrane fuel cell stack to be used in uninterruptible power supply systems for remote telecommunication sites. A proof of concept design is presented using a two-cell stack made from low-cost and readily available materials. Flow plates used in the stack were manufactured from copper-clad printed circuit board (PCB) using standard PCB manufacturing techniques and machines. This resulted in a significant cost saving and reduction in production time.