Algorithms for the Magnetic Assessment of Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) Fuel Cells

An electromagnetic flaw model and imaging techniques are developed simulating the magnetic nondestructive evaluation of proton exchange membrane fuel cells. A small flaw model is introduced to simulate the perturbation in magnetic field due to pinholes in the membrane. An inversion scheme is demonstrated to reconstruct the ionic current distribution in the membrane. Methods of stray field removal are then discussed. The research objectives of the above techniques are to locate flaws and enable the determination of current density in the fuel cell membrane in the presence of stray fields produced by electrodes, current leads, and background noise sources.