FCTEST, Fuel cells and electrolyser testing facilities

The Fuel cells and electrolyser testing facilities (FCTEST) laboratory is situated at the Joint Research Centre of Petten (The Netherlands). It was established to support developments in Regulation, Codes and Standards through the validation of testing procedures and measurement methodologies for the performance assessment of fuel cells.

It is also used in the Fuel Cell and Hydrogen Joint Technology Initiative for pre-normative research and harmonization of fuel cell and electrolyser test protocols and testing methodologies and their experimental validation.

The facility allows testing of low and high temperature polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) fuel cell stacks, components and entire systems for up to 100 kW electrical power in stationary and transport applications. In addition, electrolyser cells and high temperature solid oxide cells and stacks can be tested in fuel cell and electrolyser mode.

The facility also has capabilities for testing under simulated environmental conditions including temperature, relative ambient humidity (up to 95 %), and vibrations and shocks.

Priority topics of FCTEST

1. Testing of electrolyser and/or fuel cells (single cells, stacks & small systems);
2. Environmental testing of system components, sub-systems and systems;
3. Testing of power devices.

Definition and conditions of access

Access to the research infrastructure is granted on the basis of Access Units.

For FCTEST, the Access Unit corresponds to a ' Equipment day' made available for the experimental activities, and corresponds to a minimum of 8 hours of testing per day for any of the equipment in the following list:

1. 100 kW low temperature fuel cell test station (FCATS) with 120 kVA DC/AC load inverter and 72 kW DC load;
2. 500 W high temperature electrolysis & fuel cell test station including furnace and EIS equipment for single cell & short stack testing;
3. 5 kW high temperature fuel cell test station including EIS equipment for short stack and mini-system testing;
4. 3 kW and 500 W low temperature fuel cell test station for single cell & short stack testing;
5. 1.5 kW low temperature electrolysis & fuel cell test station for single cell testing;
6. Programmable modular 4x 24 kW DC load (sink) / 4x 10 kW power supply (source) test bench for power device testing;
7. Walk-in environmental chamber (climate chamber) with control of temperature (-40°C to +60°C) & relative ambient air humidity (5% to 95%) for environmental testing;
8. Multi-axial vibration table (shaker table) with a 500 kg pay load capability for frequencies up to 250 Hz housed in the climate chamber for mechanical shock and vibration testing.

• Estimated total number of Equipment Days allocated to the call: 720
• Average number of Equipment Days per Project: 10
• Estimated costs excluding consumables and expenses:
  • Research infrastructure operated by JRC staff: 58 € / Equipment Day**
  • Research infrastructure operated by users: Not possible

*there is no average, depends on the project proposals and availability of the research infrastructure.

** the cost of an Equipment Day is factored by the following amounts for the following list of equipment:

• 1.2 for equipment a)
• 0.8 for equipment b) through e)
• 0.4 for equipment f)
• 1.6 for equipment g) and h)

Options for the allocation of intellectual property rights:

• The JRC and the entitled party (person or organisation that has been granted access) become co-owners in equal shares of all raw data, treated data and documentation data developed with respect to the access;

Eligibility criteria

• The Lead User Institution and User Institutions (see definitions in the Framework) must be from an EU Member State, candidate country or country associated to the EU Research Programme Horizon 2020.
• The Lead User Institution must be from a university, research or public institution, or from a Small-Medium-Enterprise (SME).
• Ethical considerations in accordance with EU Law, in particular Art. 19 of Regulation (EU) 1291/2013, and applicable laws and regulations in the EU Member States.
• The proposal submission form is complete and complies with the instructions.

Selection criteria

Any proposal will be scrutinised in accordance with weighted selection criteria such as:

• Scientific implementation
• Access to SMEs and new Users
• Strategic relevance to the JRC
• Strategic importance for Europe

Communication of the assessment of proposals:2019-03-15 00:00:00

Related Content

Selection Criteria Background Documents

The 6 Priorities of the European Commission

JRC Thematic Focus Areas