Enhanced performance of a PtCo recombination catalyst for reducing the H2 concentration in the O2 stream of a PEM electrolysis cell in the presence of a thin membrane and a high differential pressure

In this present work, finite volume method was used to simulate the three-dimensional water flow and heat transfer in a flow field plate of the proton exchange membrane (PEM) electrolysis cell. The standard k-ε model together with standard wall function method was used to model three-dimensional fluid flow and heat transfer. First, numerical simulations were performed for a basic bipolar plate and it was found that the flow distribution inside the channels in not uniform. The design of the basic bipolar plate has been changed to a new model, which is featured with multiple inlets and multiple outlets. Numerical results show that the flow and temperature distributions for the new design become much homogeneous.

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J0802-1-5 Research on hydrogen generation efficiency improvement by PEM electrolysis cell using porous body

The proceedings of the JSME annual meeting ◽

10.1299/jsmemecjo.2010.7.0_205 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 2010.7 (0) ◽

pp. 205-206

Author(s):

Koji KASHIWASE ◽

Yutaka TABE ◽

Takemi CHIKAHISA

Keyword(s):

Porous Body ◽

Hydrogen Generation ◽

Electrolysis Cell ◽

Efficiency Improvement ◽

Generation Efficiency ◽

Pem Electrolysis

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Non-Uniform Velocity Distributions in Bipolar Plate PEM Electrolysis Cell

Volume 2: Fora, Parts A and B ◽

10.1115/fedsm2007-37299 ◽

2007 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Jianhu Nie ◽

Yitung Chen ◽

Steve Cohen ◽

Blake Carter ◽

Robert F. Boehm

Keyword(s):

Velocity Component ◽

Numerical Models ◽

Three Dimensional ◽

Bipolar Plate ◽

Electrolysis Cell ◽

Pressure Drops ◽

Exit Tube ◽

Inlet Tube ◽

Pem Electrolysis ◽

A Minor

The rate of hydrogen production within the PEM electrolysis cell is influenced by the temperature, the velocity distributions, and the pressure distribution. In order to design and use a PEM electrolyzer cell effectively, analytical and/or numerical models for the device are necessary so that the system may be optimized. Numerical simulations of three-dimensional water flow were performed for the purpose of examining pressure and velocity distributions in the bipolar plate of a simplified PEM electrolysis cell. The flow range in the present study is assumed to be hydrodynamically stable and steady. The numerical results show that the pressure drops diagonally from the inlet tube to the exit tube. The velocity distribution is very non-uniform in the channels. A minimum of the peak values of mainstream velocity component in the channels develops in the middle of the plate. The maximum of these peak values appears in the channel near the exit tube. The lines along which the mainstream velocity component is a peak in the channel almost overlay with each other, except that a minor difference can be noticed in the channel near the exit tube.

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