A study on scaled up proton exchange membrane fuel cell with various flow channels for optimizing power output by effective water management using numerical technique

Energy ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 113 ◽  
pp. 558-573 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Arun Saco ◽  
R. Thundil Karuppa Raj ◽  
P. Karthikeyan
Author(s):  
Hyung Hee Cho ◽  
Sanghoon Lee ◽  
Dong-Ho Rhee

Internal water management in proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cell has been considered as one of most significant key factors for its performance enhancement. It is because relative humidity of hydrogen and air is strongly related to the performance of PEM fuel cell in terms of H+ movement within the membrane. In addition, production of H2O by chemical reactions can bring several problems during concentration loss region since combination of vapor in supplying air and byproduct of chemical reaction should lead to excess H2O remaining in PEM fuel cell, resulting flooding phenomena which may block air flow channels. Therefore, in order to understand and manage such phenomena to enhance the performance of PEM fuel cell, especially under concentration loss region, this paper focuses on the visualization of the flooding phenomena and application of the modified flow path on the cathode separator for flooding reduction.


2022 ◽  
pp. 1-33
Author(s):  
Xiuqin Zhang ◽  
Wentao Cheng ◽  
Qiubao Lin ◽  
Longquan Wu ◽  
Junyi Wang ◽  
...  

Abstract Proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) based on syngas are a promising technology for electric vehicle applications. To increase the fuel conversion efficiency, the low-temperature waste heat from the PEMFC is absorbed by a refrigerator. The absorption refrigerator provides cool air for the interior space of the vehicle. Between finishing the steam reforming reaction and flowing into the fuel cell, the gases release heat continuously. A Brayton engine is introduced to absorb heat and provide a useful power output. A novel thermodynamic model of the integrated system of the PEMFC, refrigerator, and Brayton engine is established. Expressions for the power output and efficiency of the integrated system are derived. The effects of some key parameters are discussed in detail to attain optimum performance of the integrated system. The simulation results show that when the syngas consumption rate is 4.0 × 10−5 mol s−1cm−2, the integrated system operates in an optimum state, and the product of the efficiency and power density reaches a maximum. In this case, the efficiency and power density of the integrated system are 0.28 and 0.96 J s−1 cm−2, respectively, which are 46% higher than those of a PEMFC.


2019 ◽  
Vol 969 ◽  
pp. 461-465
Author(s):  
Matha Prasad Adari ◽  
P. Lavanya ◽  
P. Hara Gopal ◽  
T.Praveen Sagar ◽  
S. Pavani

Proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) system is an advanced power system for the future that is sustainable, clean and environmental friendly. The flow channels present in bipolar plates of a PEMFC are responsible for the effective distribution of the reactant gases. Uneven distribution of the reactants can cause variations in current density, temperature, and water content over the area of a PEMFC, thus reducing the performance of PEMFC. By using Serpentine flow field channel, the performance is increased. Two types of serpentine flow field channels are implemented such as curved serpentine flow field channel and normal serpentine flow field channels. The result shows that curved serpentine flow field channel gives better current density and power density, thus increasing the performance of PEMFC.


2011 ◽  
Vol 110-116 ◽  
pp. 2301-2307
Author(s):  
P. Buaphad ◽  
P. Thamboon ◽  
C. Tengsirivattana ◽  
J. Saisut ◽  
K. Kusoljariyakul ◽  
...  

This work reports an application of reflective terahertz (THz) imaging for identification of water distribution in the proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cell. The THz radiation generated from relativistic femtosecond electron bunches is employed as a high intensity source. The PEM fuel cell is designed specifically for the measurement allowing THz radiation to access the flow field region. The THz image is constructed from reflected radiation revealing absorptive area of water presence. The technique is proved to be a promising tool for studying water management in the PEM fuel cell. Detailed experimental setup and results will be described.


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