A pseudo-phase-equilibrium approach for the calculation of liquid water saturation in the cathode gas diffuser of proton-exchange-membrane fuel cells

2011 ◽  
Vol 36 (9) ◽  
pp. 5487-5499 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hsiao-Kuo Hsuen ◽  
Ken-Ming Yin
Keyword(s):  
Fuel Cells ◽  
Phase Equilibrium ◽  
Liquid Water ◽  
Proton Exchange Membrane ◽  
Water Saturation ◽  
Proton Exchange ◽  
Equilibrium Approach ◽  
Exchange Membrane

Predicting Liquid Water Saturation Through Differently Structured Cathode Gas Diffusion Media of a Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell

2012 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
N. Akhtar ◽  
P. J. A. M. Kerkhof
Keyword(s):  
Fuel Cell ◽  
Liquid Water ◽  
Proton Exchange Membrane ◽  
Water Saturation ◽  
Catalyst Layer ◽  
Gas Diffusion ◽  
Proton Exchange ◽  
Diffusion Media ◽  
Exchange Membrane

The role of gas diffusion media with differently structured properties have been examined with emphasis on the liquid water saturation within the cathode of a proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC). The cathode electrode consists of a gas diffusion layer (GDL), a micro-porous layer and a catalyst layer (CL). The liquid water saturation profiles have been calculated for varying structural and physical properties, i.e., porosity, permeability, thickness and contact angle for each of these layers. It has been observed that each layer has its own role in determining the liquid water saturation within the CL. Among all the layers, the GDL is the most influential layer that governs the transport phenomena within the PEMFC cathode. Besides, the thickness of the CL also affects the liquid water saturation and it should be carefully controlled.

Experimental Investigation of the Water Impact on Performance of Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells (PEMFC) With Porous and Non-Porous Flow Channels

2012 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. Karthikeyan ◽  
H. Calvin Li ◽  
G. Lipscomb ◽  
S. Neelakrishnan ◽  
J. G. Abby ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Fuel Cells ◽  
Liquid Water ◽  
Proton Exchange Membrane ◽  
Removal Rate ◽  
Gas Diffusion ◽  
Flow Channel ◽  
Proton Exchange ◽  
Water Removal ◽  
Flow Channels ◽  
Exchange Membrane

The most critical aspect of fuel cell water management is the delicate balance of membrane hydration and avoiding cathode flooding. Liquid water accumulation in the interfacial contact area between the flow channel landing and gas diffusion layer (GDL) can dramatically impact steady and transient performance of proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs). In this concern, a porous landing could facilitate water removal in the cathode flow channel and significantly improve PEMFCs performance. In this work, an attempt has been made to fabricate the porous interdigitated cathode flow channels from a porous carbon sheet. Performance measurements have been made with nominally identical PEMFCs using non-porous (serpentine and interdigitated) and porous (interdigitated) cathode flow channels. PEMFCs with porous interdigitated flow channels had 48% greater power output than PEMFCs with non-porous interdigitated flow channels at high current densities. For the non-porous interdigitated flow channel, significant performance loss appears to arise from greatly reduced oxygen transport rates when the water generation rate exceeds the water removal rate, however for the porous interdigitated flow channel, the design removes the accumulated liquid water from the landing area through the capillarity of its porous structure and eliminates the stagnant regions under the landing, thereby reducing liquid flooding in the interface between landing and GDL area.

scholarly journals Pore-Scale Investigation of Coupled Two-Phase and Reactive Transport in the Cathode Electrode of Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells

2022 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shengjie Ye ◽  
Yuze Hou ◽  
Xing Li ◽  
Kui Jiao ◽  
Qing Du
Keyword(s):  
Fuel Cells ◽  
Liquid Water ◽  
Reactive Transport ◽  
Proton Exchange Membrane ◽  
Gas Diffusion ◽  
Proton Exchange ◽  
Two Phase ◽  
Cathode Electrode ◽  
And Performance ◽  
Exchange Membrane

AbstractA three-dimensional multicomponent multiphase lattice Boltzmann model (LBM) is established to model the coupled two-phase and reactive transport phenomena in the cathode electrode of proton exchange membrane fuel cells. The gas diffusion layer (GDL) and microporous layer (MPL) are stochastically reconstructed with the inside dynamic distribution of oxygen and liquid water resolved, and the catalyst layer is simplified as a superthin layer to address the electrochemical reaction, which provides a clear description of the flooding effect on mass transport and performance. Different kinds of electrodes are reconstructed to determine the optimum porosity and structure design of the GDL and MPL by comparing the transport resistance and performance under the flooding condition. The simulation results show that gradient porosity GDL helps to increase the reactive area and average concentration under flooding. The presence of the MPL ensures the oxygen transport space and reaction area because liquid water cannot transport through micropores. Moreover, the MPL helps in the uniform distribution of oxygen for an efficient in-plane transport capacity. Crack and perforation structures can accelerate the water transport in the assembly. The systematic perforation design yields the best performance under flooding by separating the transport of liquid water and oxygen.

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