Diagnostic tool to detect liquid water removal in the cathode channels of proton exchange membrane fuel cells

2006 ◽  
Vol 162 (1) ◽  
pp. 469-473 ◽  
Author(s):  
H.P. Ma ◽  
H.M. Zhang ◽  
J. Hu ◽  
Y.H. Cai ◽  
B.L. Yi
Keyword(s):  
Fuel Cells ◽  
Liquid Water ◽  
Diagnostic Tool ◽  
Proton Exchange Membrane ◽  
Proton Exchange ◽  
Water Removal ◽  
Exchange Membrane

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.

The Effect of Nonuniform Under-Rib Convection on Reactant and Liquid Water Distribution in Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells

2015 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
P. K. Jithesh ◽  
T. Sundararajan ◽  
Sarit K. Das
Keyword(s):  
Fuel Cells ◽  
Liquid Water ◽  
Water Distribution ◽  
Proton Exchange Membrane ◽  
Proton Exchange ◽  
Water Removal ◽  
Mixed Flow ◽  
Exchange Membrane ◽  
Flow Distributor ◽  
Reactant Distribution

The performance of a proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cell strongly depends on the nature of reactant distribution and the effectiveness of liquid water removal. In this work, three different configurations of a mixed flow distributor are studied analytically and numerically to find out the effect of nonuniform under-rib convection on reactant and liquid water distribution in the cell. In a mixed flow distributor, the rate of under-rib convection is found to be different under each rib in the same flow sector which results in different rates of removal of liquid water. This helps to retain some water to hydrate the membrane, whereas the excess is removed to avoid flooding. It is found that under-rib convection aids to get better reactant distribution, reduces pressure drop, and provides better control over liquid water removal which is helpful in developing efficient water management strategies for PEM fuel cells.

Water removal characteristics of proton exchange membrane fuel cells using a dry gas purging method

2008 ◽  
Vol 180 (2) ◽  
pp. 784-790 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sang-Yeop Lee ◽  
Sang-Uk Kim ◽  
Hyoung-Juhn Kim ◽  
Jong Hyun Jang ◽  
In-Hwan Oh ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Fuel Cells ◽  
Proton Exchange Membrane ◽  
Proton Exchange ◽  
Water Removal ◽  
Gas Purging ◽  
Exchange Membrane

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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