Compact Model of Slug Flow in Microchannels

2007 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dong Rip Kim ◽  
Jae-Mo Koo ◽  
Chen Fang ◽  
Julie E. Steinbrenner ◽  
Eon Soo Lee ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Pressure Drop ◽  
Liquid Water ◽  
Slug Flow ◽  
Flow Behavior ◽  
Contact Angles ◽  
Proton Exchange ◽  
Force Balance ◽  
Compact Model ◽  
Two Phase ◽  
Coverage Ratio

This paper presents a theoretical investigation of the movement of liquid droplets and slugs in hydrophobic microchannels and develops a compact model for this type of two-phase flow. This model is used in the prediction of pressure drop and liquid water coverage ratio, key parameters in the operation of Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells (PEMFC), the primary motivation for this work. A semi-empirical, periodic-steady two-phase separated flow compact model is formulated to characterize the slug flow behavior. The momentum equation includes the effects of acceleration, friction and surface tension on the pressure drop. The model considers spatial changes in slug velocity through the use of a force balance formulation. The model uses a departure scheme that computes slug size and shape at entrainment. The steady state slug flow compact model is capable of predicting liquid water coverage ratio and pressure drop using liquid and gas flow rates and advancing/receding triple point contact angles as its only inputs. The results indicate that the pressure drop increases as the droplet formation frequency increases.

The Experimental Study of Water Accumulation in PEMFC Cathode Channel

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ali Bozorgnezhad ◽  
Mehrzad Shams ◽  
Goodarz Ahmadi ◽  
Homayoon Kanani ◽  
Mohammadreza Hasheminasab
Keyword(s):  
Liquid Water ◽  
Internal Combustion Engines ◽  
Two Phase Flow ◽  
Gas Diffusion ◽  
Green Energy ◽  
Proton Exchange ◽  
Phase Flow ◽  
Two Phase ◽  
Coverage Ratio ◽  
Water Accumulation

In the recent years, Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell (PEMFC) has attracted much attention as a source of green energy and alternative to internal combustion engines. The PEMFC produces electrical power with heat and water as only byproducts. Water is needed to providing proper hydration of membrane and its ionic conductivity in PEMFCs, but excess water accumulation known as flooding phenomenon decreases reaction sites on gas diffusion and increases mass transport loss and consequently it leads to performance loss of PEMFC. Proper water management depends on characterization and study two-phase flow phenomenon of PEMFC as flooding. In the present work, the two-phase flow in the cathode channel of transparent PEMFC with single serpentine flow field is studied by direct optical visualization and utilization of Digital Image Processing for different inlet flow parameters and operational conditions. Liquid water accumulation in the cathode channel is quantified and the water coverage ratio is calculated as a scale of water content of the cathode channel in the unsteady and time-averaged states. Increasing the temperature and stoichiometry decrease the accumulation of liquid water in the cathode channel while increasing the reactants relative humidity leads to accumulation of more liquid water. Observations show in higher cathode stoichiometries, the effect of anode stoichiometry on the water coverage ratio decreases. The effect of anode stoichiometry on the water coverage ratio is more than the cathode stoichiometry. In higher anode stoichiometries, the effect of cathode stoichiometry on the water coverage ratio decreases so that the change in cathode stoichiometry has no significant effect on the values of water coverage ratio.

Pressure drop and drag reduction in two-phase non-newtonian slug flow

1976 ◽  
Vol 54 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 111-114 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lambert Otten ◽  
Abdelrahman S. Fayed
Keyword(s):  
Pressure Drop ◽  
Drag Reduction ◽  
Slug Flow ◽  
Two Phase

Two-Phase Transport in Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells

1999 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Y. Wang ◽  
Z. H. Wang ◽  
Y. Pan
Keyword(s):  
Fuel Cell ◽  
Current Density ◽  
Liquid Water ◽  
Proton Exchange Membrane ◽  
Threshold Current ◽  
Threshold Current Density ◽  
Proton Exchange ◽  
Air Cathode ◽  
Two Phase ◽  
Exchange Membrane

Abstract Proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cells have emerged, in the last decade, as a viable technology for power generation and energy conversion. Fuel cell (FC) engines for vehicular applications possess many attributes such as high fuel efficiency, low emission, quiet and low temperature operation, and modularity. An important phenomenon limiting fuel cell performance is the two-phase flow and transport of fuel and oxidant from flow channels to reaction sites. In this paper a mathematical model is presented to study the two-phase flow dynamics, multi-component transport and electrochemical kinetics in the air cathode, the most important component of the hydrogen PEM fuel cell. A major feature of the present model is that it unifies single- and two-phase analyses for low and high current densities, respectively, and it is capable of predicting the threshold current density corresponding to the onset of liquid water formation in the air cathode. A numerical study based on the finite volume method is then undertaken to calculate the detailed distributions of local current density, oxygen concentration, water vapor concentration and liquid water saturation as well as their effects on the cell polarization curve. The simulated polarization curve and predicted threshold current density corresponding to the onset of liquid water formation for a single-channel, 5cm2 fuel cell compare favorably with experimental results. Quantitative comparisons with experiments presently being conducted at our laboratory will be reported in a forthcoming paper.

Study of the pressure drop in dust scrubber affected by liquid flowability

2019 ◽  
Vol 233 (5) ◽  
pp. 1066-1073 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaochuan Li ◽  
Tao Wei ◽  
Xinhao Xu ◽  
Reyna M Knight ◽  
Jiahang Li
Keyword(s):  
Pressure Drop ◽  
Drag Coefficient ◽  
Linear Relationship ◽  
Gas Phase ◽  
Force Balance ◽  
Liquid Level ◽  
Gas Velocity ◽  
Two Phase ◽  
Total Drag ◽  
Quadratic Curve

The complexity of the gas-liquid two-phase flow results in equally complicated pressure drop characteristics for self-excited wet dust scrubbers. In this paper, the pressure drop of the dust scrubber was studied by measuring the total pressure drop R and the differential liquid level Δ H versus the gas velocity v at different initial liquid level b0 values, combined with the liquid flowability. The results showed that the dust scrubber varied its total drag coefficient by changing the differential liquid level Δ H of the liquid-phase and then adjusting the gas-liquid two-phase force balance ahead of and behind the choke. Under the influence of liquid flowability, the throttling strength α exhibited a linear relationship with the gas velocity of the dust scrubber when b0 ≤ 0 mm. The Δ H-v and R- v characteristics of the dust scrubber varied with different values of b0 and v. When b0 > 0, the Δ H-v curve and R- v curve exhibited an explicit quadratic curve relationship. When b0 ≤ 0 mm, the Δ H-v curve and R- v curve exhibited an explicit linear relationship, where the Δ H-v curves can be expressed by a linear equation Δ H = khv+Δ H0, and the gas-phase pressure drop R can be approximately calculated using the differential liquid level Δ H. The liquid flowability can change the choke-sectional to change the total drag coefficient, which reduced in multiple folds with an increase in the gas velocity.

Analysis of Pressure Drop and Water Flooding of Two-Phase Flow Along Channels for a PEM Fuel Cell System

2009 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jinglin He ◽  
Song-Yul Choe ◽  
Chang-Ouk Hong
Keyword(s):  
Fuel Cell ◽  
Pressure Drop ◽  
Relative Humidity ◽  
Liquid Water ◽  
Water Distribution ◽  
Gas Flow ◽  
Pem Fuel Cell ◽  
Cell System ◽  
Water Flooding ◽  
Two Phase

The flow in gas flow channels of an operating polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) fuel cell has a two-phase characteristic that includes air, water vapor and liquid water and significantly affects the water flooding, pressure distribution along the channels, and subsequently the performance of the cell and system. Presence of liquid water in channels prevents transport of the reactants to the catalysts and increases the pressure difference between the inlet and outlet of channels, which leads to high parasitic power of pumps used in air and fuel supply systems. We propose a model that enables prediction of pressure drop and liquid water distribution along channels and analysis of water flooding in an operating fuel cell. The model was developed based on a gas-liquid two-phase separated flow that considers the variations of gas pressure, mass flow rate, relative humidity, viscosity, void fraction, and density along the channels on both sides. Effects of operating parameters that include stoichoimetric ratio, relative humidity, and inlet pressure on the pressure drop and water flooding along the channels were analyzed.

Modeling Two-Phase Flow Inside an Electrical Submersible Pump Stage

2011 ◽  
Vol 133 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lissett Barrios ◽  
Mauricio Gargaglione Prado
Keyword(s):  
Drag Coefficient ◽  
Bubble Size ◽  
Flow Behavior ◽  
Mechanistic Model ◽  
Force Balance ◽  
Submersible Pump ◽  
Bubble Behavior ◽  
Two Phase ◽  
Operational Conditions ◽  
Electrical Submersible Pump

Dynamic multiphase flow behavior inside a mixed flow electrical submersible pump (ESP) has been studied experimentally and theoretically for the first time. The overall objectives of this study are to determine the flow patterns and bubble behavior inside the ESP and to predict the operational conditions that cause surging. The theoretical study includes a mechanistic model for the prediction of the flow behavior inside the pump. The model comprises a one-dimensional force balance to predict occurrence of the stagnant bubbles at the channel intake. This model depends on two important variables, namely the stagnant bubble size and the bubble drag coefficient. The bubble size has been measured and a physically based correlation is presented. A new correlation for the drag coefficient is proposed as a function of rotational speed and Reynolds number. The model enables the prediction of the operational envelope of the ESP, namely the transition to surging.

Two-Phase Flow Considerations in PEMFC Design and Operation

2008 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jon P. Owejan ◽  
Jeffrey J. Gagliardo ◽  
Jacqueline M. Sergi ◽  
Thomas A. Trabold
Keyword(s):  
Liquid Water ◽  
Proton Exchange Membrane ◽  
Two Phase Flow ◽  
Bipolar Plate ◽  
Gas Diffusion ◽  
Proton Exchange ◽  
Phase Flow ◽  
Two Phase ◽  
Flowing Hydrogen ◽  
Flow Effects

A proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) must maintain a balance between the hydration level required for efficient proton transfer and excess liquid water that can impede the flow of gases to the electrodes where the reactions take place. Therefore, it is critically important to understand the two-phase flow of liquid water combined with either the co-flowing hydrogen (anode) or air (cathode) streams. In this paper, we describe the design of an in-situ test apparatus that enables investigation of two-phase channel flow within PEMFCs, including the flow of water from the porous gas diffusion layer (GDL) into the channel gas flows; the flow of water within the bipolar plate channels themselves; and the dynamics of flow through multiple channels connected to common manifolds which maintain a uniform pressure differential across all possible flow paths. These two-phase flow effects have been studied at relatively low operating temperatures under steady-state conditions and during transient air purging sequences.

Nonlinear Analysis of Two-Phase Instabilities in PEMFC Parallel-Channel Cathodes

2010 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicholas Siefert ◽  
Chi-Hsin Ho ◽  
Shawn Litster
Keyword(s):  
Fuel Cells ◽  
Fuel Cell ◽  
Liquid Water ◽  
Proton Exchange Membrane ◽  
Critical Issue ◽  
Pem Fuel Cells ◽  
Proton Exchange ◽  
Stoichiometric Ratio ◽  
Two Phase ◽  
Voltage Loss

Liquid water management is a critical issue in the development of proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cells. Liquid water produced electrochemically can accumulate and flood the microchannels in the cathodes of PEM fuel cells. Since the liquid coverage of the cathode can fluctuate in time for two-phase flow, the rate of oxygen transport to the cathode catalyst layer can also fluctuate in time, and this can cause the fuel cell power output to fluctuate. This paper will report experimental data on the voltage loss and the voltage fluctuations of a PEM fuel cell due to flooding as a function of the number of parallel microchannels and the air flow rate stoichiometric ratio. The data was analyzed to identify general scaling relationships between voltage loss and fluctuations and the number of channels in parallel and the air stoichiometric ratio. The voltage loss was found to scale proportionally to the square root of the number of channels divided by the air stoichiometric ratio. The amplitude of the fluctuations was found to be linearly proportional to the number of microchannels and inversely proportional to the air stoichiometric ratio squared. The data was further analyzed by plotting power spectrums and by evaluating the non-linear statistics of the voltage time-series.

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