Flooding Visualization and Enhanced Water Management in PEM Fuel Cell

2009 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hyung Hee Cho ◽  
Sanghoon Lee ◽  
Dong-Ho Rhee
Keyword(s):  
Water Management ◽  
Fuel Cell ◽  
Proton Exchange Membrane ◽  
Performance Enhancement ◽  
Pem Fuel Cell ◽  
Proton Exchange ◽  
Key Factors ◽  
Flow Channels ◽  
Concentration Loss ◽  
Exchange Membrane

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.

Progress on Reflective Terahertz Imaging for Identification of Water in Flow Channels of PEM Fuel Cells

2011 ◽  
Vol 110-116 ◽  
pp. 2301-2307
Author(s):  
P. Buaphad ◽  
P. Thamboon ◽  
C. Tengsirivattana ◽  
J. Saisut ◽  
K. Kusoljariyakul ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Fuel Cell ◽  
Water Distribution ◽  
Proton Exchange Membrane ◽  
Pem Fuel Cell ◽  
Pem Fuel Cells ◽  
Proton Exchange ◽  
Thz Radiation ◽  
Promising Tool ◽  
Flow Channels ◽  
Exchange Membrane

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.

Numerical Simulation of Droplet Emergence and Growth From Gas Diffusion Layers (GDLs) in Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) Fuel Cell Flow Channels

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jingru Benner ◽  
Mehdi Mortazavi ◽  
Anthony D. Santamaria
Keyword(s):  
Fuel Cell ◽  
Proton Exchange Membrane ◽  
Pem Fuel Cell ◽  
Gas Diffusion ◽  
Proton Exchange ◽  
Gas Diffusion Layers ◽  
Diffusion Layers ◽  
Flow Channels ◽  
Exchange Membrane ◽  
Over Time

Liquid water management is critical for Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) fuel cell operation, as excessive humidity can lead to flooding and cell performance degradation. Water is produced in the cathode catalyst layer during the electrochemical reaction. If reactant gas streams become saturated, liquid water forms and must travel through anode and cathode Gas Diffusion Layers (GDLs) to reach flow channels for removal. Understanding the dynamic behavior of the droplet is critical to improve water removal strategies for PEM fuel cells. In this study a 3D, transient, two-phase model based on the Volume of Fluid (VOF) method was developed to study a single droplet in the gas channel. The formation, growth, and breakup of the droplet is tracked numerically and analyzed. The pressure drop across the droplet is monitored over time and compared with theoretical analysis. The droplet size and shape change over time for two different pore sizes are compared. The impact of various gases including air, helium, and hydrogen on droplet dynamics is presented. The viscous force and pressure force on the droplet and the drag coefficient are calculated.

Particle Image Velocimetry Measurements in a Model Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell

2006 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
pp. 328-335 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. P. Feser ◽  
A. K. Prasad ◽  
S. G. Advani
Keyword(s):  
Particle Image Velocimetry ◽  
Fuel Cell ◽  
Proton Exchange Membrane ◽  
Particle Image ◽  
Pem Fuel Cell ◽  
Flow Fields ◽  
Proton Exchange ◽  
Flow Channels ◽  
Image Velocimetry ◽  
Exchange Membrane

Particle image velocimetry was used to measure 2D velocity fields in representative regions of interest within flow channels of interdigitated and single-serpentine proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cell models. The model dimensions, gas diffusion layer (GDL) permeability, working fluid, and flow rates were selected to be geometrically and dynamically similar to the cathode-side airflow in a typical PEM fuel cell. The model was easily reconfigurable between parallel, single-serpentine, and interdigitated flow fields, and was constructed from transparent materials to enable optical imaging. Velocity maps were obtained of both the primary and secondary flow within the channels. Measurements of the secondary flows in interdigitated and single-serpentine flow fields indicate that significant portions of the flow travel between adjacent channels through the porous medium. Such convective bypass can enhance fuel cell performance by supplying fresh reactant to the lands regions and also by driving out product water from under the lands to the flow channels.

scholarly journals An Artificial Intelligence Solution for Predicting Short-Term Degradation Behaviors of Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (14) ◽  
pp. 6348
Author(s):  
Zijun Yang ◽  
Bowen Wang ◽  
Xia Sheng ◽  
Yupeng Wang ◽  
Qiang Ren ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Fuel Cell ◽  
Proton Exchange Membrane ◽  
Pem Fuel Cell ◽  
Activation Function ◽  
Proton Exchange ◽  
Cell Performance ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Degradation Behaviors ◽  
Hidden Layer ◽  
Exchange Membrane

The dead-ended anode (DEA) and anode recirculation operations are commonly used to improve the hydrogen utilization of automotive proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cells. The cell performance will decline over time due to the nitrogen crossover and liquid water accumulation in the anode. Highly efficient prediction of the short-term degradation behaviors of the PEM fuel cell has great significance. In this paper, we propose a data-driven degradation prediction method based on multivariate polynomial regression (MPR) and artificial neural network (ANN). This method first predicts the initial value of cell performance, and then the cell performance variations over time are predicted to describe the degradation behaviors of the PEM fuel cell. Two cases of degradation data, the PEM fuel cell in the DEA and anode recirculation modes, are employed to train the model and demonstrate the validation of the proposed method. The results show that the mean relative errors predicted by the proposed method are much smaller than those by only using the ANN or MPR. The predictive performance of the two-hidden-layer ANN is significantly better than that of the one-hidden-layer ANN. The performance curves predicted by using the sigmoid activation function are smoother and more realistic than that by using rectified linear unit (ReLU) activation function.

The Effect of Inlet Parameters on Fluid Flow and Cell Performance at Cathode of a Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell

2010 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Utku Gulan ◽  
Hasmet Turkoglu ◽  
Irfan Ar
Keyword(s):  
Reynolds Number ◽  
Fuel Cell ◽  
Power Density ◽  
Current Density ◽  
Proton Exchange Membrane ◽  
Catalyst Layer ◽  
Pem Fuel Cell ◽  
Proton Exchange ◽  
Exchange Membrane ◽  
Oxygen Mole Fraction

In this study, the fluid flow and cell performance in cathode side of a proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cell were numerically analyzed. The problem domain consists of cathode gas channel, cathode gas diffusion layer, and cathode catalyst layer. The equations governing the motion of air, concentration of oxygen, and electrochemical reactions were numerically solved. A computer program was developed based on control volume method and SIMPLE algorithm. The mathematical model and program developed were tested by comparing the results of numerical simulations with the results from literature. Simulations were performed for different values of inlet Reynolds number and inlet oxygen mole fraction at different operation temperatures. Using the results of these simulations, the effects of these parameters on the flow, oxygen concentration distribution, current density and power density were analyzed. The simulations showed that the oxygen concentration in the catalyst layer increases with increasing Reynolds number and hence the current density and power density of the PEM fuel cell also increases. Analysis of the data obtained from simulations also shows that current density and power density of the PEM fuel cell increases with increasing operation temperature. It is also observed that increasing the inlet oxygen mole fraction increases the current density and power density.

Theoretical Analysis on the Autothermal Reforming Process of Ethanol as Fuel for a Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell System

2006 ◽  
Vol 4 (4) ◽  
pp. 468-473 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alessandra Perna
Keyword(s):  
Fuel Cell ◽  
Proton Exchange Membrane ◽  
Pem Fuel Cell ◽  
Cell System ◽  
Autothermal Reforming ◽  
Proton Exchange ◽  
Operating Conditions ◽  
Hydrogen Yield ◽  
Fuel Cell System ◽  
Exchange Membrane

The purpose of this work is to investigate, by a thermodynamic analysis, the effects of the process variables on the performance of an autothermal reforming (ATR)-based fuel processor, operating on ethanol as fuel, integrated into an overall proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cell system. This analysis has been carried out finding the better operating conditions to maximize hydrogen yield and to minimize CO carbon monoxide production. In order to evaluate the overall efficiency of the system, PEM fuel cell operations have been analyzed by an available parametric model.

Pore Structure Modeling of Flow in Gas Diffusion Layers of Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells

2010 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhongying Shi ◽  
Xia Wang
Keyword(s):  
Fuel Cell ◽  
Pore Structure ◽  
Proton Exchange Membrane ◽  
Cell Model ◽  
Transport Phenomena ◽  
Pem Fuel Cell ◽  
Gas Diffusion ◽  
Proton Exchange ◽  
Structure Model ◽  
Exchange Membrane

The gas diffusion layer (GDL) in a proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cell has a porous structure with anisotropic and non-homogenous properties. The objective of this research is to develop a PEM fuel cell model where transport phenomena in the GDL are simulated based on GDL’s pore structure. The GDL pore structure was obtained by using a scanning electron microscope (SEM). GDL’s cross-section view instead of surface view was scanned under the SEM. The SEM image was then processed using an image processing tool to obtain a two dimensional computational domain. This pore structure model was then coupled with an electrochemical model to predict the overall fuel cell performance. The transport phenomena in the GDL were simulated by solving the Navier-Stokes equation directly in the GDL pore structure. By comparing with the testing data, the fuel cell model predicted a reasonable fuel cell polarization curve. The pore structure model was further used to calculate the GDL permeability. The numerically predicted permeability was close to the value published in the literature. A future application of the current pore structure model is to predict GDL thermal and electric related properties.

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