The Effect of Catalyst Coated Diffusion Media on PEM Fuel Cell Performance

2009 ◽  
Author(s):  
Derek W. Fultz ◽  
Po-Ya Abel Chuang
Keyword(s):  
Fuel Cell ◽  
Proton Exchange Membrane ◽  
Thermal Contact ◽  
Electrical Contact ◽  
Gas Diffusion ◽  
Proton Exchange ◽  
Hot Press ◽  
Fuel Cell Performance ◽  
Diffusion Media ◽  
A Cell

Two fuel cell architectures, differing only by the surfaces onto which the electrodes were applied, have been analyzed to determine the root causes of dissimilarities in performance. The basic proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) is comprised of the proton transporting membrane, platinum-containing anode and cathode electrodes, porous carbon fiber gas diffusion media (GDM), and flow fields which deliver the reactant hydrogen and air flows. As no optimal cell design currently exists, there is a degree of latitude regarding component assembly and structure. Catalyst coated diffusion media (CCDM) refers to a cell architecture option where the electrode layers are coated on the GDM layers and then hot-pressed to the membrane. Catalyst coated membrane (CCM) refers to an architecture where the electrodes are transferred directly onto the membrane. A cell with CCDM architecture has tightly bonded interfaces throughout the assembly which can result in lower thermal and electrical contact resistances. Considering the fuel cell as a 1-D thermal system, the through-plane thermal resistance was observed to decrease by 5–10% when comparing CCDM to CCM architectures. This suggests the thermal contact resistance at the electrode interfaces was significantly reduced in the hot-press process. In addition, the electrical contact resistances between the electrode and GDM were observed to be significantly reduced with a CCDM architecture. This study shows that these effects, which have a potential to increase performance, can be attributed to the hot-press lamination process and use of CCDM architecture.

The Property and Performance Differences Between Catalyst Coated Membrane and Catalyst Coated Diffusion Media

2011 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Derek W. Fultz ◽  
Po-Ya Abel Chuang
Keyword(s):  
Fuel Cell ◽  
Proton Exchange Membrane ◽  
Thermal Contact ◽  
Electrical Contact ◽  
Gas Diffusion ◽  
Proton Exchange ◽  
Hot Press ◽  
Diffusion Media ◽  
A Cell ◽  
Coated Membrane

Two fuel cell architectures, differing only by the surfaces onto which the electrodes were applied, have been analyzed to determine the root causes of dissimilarities in performance. The basic proton exchange membrane fuel cell is comprised of the proton transporting membrane, platinum-containing anode and cathode electrodes, porous carbon fiber gas diffusion media (GDM), and flow fields that deliver the reactant hydrogen and air flows. As no optimal cell design currently exists, there is a degree of latitude regarding component assembly and structure. Catalyst coated diffusion media (CCDM) refers to a cell architecture option where the electrode layers are coated on the GDM layers and then hot pressed to the membrane. Catalyst coated membrane (CCM) refers to an architecture where the electrodes are transferred directly onto the membrane. A cell with CCDM architecture has tightly bonded interfaces throughout the assembly, which can result in lower thermal and electrical contact resistances. Considering the fuel cell as a 1D thermal system, the through-plane thermal resistance was observed to decrease by 5–10% when comparing CCDM to CCM architectures. This suggests that the thermal contact resistance at the electrode interfaces was significantly reduced in the hot-press process. In addition, the electrical contact resistances between the electrode and GDM were observed to be significantly reduced with a CCDM architecture. This study shows that these effects, which have a potential to increase performance, can be attributed to the hot-press lamination process and use of CCDM architecture.

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.

scholarly journals Numerical Investigation Of Thermodiffusion Effects On PEM Fuel Cell Performance

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rihab. Jaralla
Keyword(s):  
Fuel Cell ◽  
Proton Exchange Membrane ◽  
Finite Thickness ◽  
Pem Fuel Cell ◽  
Gas Diffusion ◽  
Proton Exchange ◽  
Operating Pressure ◽  
Fuel Cell Performance ◽  
Catalyst Layers ◽  
Diffusion Layers

A novel mathematical model for an entire proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) is developed with its focus placed on the modeling and assessment of thermodiffusion effects that have been neglected in previous studies. Instead of treating catalyst layers as interfaces of nil thickness, the model presented here features a finite thickness employed for catalyst layers, allowing for a more realistic description of electrochemical reaction kinetics arising in the operational PEMFC. To account for the membrane swelling effect, the membrane water balance is modeled by coupling the diffusion of water, the pressure variation, and the electro-osmotic drag. The complete model consisting of the equations of continuity, momentum, energy, species concentrations, and electric potentials in different regions of a PEMFC are numerically solved using the finite element method implemented into a commercial CFD (Comsol 3.4) code. Various flow and transport phenomena in an operational PEMFC are simulated using the newly developed model. The resulting numerical simulations demonstrate that the thermodiffusion has a noticeable impact on the mass transfer for the oxygen. It is also revealed through a systematic parametric study that, as the porosity of gas diffusion layers and catalyst layers increase, the current density of an operational PEMFC may increase. Also, it is found that a PEM fuel cell can perform better with reasonable high operating pressure and temperature, as well as a supply of fully humidified gaseous reactants.

Stress Analysis of Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell

2011 ◽  
Vol 52-54 ◽  
pp. 875-880
Author(s):  
Kurniawan Miftah ◽  
Wan Ramli Wan Daud ◽  
Edy Herianto Majlan
Keyword(s):  
Fuel Cell ◽  
Proton Exchange Membrane ◽  
Electrical Contact ◽  
Bipolar Plate ◽  
Gas Diffusion ◽  
Proton Exchange ◽  
Electrical Contact Resistance ◽  
Compression Pressure ◽  
Element Analysis ◽  
Exchange Membrane

The assembly of proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) is the important factor for the performance. The achievement of proper design will improve the pressure distribution and the electrical contact resistance between fuel cell parts. The assembly pressure affects the contact behavior between of bipolar plate and gas diffusion layer (GDL). In this study, finite element analysis (FEA) was used to analyze the behavior of single cell fuel cell under the variation of assembly pressure. It shows 3D of deformation, and the compression pressure every part of the fuel cell components. The simulation varied the torque assembly from 1 Nm to 3 Nm with increment 0.5 Nm. The simulation using FEA shows that high assembly pressure also affects to the high deformation and stress in the components of fuel cell. This phenomenon affects to the performance of PEM fuel cell.

Enhancement of proton exchange membrane fuel cell performance by titanium-coated anode gas diffusion layer

2014 ◽  
Vol 39 (36) ◽  
pp. 21177-21184 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sheng-Yu Fang ◽  
Lay Gaik Teoh ◽  
Rong-Hsin Huang ◽  
Kan-Lin Hsueh ◽  
Ko-Ho Yang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Fuel Cell ◽  
Diffusion Layer ◽  
Proton Exchange Membrane ◽  
Gas Diffusion Layer ◽  
Gas Diffusion ◽  
Proton Exchange ◽  
Cell Performance ◽  
Fuel Cell Performance ◽  
Exchange Membrane

Gas Diffusion Media for Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells Made from Carbon Fibers with Controlled Conductivity

2012 ◽  
Vol 1384 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul Nicotera ◽  
Robert Evans ◽  
Christopher Weaver ◽  
Po-Ya Abel Chuang
Keyword(s):  
Carbon Fiber ◽  
Proton Exchange Membrane ◽  
Gas Diffusion ◽  
Proton Exchange ◽  
Production Model ◽  
Fiber Types ◽  
Potential Cost ◽  
Shear Moduli ◽  
Fuel Cell Performance ◽  
Diffusion Media

ABSTRACTSamples of carbon fiber were prepared from polyacrylonitrile (PAN)-based precursors, covering a range of electrical resistivity from 0.9 to 1,000 mΩ cm corresponding to a range of carbonization heat treatment temperatures (HTT) estimated to be between 700 and 2600°C. Experimental gas diffusion media (GDM) were made from these fibers using conventional phenolic resin/carbon fiber construction, prepared at two different carbonization temperatures (950 and 2150°C). GDM thermal and electrical properties displayed similar trends with respect to fiber and paper HTT. Unexpectedly, GDM bending and shear moduli increased with fiber resistivity, possibly due to shortening of the lower resistivity fiber types during GDM production. Results showed that high HTT of either the carbon fiber or the paper was sufficient to enable average (“wet” and “dry”) 5-cm2 fuel cell performance comparable to current state-of-the-art GDM. A proprietary GDM wet-laid production model predicts a potential cost reduction of about 2% at 20 million m2 annual production by reducing the paper HTT.

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