scholarly journals Effect of compressive force on the performance of a proton exchange membrane fuel cell

Author(s):  
T Ous ◽  
C Arcoumanis

The effect of the compressive force on the performance of a proton exchange membrane fuel cell has been examined experimentally. The performance has been evaluated on two polarization regions of the cell: ohmic and mass transport. Cell voltage and current density as a function of pressure were measured under constant load and various inlet air humidity conditions. The pressure distribution on the surface of the gas diffusion layer was measured using a pressure detection film and the results show that increasing the pressure improves the performance of the cell. The improvement of the cell voltage in the ohmic region was found to be greater than that in the mass transport region, whereas for the cell current density, the mass transport region exhibited higher change. The increase in the cell specific power in the ohmic and mass transport regions, as pressure increases from 0 to 2MNm-2, is estimated to be 9 and 18mWcm−2, respectively. However, the fuel cell performance in these two regions declined dramatically when excessive pressure (≥5 MNm−2) was applied. The mass transport region proved to be more susceptible to this sharp decline under excessive pressure than the ohmic region.

Author(s):  
A. B. Mahmud Hasan ◽  
S. M. Guo ◽  
S. V. Ekkad

The performance of a Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell (PEMFC) using different feeding configurations has been studied. Three bipolar plates, namely serpentine, straight channel and interdigitated designs, were arranged in different combinations for the PEMFC anode and cathode sides. Nine combinations in total were tested under different flow rates, working temperatures and loadings. The cell voltage versus current density and the cell power density versus current density curves were obtained. After operating the PEMFC under high current densities, the cell was split and the water flooding in the feeding channels was visually inspected. Experimental results showed that for different feeding configurations, interdigitated bipolar plate in anode side and serpentine bipolar plate in cathode side had the best performance in terms of cell voltage-current density curve, power density output rate, percentage of flooded area in the feeding channels, the pattern of flooding and the fuel utilization rate.


2021 ◽  
Vol 237 ◽  
pp. 114095
Author(s):  
Felipe Mojica ◽  
Md Azimur Rahman ◽  
Mrittunjoy Sarker ◽  
Daniel S. Hussey ◽  
David L. Jacobson ◽  
...  

Author(s):  
Utku Gulan ◽  
Hasmet Turkoglu ◽  
Irfan Ar

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.


1999 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Y. Wang ◽  
Z. H. Wang ◽  
Y. Pan

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.


Energies ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (18) ◽  
pp. 3478 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arne L. Lazar ◽  
Swantje C. Konradt ◽  
Hermann Rottengruber

This work presents an open-source, dynamic, 1D, proton exchange membrane fuel cell model suitable for real-time applications. It estimates the cell voltage based on activation, ohmic and concentration overpotentials and considers water transport through the membrane by means of osmosis, diffusion and hydraulic permeation. Simplified equations reduce the computational load to make it viable for real-time analysis, quick parameter studies and usage in complex systems like complete vehicle models. Two modes of operation for use with or without reference polarization curves allow for a flexible application even without information about cell parameters. The program code is written in MATLAB and provided under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). It is designed to be used inside of a Simulink model, which allows this fuel cell model to be used in a wide variety of 1D simulation platforms by exporting the code as C/C++.


2019 ◽  
Vol 969 ◽  
pp. 461-465
Author(s):  
Matha Prasad Adari ◽  
P. Lavanya ◽  
P. Hara Gopal ◽  
T.Praveen Sagar ◽  
S. Pavani

Proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) system is an advanced power system for the future that is sustainable, clean and environmental friendly. The flow channels present in bipolar plates of a PEMFC are responsible for the effective distribution of the reactant gases. Uneven distribution of the reactants can cause variations in current density, temperature, and water content over the area of a PEMFC, thus reducing the performance of PEMFC. By using Serpentine flow field channel, the performance is increased. Two types of serpentine flow field channels are implemented such as curved serpentine flow field channel and normal serpentine flow field channels. The result shows that curved serpentine flow field channel gives better current density and power density, thus increasing the performance of PEMFC.


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