scholarly journals Non-Dimensional Analysis of Diffusion Characteristics in Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cells with Mismatched Anodic and Cathodic Flow Channels

Energies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (24) ◽  
pp. 8596
Author(s):  
Hyeok Kim ◽  
Geonhwi Kim ◽  
Jaeyeon Kim ◽  
Dasol Kim ◽  
Obeen Kwon ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Fuel Cells ◽  
Flow Field ◽  
Polymer Electrolyte ◽  
Polymer Electrolyte Membrane ◽  
Operating Conditions ◽  
Operating Pressure ◽  
Electrolyte Membrane ◽  
Flow Channels ◽  
Diffusion Characteristics ◽  
Power Densities

Polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells were analyzed to investigate changes in the structure of the flow field and operating conditions. The cell performance, which was controlled by adjusting the width of the cathodic channel, improved as the backpressure increases. With the anodic and cathodic flow channels mismatched, the maximum power densities at 3.0 bar for a narrow cathodic channel were 1115 and 1024 mW/cm2, and those for a wide cathodic channel were 959 and 868 mW/cm2, respectively. The diffusion characteristics were investigated using the non-dimensional numbers Re (Reynolds), Sc (Schmidt), and Sh (Sherwood) to confirm the improvement of mass transport. The narrower the channel or the higher the operating pressure, the larger Re was and the smaller Sc and Sh became. In particular, the wider the anodic channel, the larger the value of Sh.

Electro-thermal mapping of polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells with a fractal flow-field

2021 ◽  
Vol 250 ◽  
pp. 114924
Author(s):  
V.S. Bethapudi ◽  
J. Hack ◽  
G. Hinds ◽  
P.R. Shearing ◽  
D.J.L. Brett ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Fuel Cells ◽  
Flow Field ◽  
Polymer Electrolyte ◽  
Polymer Electrolyte Membrane ◽  
Electrolyte Membrane ◽  
Thermal Mapping

Polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell flow field designs and approaches for performance enhancement

2019 ◽  
Vol 234 (8) ◽  
pp. 1189-1214 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erman Çelik ◽  
İrfan Karagöz
Keyword(s):  
Fuel Cells ◽  
Fuel Cell ◽  
Flow Field ◽  
Polymer Electrolyte ◽  
Polymer Electrolyte Membrane ◽  
High Energy ◽  
Cell Performance ◽  
High Energy Density ◽  
Field Development ◽  
Electrolyte Membrane

Polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells are carbon-free electrochemical energy conversion devices that are appropriate for use as a power source on vehicles and mobile devices emerging with their high energy density, lightweight structure, quick startup and lower operating temperature capabilities. However, they need more developments in the aspects of reactant distribution, less pressure drops, precisely balanced water content and heat management to achieve more reliable and higher overall cell performance. Flow field development is one of the most important fields of study to increase cell performance since it has decisive effects on performance parameters, including bipolar plate, and thus fuel cell weight. In this study, recent developments on conventional flow field designs to eliminate their weaknesses and innovative design approaches and flow field architectures are obtained from patent databases, and both numerical and experimental scientific studies. Fundamental designs that create differences are introduced, and their effects on the performance are discussed with regard to origin, objective, innovation strategy of design besides their strength and probable open development ways. As a result, significant enhancements and design strategies on flow field designs in polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells are summarized systematically to guide prospective flow field development studies.

scholarly journals Development of Optimal Conditioning Method to Improve Economic Efficiency of Polymer Electrolyte Membrane (PEM) Fuel Cells

Energies ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (11) ◽  
pp. 2831 ◽  
Author(s):  
Min Soo Kim ◽  
Joo Hee Song ◽  
Dong Kyu Kim
Keyword(s):  
Fuel Cells ◽  
Polymer Electrolyte ◽  
Market Access ◽  
Polymer Electrolyte Membrane ◽  
Pem Fuel Cells ◽  
Operating Conditions ◽  
Constant Current ◽  
Membrane Electrode ◽  
Electrolyte Membrane ◽  
Optimal Conditioning

This study presents an economical conditioning method for polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) fuel cells through a parametric study investigating the factors affecting online conditioning methods. First, we compared the operating conditions between constant current (CC) mode and constant voltage (CV) mode conditioning to understand the effects of current and potential differences on conditioning. We found that CV mode conditioning is at least one hour faster at the same load. This is because unlike CV mode conditioning, which has a constant load over the entire range of the membrane electrode assembly (MEA), CC mode conditioning features current flow through the existing passage of the pre-activated triple phase boundary of the MEA so that the electronic load is not entirely used in the conditioning process. Second, the optimization of CV mode conditioning was conducted by controlling the conditioning temperature. Lastly, the economics of the proposed method were analyzed by comparing it with existing conditioning methods. Using this optimal conditioning method can reduce the consumption of hydrogen during conditioning by ~87.5% compared to previous methods. The findings from this study provide the means to lower the actual production cost of fuel cells, thereby ensuring market access.

scholarly journals Mass Spectrometry of Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cells

2016 ◽  
Vol 2016 ◽  
pp. 1-9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Viktor Johánek ◽  
Anna Ostroverkh ◽  
Roman Fiala ◽  
Andrii Rednyk ◽  
Vladimír Matolín
Keyword(s):  
Mass Spectrometry ◽  
Fuel Cells ◽  
Fuel Cell ◽  
Polymer Electrolyte ◽  
Polymer Electrolyte Membrane ◽  
Operating Conditions ◽  
Cell Potential ◽  
Electrolyte Membrane ◽  
Power Load ◽  
Wide Range

The chemical analysis of processes inside fuel cells under operating conditions in either direct or inverted (electrolysis) mode and their correlation with potentiostatic measurements is a crucial part of understanding fuel cell electrochemistry. We present a relatively simple yet powerful experimental setup for online monitoring of the fuel cell exhaust (of either cathode or anode side) downstream by mass spectrometry. The influence of a variety of parameters (composition of the catalyst, fuel type or its concentration, cell temperature, level of humidification, mass flow rate, power load, cell potential, etc.) on the fuel cell operation can be easily investigated separately or in a combined fashion. We demonstrate the application of this technique on a few examples of low-temperature (70°C herein) polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells (both alcohol- and hydrogen-fed) subjected to a wide range of conditions.

A numerical study on liquid water exhaust capabilities of flow channels in polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells

2010 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. S91-S96 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hyun-il Kim ◽  
Jin Hyun Nam ◽  
Donghoon Shin ◽  
Tae-Yong Chung ◽  
Young-Gyu Kim
Keyword(s):  
Fuel Cells ◽  
Polymer Electrolyte ◽  
Liquid Water ◽  
Numerical Study ◽  
Polymer Electrolyte Membrane ◽  
Electrolyte Membrane ◽  
Flow Channels
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