Effects of Fuel Cell Material Properties on Water Management Using CFD Simulation and Neutron Imaging

ABSTRACTMiniature and microscale fuel processors that incorporate novel catalysts and microtechnology-based designs are discussed. The novel catalyst allows for methanol reforming at high gas hourly space velocities of 50,000 hr-1 or higher while maintaining a carbon monoxide levels at 1% or less. The microtechnology-based designs extremely compact and lightweight devices. The miniature fuel processors, with a volume less than 25 cm3, a mass less than 200 grams, and thermal efficiencies of up to 83%, nominally provide 25 to 50 watts equivalent of hydrogen, which is ample for the portable power supplies described here. With reasonable assumptions on fuel cell efficiencies, anode gas and water management, parasitic power loss, the energy density was estimated at 1700 Whr/kg. These processors have been demonstrated with a CO cleanup method and a fuel cell stack. The microscale fuel processors, with a volume of less than 0.25 cm3 and a mass of less than 1 gram, are designed to provide up to 0.3 watt equivalent of power with efficiencies over 20%.

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Effect of the cathode open ratios on the water management of a passive vapor-feed direct methanol fuel cell fed with neat methanol

Journal of Power Sources ◽

10.1016/j.jpowsour.2011.03.047 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 196 (15) ◽

pp. 6318-6324 ◽

Cited By ~ 40

Author(s):

Xianglin Li ◽

Amir Faghri

Keyword(s):

Water Management ◽

Fuel Cell ◽

Direct Methanol Fuel Cell ◽

Direct Methanol ◽

Methanol Fuel Cell

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Stronger fuel cell material developed

Membrane Technology ◽

10.1016/s0958-2118(03)05014-6 ◽

2003 ◽

Vol 2003 (5) ◽

pp. 4

Keyword(s):

Fuel Cell ◽

Cell Material

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Surface modification of a fuel cell material by ion implantation

Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section B Beam Interactions with Materials and Atoms ◽

10.1016/s0168-583x(01)01308-8 ◽

2002 ◽

Vol 190 (1-4) ◽

pp. 813-816 ◽

Cited By ~ 10

Author(s):

A.G.J. Vervoort ◽

P.J. Scanlon ◽

M. de Ridder ◽

H.H. Brongersma ◽

R.G. van Welzenis

Keyword(s):

Surface Modification ◽

Fuel Cell ◽

Ion Implantation ◽

Cell Material

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Design Approach for the Development of the Flow Field of Bipolar Plates for a PEMFC Stack Prototype

Journal of Fuel Cell Science and Technology ◽

10.1115/1.4028150 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 11 (6) ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Paolo Sala ◽

Paola Gallo Stampino ◽

Giovanni Dotelli

Keyword(s):

Fluid Dynamics ◽

Computational Fluid Dynamics ◽

Fuel Cell ◽

Cfd Simulation ◽

Bipolar Plates ◽

Flow Rates ◽

Gas Leakage ◽

Auxiliary Power ◽

Computational Fluid Dynamics Cfd ◽

Enhance Mass

This work is part of a project whose final aim is the realization of an auxiliary power fuel cell generator. It was necessary to design and develop bipolar plates that would be suitable for this application. Bipolar plates have a relevant influence on the final performances of the entire device. A gas leakage or a bad management of the water produced during the reaction could be determinant during operations and would cause the failure of the stack. The development of the bipolar plates was performed in different steps. First, the necessity to make an esteem of the dynamics that happen inside the feeding channels led to perform analytical calculations. The values found were cross-checked performing a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation; finally, it was defined the best pattern for the feeding channels, so that to enhance mass transport and achieve the best velocity profile. The bipolar plates designed were machined and assembled in a laboratory scale two cells prototype stack. Influences of the temperature and of the humidity were evaluated performing experiments at 60 deg and 70 deg and between 60% and 100% of humidity of the reactant gasses. The best operating point achieved in one of these conditions was improved by modifying the flow rates of the reactant, in order to obtain the highest output power, and it evaluated the reliability of the plates in experiments performed for longer times, at fixed voltages.

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