A Novel Hybrid Actuator Driven Magnetically in the Bi-Cell PEM Fuel Cell Stack

Abstract

This study develops an air breathing pump driven by a piezoelectric actuator for a proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) stack. Permanent magnets are combined with a piezoelectric actuator to drive three air breathing pumps using magnetic force. This design enables the pump to provide a sufficient amount of air simultaneously to six cathode flow field plates in a stack of three "bi-cell PZTmag-PEMFCs". When both the PZTmag and the PDMSmag had a magnet with a 6-mm diameter and 1-mm thickness, a maximum amplitude of 87 µm was generated at 0.03 W of power under operating conditions of 70 Hz and 40 V. In computational fluid dynamics (CFD), when the nozzle and the diffuser of an air breathing pump have an aspect ratio of 13.13, air flow distributes uniformly inside the pump, thus allowing for uniform transmission of oxygen to the membrane electrode assembly. This aspect ratio was applied to the bi-cell PZTmag-PEMFC stack and yielded a maximum net power flux of 0.1925 W·cm −2 , 20% higher than that reported in a previous study , with 68% and 76% less volume and weight, respectively.

Review on Magnetism in Catalysis: From Theory to PEMFC Applications of 3d Metal Pt-Based Alloys

“…Another use of magnetic fields in PEMFC is to employ them to enrich the content of oxygen in the atmospheric air used as fuel [ 426 ]. Electromagnetic air pumps are devices that integrate magnetic fields within air pumps that can be exploited in portable PEMFCs [ 427 , 428 ]. Magnetic fields are also self-generated by the same PEMFC.…”

Design and Analysis of a Cardioid Flow Tube Valveless Piezoelectric Pump for Medical Applications

“…They can quickly switch between different operating states and achieve instantaneous fluid control. This characteristic is crucial in applications requiring rapid response and real-time adjustment, with broad prospects in microfluidic transport fields such as medical microinfusion [ 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 , 18 ], fuel cells [ 19 , 20 , 21 , 22 , 23 , 24 ], cooling systems [ 25 , 26 , 27 , 28 , 29 ], micromanipulation [ 30 , 31 ], and surface coating of fan blades [ 32 ]. In recent decades, researchers have extensively studied piezoelectric pumps and incorporated them into their products.…”