Analysis of single- and two-phase flow characteristics of 3-D fine mesh flow field of proton exchange membrane fuel cells

Bao, Zhiming; Niu, Zhiqiang; Jiao, Kui

doi:10.1016/j.jpowsour.2019.226995

Cited by 82 publications

(31 citation statements)

References 33 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…3 which is better than that of stack 1 and stack 2, demonstrating that Toyota's 3D mesh flow field enables the uniform oxygen concentration field due to the superior water management ability which has been demonstrated in previous works. 47,48 It can also be seen that the current density distribution of stack 3 is different from that of stack 1 and stack 2, which is due to that the flow field structure and gas flow direction of stack 3 is quite different from others. Moreover, the current density of stack 3 is larger relative to that of stack 1 and stack 2, which can be attributed to the enhanced oxygen transport rate from flow field to catalyst layer owing to the 3D flow filed structure.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of flow field on thermal management in proton exchange membrane fuel cell stacks: A numerical study

et al. 2021

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Flow field is a critical component of proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC), since it directly influences the transfer of reactants, products and heat that in turn influences cell performance. To improve PEMFC performance, various flow field designs are proposed and some of them have been utilized in commercial fuel cell stacks. Although previous studies have investigated the effects of flow fields on reactant/product transport and distribution, few studies evaluate their effects on thermal management especially in fuel cell stacks which is of great significance in practical use. Therefore, in this study, 5-cell stacks with commercialized flow field designs, including Ballardlike straight flow field, Honda-like waved flow field and Toyota-like 3D mesh flow field, were simulated by CFD to investigate their thermal-management performance evaluated by stack average temperature, temperature uniformity and maximum temperature difference. It is demonstrated that Toyota's 3D mesh flow field is able to enhance oxygen supply and liquid water removal obviously, but surprisingly, it results in the worst temperature uniformity and the highest maximum temperature difference which pose a challenge on the stack reliability.

show abstract

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of flow field on thermal management in proton exchange membrane fuel cell stacks: A numerical study

et al. 2021

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…It is worth to mention that there are ongoing efforts to find ways to improve BPs, and one route of action pursues mass transport efficiency increase via flow‐field design. New designs such as Toyota's 3D mesh flow‐field and metal foam flow‐field should increase mass transport significantly . Though materials for such novel designs are yet to be determined, it would be reasonable to assume that the principle in material selection will be the same and treated stainless steels will be at the head of the line.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Challenges and Perspectives of Metal‐Based Proton Exchange Membrane's Bipolar Plates: Exploring Durability and Longevity

Stein

Ein‐Eli

2020

Energy Tech

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) generate electricity utilizing the energy of electrochemical reactions of fuel (H2) and oxidants (O2/air). As they emit no toxic gases during the process, they are considered as a clean energy source that can be beneficial and might replace the use of fossil fuels. To compose a FC stack, an essential component, bipolar plates (BPs), is needed. They have several roles to fulfill during PEMFC stack operation, and there are many challenges when it comes to BPs metal‐based materials and their sustainability, durability, and longevity. Finding suitable metal and alloy materials is a significant task as BP materials should have multiple qualities that sometimes come at the expense of one another. As BPs constitute a significant part of PEMFC stack by means of volume, weight, and costs, the pursuit of the most suitable and least expensive metal‐based materials is comprehensible. In this Review, different metal and alloy types (copper, nickel, titanium, and aluminum alloys) and their own particular challenges are discussed, emphasizing the most important family of materials candidates—stainless steels.

show abstract

“…On the contrary, the effects of GDL and flow channels on water transport have been broadly studied, and the research is still active. For example, studies explored novel flow channel designs to improve fuel cell performance [3,37].…”

Section: Two-phase Flow In CLmentioning

confidence: 99%

Two-Phase Flow in Porous Electrodes of Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell

Jiao

2020

Trans. Tianjin Univ.

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Water management in porous electrodes bears significance due to its strong potential in determining the performance of proton exchange membrane fuel cell. In terms of porous electrodes, internal water distribution and removal process have extensively attracted attention in both experimental and numerical studies. However, the structural difference among the catalyst layer (CL), microporous layer (MPL), and gas diffusion layer (GDL) leads to significant challenges in studying the two-phase flow behavior. Given the different porosities and pore scales of the CL, MPL, and GDL, the model scales in simulating each component are inconsistent. This review emphasizes the numerical simulation related to porous electrodes in the water transport process and evaluates the effectiveness and weakness of the conventional methods used during the investigation. The limitations of existing models include the following: (i) The reconstruction of geometric models is difficult to achieve when using the real characteristics of the components; (ii) the computational domain size is limited due to massive computational loads in three-dimensional (3D) simulations; (iii) numerical associations among 3D models are lacking because of the separate studies for each component; (iv) the effects of vapor condensation and heat transfer on the two-phase flow are disregarded; (v) compressive deformation during assembly and vibration in road conditions should be considered in two-phase flow studies given the real operating conditions. Therefore, this review is aimed at critical research gaps which need further investigation. Insightful potential research directions are also suggested for future improvements.

show abstract

Analysis of single- and two-phase flow characteristics of 3-D fine mesh flow field of proton exchange membrane fuel cells

Cited by 82 publications

References 33 publications

Effects of flow field on thermal management in proton exchange membrane fuel cell stacks: A numerical study

Effects of flow field on thermal management in proton exchange membrane fuel cell stacks: A numerical study

Challenges and Perspectives of Metal‐Based Proton Exchange Membrane's Bipolar Plates: Exploring Durability and Longevity

Two-Phase Flow in Porous Electrodes of Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About