Dynamic behaviour of liquid water emerging from a GDL pore into a PEMFC gas flow channel

Zhu, Xun; Sui, Pang‐Chieh; Djilali, Ned

doi:10.1016/j.jpowsour.2007.07.024

Cited by 139 publications

(65 citation statements)

References 37 publications

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“…The lattice Boltzmann method (LBM) was applied and it was established that LBM can be a powerful tool to estimate two-phase flow in the gas flow channels [7,8]. Two-dimensional simulation employing the volume of fluid (VOF) method were performed to investigate the dynamic behavior of a water droplet subjected to air flow in the bulk of the gas channel [9]. Recently, some simulations of condensed water distributions in a GDL have been developed using pore-scale modes, e.g.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Numerical simulation of liquid water and gas flow in a channel and a simplified gas diffusion layer model of polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells using the lattice Boltzmann method

Tabe

Lee

Chikahisa

et al. 2009

Journal of Power Sources

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Numerical simulations using the lattice Boltzmann method (LBM) are developed to elucidate the dynamic behavior of condensed water and gas flow in a polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) fuel cell. Here, the calculation process of the LBM simulation is improved to extend the simulation to a porous medium like a gas diffusion layer (GDL), and a stable and reliable simulation of two-phase flow with large density differences in the porous medium is established. It is shown that dynamic capillary fingering can be simulated at low migration speeds of liquid water in a modified GDL, and the LBM simulation reported here, which considers the actual physical properties of the system, has significant advantages in evaluating phenomena affected by the interaction between liquid water and air flows. Two-phase flows with the interaction of the phases in the two-dimensional simulations are demonstrated. The simulation of water behavior in a gas flow channel with air flow and a simplified GDL shows that the wettability of the channel has a strong effect on the two-phase flow. The simulation of the porous separator also indicates the possibility of controlling two-phase distribution for better oxygen supply to the catalyst layer by gradient wettability design of the porous separator.Keywords: PEM fuel cell, Lattice Boltzmann method, Two-phase flow, Large density difference, Gas diffusion layer, Wettability

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Numerical simulation of liquid water and gas flow in a channel and a simplified gas diffusion layer model of polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells using the lattice Boltzmann method

Tabe

Lee

Chikahisa

et al. 2009

Journal of Power Sources

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…[23], Hakenjos et al [24] and Gao et al [25] describe preferential location emergence of droplets from the GDL relating it to temperature distribution or capillary action within the GDL. Zhu et al [26] modelled liquid water entering a PEM fuel cell channel through a GDL pore. A 2-D VOF model was employed to view the effects of flow channel size, droplet coalescence and pore size on the emerging water droplet dynamics.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Water droplet accumulation and motion in PEM (Proton Exchange Membrane) fuel cell mini-channels

Carton

Lawlor

Olabi

et al. 2012

Energy

235

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Effective water management is one of the key strategies for improving low temperature Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) fuel cell performance and durability. Phenomena such as membrane dehydration, catalyst layer flooding, mass transport and fluid flow regimes can be affected by the interaction, distribution and movement of water in flow plate channels.In this paper a literature review is completed in relation to PEM fuel cell water flooding. It is clear that droplet formation, movement and interaction with the Gas Diffusion Layer (GDL) have been studied extensively. However slug formation and droplet accumulation in the flow channels has not been analysed in detail. In this study, a Computational Fluid Dynamic (CFD) model and Volume of Fluid (VOF) method is used to simulate water droplet movement and slug formation in PEM fuel cell mini-channels. In addition, water slug visualisation is recorded in ex situ PEM fuel cell mini-channels.Observation and simulation results are discussed with relation to slug formation and the implications to PEM fuel cell performance.

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“…Reference [5]. The liquid water droplet is placed either at a corner or at the center of the cell ( The corresponding mid-section of the absolute velocity profile is plotted in Fig.…”

Section: Basic Characteristics Of Droplets With the Lbmmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Hao et al [4] used the multiphase free-energy lattice Boltzmann method to study the effect of gas flow velocity and GDL wettability on water droplet dynamic behavior. Two-dimensional simulation employing the volume of fluid (VOF) method were performed to investigate the dynamic behavior of a water droplet subjected to air flow in the bulk of the gas channel [5] and to study the detachment of liquid droplets from the surfaces of porous materials used in (PEM) fuel cells, under the influence of cross-flowing air [6]. The effects of gas flow velocity and surface wettability on the two-phase flow patterns in flow channels were investigated most recently by Ding et al [7] using the volume of fluid (VOF) method.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Two phase flow simulation in a channel of a polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell using the lattice Boltzmann method

Yasser

Tabe

Chikahisa

2012

Journal of Power Sources

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Water management in polymer electrolyte (PEM) fuel cells is important for fuel cell performance and durability. Numerical simulations using the lattice Boltzmann method (LBM) are developed to elucidate the dynamic behavior of condensed water and gas flows in a polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) fuel cell gas channel. A scheme for two-phase flow with large density differences was applied to establish the optimum gas channel design for different gas channel heights, droplet positions and gas channel walls wettability. The present simulation using the LBM, which considers the actual physical properties of the system, shows the effect of the cross-sectional shape, the droplet initial position, droplet volume and the air flow velocity for both hydrophobic and hydrophilic gas channels. The discussion of optimum channel height and drain performance was made using two factors "pumping efficiency" and "drainage speed". It is shown that deeper channels give better draining --2 efficiency than shallower channels, and the efficiency remains largely unchanged when the droplet touches corners or the top of walls in the gas channel. As the droplet velocity, i.e. the drainage flow rate, becomes higher and the drainage efficiency becomes less dependent on droplet locations with shallower channels, shallower channels are better than deeper channels as the pumping efficiency is not greatly affected. Introducing a new dimensionless parameter, "pumping efficiency", the investigation discusses the effect of the various parameters on the drainage performance of a PEM fuel cell gas channel.

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Dynamic behaviour of liquid water emerging from a GDL pore into a PEMFC gas flow channel

Cited by 139 publications

References 37 publications

Numerical simulation of liquid water and gas flow in a channel and a simplified gas diffusion layer model of polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells using the lattice Boltzmann method

Numerical simulation of liquid water and gas flow in a channel and a simplified gas diffusion layer model of polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells using the lattice Boltzmann method

Water droplet accumulation and motion in PEM (Proton Exchange Membrane) fuel cell mini-channels

Two phase flow simulation in a channel of a polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell using the lattice Boltzmann method

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