Effect of fuel utilization on the carbon monoxide poisoning dynamics of Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cells

Abstract

The effect of fuel utilization on the poisoning dynamics by carbon monoxide (CO) is studied for future automotive conditions of Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cells (PEMFC). Three fuel utilizations are used, 70%, 40% and 25%. CO is fed in a constant concentration mode of 1 ppm and in a constant molar flow rate mode (CO concentrations between 0.18 and 0.57 ppm). The concentrations are estimated on a dry gas basis. The CO concentration of the anode exhaust gas is analyzed using gas chromatography. CO is detected in the anode exhaust gas almost immediately after it is added to the inlet gas. Moreover, the CO concentration of the anode exhaust gas increases with the fuel utilization for both CO feed modes. It is demonstrated that the lower the fuel utilization, the higher the molar flow rate of CO at the anode outlet at early stages of the CO poisoning. These results suggest that the effect of CO in PEMFC systems with anode gas recirculation is determined by the dynamics of its accumulation in the recirculation loop. Consequently, accurate quantification of impurities limits in current fuel specification (ISO 14687-2:2012) should be determined using anode gas recirculation.

CO Adsorption Performance of CuCl/Activated Carbon by Simultaneous Reduction–Dispersion of Mixed Cu(II) Salts

“…CO is toxic to humans because it combines with hemoglobin in the blood to form carboxy-hemoglobin hindering the transportation and release of oxygen in the blood, which leads to death [7]. Moreover, even a trace amount of CO can poison the noble catalysts, such as the proton-exchange membrane fuel cells, which restrict the CO content below 0.2 ppm to protect the platinum electrocatalyst [8,9]. Thus, the separation and purification of CO from different gas mixtures have significance both industrially and environmentally.…”

Optimization of PEM Fuel Cell Operation with High‐purity Hydrogen Produced by a Membrane Reactor

“…The local catalyst coverage is depicted in Figure : more than 90% of the sites are occupied by CO ( θ CO ), while less than 3% are used for the hydrogen oxidation ( θ H ) and the rest are still free ( θ M ). This allocation of the catalyst sites highlights the strong affinity of CO to Pt‐based catalysts; the ease of the hydrogen oxidation, which occupies only a small fraction of the available sites; the high catalyst load with respect to the low current density commonly used in stationary applications, opposite to lower loads for automotive applications, with pure hydrogen and higher current density (see, for example , ).…”

Hydrogen production from reforming of biogas: Review of technological advances and an Indian perspective

“…The high power density of these fuel cells makes them ideal for applications in laptops, automotive power, computers and mobile phones. In recent years some of the major drawbacks such as life of the fuel cell and cost of the power generated are being resolved, but further cost improvements are necessary in order to compete with the mature internal combustion technologies [29]. One of the key aspects of PEMFC, which need addressing, is its intolerance to impurities in fuel and oxidant, as these affect the performance and expedite degradation.…”