How the BoP configuration affects the performance in an air-cooled polymer electrolyte fuel cell. Keys to design the best configuration

Heras, A. De las; Vivas, F.J.; Segura, F.; Andújar, José Manuel

doi:10.1016/j.ijhydene.2016.11.051

Cited by 16 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 32 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…However, these BoP components are costly and consume additional power which falls under the auxiliary losses of the system. 2 The total cost includes the capital cost for installing such BoP components and the associated operational and maintenance costs. The BoP components constitute nearly 35% of the total cost of the system for transportation applications.…”

Section: CCLmentioning

confidence: 99%

Experimental Design of High-Performing Open-Cathode Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cells

Sagar,

Chugh,

Kjeang

2024

ECS Adv.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Open-cathode polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) utilize a unique air-cooled system design to eliminate the humidifiers, air compressor, and liquid cooling loop of conventional, liquid-cooled PEMFC systems, thereby greatly reducing system cost. However, the open-cathode PEMFC performance is restricted by poor humidification, high membrane and charge transfer resistances, and overheating due to inefficient thermal and water management. This work aims to strategically modify the membrane electrode assembly (MEA) design to overcome these issues and achieve high open-cathode PEMFC performance that approaches that of liquid-cooled systems. The use of thinner membrane along with short side chain ionomer is found to elevate the cell performance due to increased water retention at the cathode catalyst layer (CCL) and decreased ohmic losses. Thinner gas diffusion layers with high porosity enable additional cell performance increment by improving oxygen availability at the CCL. An overall current density rise of 88% at 0.6 V and 53% at 0.4 V is achieved by the strategically designed MEA for open-cathode cells. The enhanced power density enabled by the custom MEA can both reduce the stack cost and expand the power range of open-cathode PEMFCs, thus expanding their potential use for low-cost fuel cell system applications.

show abstract

Section: CCLmentioning

confidence: 99%

Experimental Design of High-Performing Open-Cathode Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cells

Sagar,

Chugh,

Kjeang

2024

ECS Adv.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…In this section it is provided a solution for the implementation of the BoP, within the specifications of safety and performance. With hydrogen technologies, it is important to carry out a study of the equipment in subsystems that capture in the BoP, which has been shown to be essential to achieve a reliable design with optimal production [18].…”

Section: Balance Of Plant Of a Pem Electrolyzermentioning

confidence: 99%

Optimized Balance of Plant for a Medium-size PEM electrolyzer. Design, Modelling and Control

Caparrós¹,

Vivas²,

Segura³

et al. 2021

SNE

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

This paper presents the design, modelling and control simulation of the Balance of Plant (BoP) for a medium-size PEM (Proton Exchange Membrane) electrolyzer. Taking into consideration the main chemical process that occurs in the electrolysis of a PEM electrolyzer, the BoP must be clearly divided into two main parts: water management and hydrogen production. An exhaustive control system is developed to test the working conditions that will allow the PEM electrolyzer to generate hydrogen in a safe and efficient way. The aim of this study is to find an equilibrated solution between minimal BoP and a correct performance, always into safety conditions of hydrogen generation. Automation software is used to model the system and perform a control logic, according to the desirable operation of the PEM electrolyzer. The BoP developed, along with the electrolyzer model and the control logic proposed contribute the PEM electrolysis technology to be expanded in the industrial market and the hydrogen to be widely used as energy carrier, as part of the renewable energy systems.

show abstract

“…Then, according to operation description, it can be deduced that in PEM electrolysis it is very important to ensure specific water conditions as well as safe hydrogen production conditions. Therefore, the correct design of the BoP is crucial to achieve a reliable implementation and an optimal electrolyzer operation [24].…”

Section: O 2 Separatormentioning

confidence: 99%

An Optimized Balance of Plant for a Medium-Size PEM Electrolyzer: Design, Control and Physical Implementation

et al. 2020

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The progressive increase in hydrogen technologies’ role in transport, mobility, electrical microgrids, and even in residential applications, as well as in other sectors is expected. However, to achieve it, it is necessary to focus efforts on improving features of hydrogen-based systems, such as efficiency, start-up time, lifespan, and operating power range, among others. A key sector in the development of hydrogen technology is its production, renewable if possible, with the objective to obtain increasingly efficient, lightweight, and durable electrolyzers. For this, scientific works are currently being produced on stacks technology improvement (mainly based on two technologies: polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) and alkaline) and on the balance of plant (BoP) or the industrial plant (its size depends on the power of the electrolyzer) that runs the stack for its best performance. PEM technology offers distinct advantages, apart from the high cost of its components, its durability that is not yet guaranteed and the availability in the MW range. Therefore, there is an open field of research for achievements in this technology. The two elements to improve are the stacks and BoP, also bearing in mind that improving BoP will positively affect the stack operation. This paper develops the design, implementation, and practical experimentation of a BoP for a medium-size PEM electrolyzer. It is based on the realization of the optimal design of the BoP, paying special attention to the subsystems that comprise it: the power supply subsystem, water management subsystem, hydrogen production subsystem, cooling subsystem, and control subsystem. Based on this, a control logic has been developed that guarantees efficient and safe operation. Experimental results validate the designed control logic in various operating cases, including warning and failure cases. Additionally, the experimental results show the correct operation in the different states of the plant, analyzing the evolution of the hydrogen flow pressure and temperature. The capacity of the developed PEM electrolysis plant is probed regarding its production rate, wide operating power range, reduced pressurization time, and high efficiency.

show abstract

How the BoP configuration affects the performance in an air-cooled polymer electrolyte fuel cell. Keys to design the best configuration

Cited by 16 publications

References 32 publications

Experimental Design of High-Performing Open-Cathode Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cells

Experimental Design of High-Performing Open-Cathode Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cells

Optimized Balance of Plant for a Medium-size PEM electrolyzer. Design, Modelling and Control

An Optimized Balance of Plant for a Medium-Size PEM Electrolyzer: Design, Control and Physical Implementation

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About