The performance of PEM fuel cells fed with oxygen through the free-convection mode

Li, Pei Wen; Zhang, Tao; Wang, Qing Ming; Schaefer, Laura; Chyu, Minking K.

doi:10.1016/s0378-7753(02)00535-9

Cited by 69 publications

(31 citation statements)

References 9 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Planar air breathing fuel cells offer the advantage of a flat form factor suitable for small portable applications. There have been several recent experimental [3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10] and modeling [11][12][13][14][15][16] studies on planar air breathing fuel cells. In one of the few combined experimental and modeling studies of an air breathing PEMFC, Mennola et al concluded that their fuel cell was limited by water removal at 40 • C and by oxygen depletion at 60 • C [14].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In related work, the same group highlighted the importance of developing a significant temperature gradient between the fuel cell and the air to drive efficient oxygen transport to the cathode [17]. Li et al theoretically analyzed convective mass transfer at a free-breathing fuel cell cathode but did not consider thermal gradients [13]. Their analysis concluded that free-breathing fuel cell performance is significantly limited at high current densities due to oxygen mass transfer considerations.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Engineering model of a passive planar air breathing fuel cell cathode

O’Hayre

Fábían

Litster

et al. 2007

Journal of Power Sources

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The behavior of an air breathing fuel cell (ABFC) operated on dry-hydrogen in dead-ended mode is studied using theoretical analysis. A one-dimensional, non-isothermal, combined heat and mass transport model is developed that captures the coupling between water generation, oxygen consumption, self-heating and natural convection at the air breathing cathode. The model is validated against planar ABFC experimental measurements over a range of ambient temperatures. The model confirms the strong effect of self-heating on the water balance within passive ABFCs. Model analysis provides several conclusions: (1) thermal runaway caused by inadequate heat rejection predominantly limits ABFC performance. (2) The natural convection boundary layer represents a significant barrier to cathode mass and heat transfer. (3) Because the mass and heat transport numbers associated with natural convection are small, even slight forced convection dramatically affects cell behavior. (4) Performance optimization requires maximizing heat rejection while minimizing flooding. Decoupling the latter two phenomena is challenging due to the exponential relationship between water vapor saturation and temperature.

show abstract

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Engineering model of a passive planar air breathing fuel cell cathode

O’Hayre

Fábían

Litster

et al. 2007

Journal of Power Sources

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…The ambient humidity and temperature were variable and chosen according to realistic weather conditions. Li et al [19] have studied the performance of a forced air-breathing stack and compared it with air breathing and concluded that with the help of forced air to the fuel cell, the performance of fuel cell can be enhanced. The oxygen concentration in the electrode can be low due to three different reasons like diffusion media, due to low permeability, different parts of active area due to fuel cell reactions, and nonoptimal flow conditions and state of product water, especially if in liquid state, can reduce the porosity of gas diffusion layer and cover parts the catalyst surfaces resulting in spatially heterogeneous oxygen concentration.…”

Section: International Journal Of Electrochemistrymentioning

confidence: 99%

Forced Air-Breathing PEMFC Stacks

Dhathathreyan

Rajalakshmi

Jayakumar

et al. 2012

International Journal of Electrochemistry

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Air-breathing fuel cells have a great potential as power sources for various electronic devices. They differ from conventional fuel cells in which the cells take up oxygen from ambient air by active or passive methods. The air flow occurs through the channels due to concentration and temperature gradient between the cell and the ambient conditions. However developing a stack is very difficult as the individual cell performance may not be uniform. In order to make such a system more realistic, an open-cathode forced air-breathing stacks were developed by making appropriate channel dimensions for the air flow for uniform performance in a stack. At CFCT-ARCI (Centre for Fuel Cell Technology-ARC International) we have developed forced air-breathing fuel cell stacks with varying capacity ranging from 50 watts to 1500 watts. The performance of the stack was analysed based on the air flow, humidity, stability, and so forth, The major advantage of the system is the reduced number of bipolar plates and thereby reduction in volume and weight. However, the thermal management is a challenge due to the non-availability of sufficient air flow to remove the heat from the system during continuous operation. These results will be discussed in this paper.

show abstract

“…2 For the last two decades, fascinated by their high power density and relatively easy implementation in electronic telecommunication and computing applications, many researchers as well as electronics companies (e.g., Toshiba, Samsung, Hitachi, Sharp,…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%