Thermoelectric Generator as the Waste Heat Recovery Unit of Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell: A Numerical Study

Abstract

The proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) is a prominent environmentally friendly alternative candidate to internal combustion engines in automotive applications. The recovery of the waste heat of light-duty diesel engines has been investigated recently, which is similarly relevant for PEMFCs. Thermoelectric generators (TEG) applied on the stack’s walls have been already proposed and tested as a cooling method for small scale applications of the PEMFC. For the medium scale usages of the PEMFC stack, TEG technology may be further used to recover heat lost through the cooling water required for stack thermal management, which was the focus of the present study. Using an agglomerate model for the PEMFC and a computational fluid dynamic (CFD) thermal model for the TEG heat exchanger unit, the operation and performance of the PEMFC stack and heat recovery unit were simulated, respectively. After validation, results indicated that the transferred heat from the PEMFC to the cooling channel increased the temperature of the coolant from room temperature to 330.5 K at the current density of 0.8 A/cm2. CFD analysis revealed that 37.7 W of the heated wasted by the PEMFC stack could be recovered by the currently available TEG material and geometry.

The Application of Fuel-Cell and Battery Technologies in Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs): A Dynamic Study

“…PEMFCs, which convert hydrogen to electricity via electrochemical reactions, are considered to be the best option for mobility applications among different types of fuel cells [16]. The current obstacles toward the commercialization of the PEMFCs are the durability [17], water/thermal management [18], waste heat recovery [19], and cost [20]. The utilization of PEMFCs in UAVs can be a promising candidate for high-endurance operation [21].…”

Thermoelectric Generator for Waste Energy Recovery in Transport

“…In this Special Issue, some selected papers are highlighted which address various transport sectors and applications such as Heavy-Duty Vehicles (HDV) [1,2], maritime transport [3,4], and even fuel cells [5]. A brief summary of each paper is given below.…”

“…Finally, approximately half the hydrogen used in a Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell (PEMFC) is converted to heat and must be expelled to maintain the optimal temperature range. Pourrahmani et al [5] implemented an agglomerate model to represent the fuel cell as it provided an improved representation of the catalyst layer. The main novelty of the study was to examine the performance of TEGs for recovery of waste heat from the PEMFC coolant channels using liquid cooling.…”

“…The equations used to model the components on the fuel cell were well defined and described in detail. Pourrahmani et al [5] included a flowchart describing the simulation procedure to perform the Computational Fluid Dynamic (CFD) analysis for the TEG unit. Pourrahmani et al [5] emphasized the uncoupled manner of CFD simulations and TEG calculations.…”

“…Pourrahmani et al [5] included a flowchart describing the simulation procedure to perform the Computational Fluid Dynamic (CFD) analysis for the TEG unit. Pourrahmani et al [5] emphasized the uncoupled manner of CFD simulations and TEG calculations. The constructed models were validated against other published work.…”