Two-phase flow modeling for the cathode side of a polymer electrolyte fuel cell

Qin, Chaozhong; Rensink, Dirk; Fell, Stephan; Hassanizadeh, S. Majid

doi:10.1016/j.jpowsour.2011.08.095

Cited by 54 publications

(23 citation statements)

References 47 publications

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“…where s cat denotes the saturation at the cathode catalyst layer and n v is a fitting parameter, 48 which is set to 1 in the present study, but can be used to calibrate the model with experimental data. The activation energy associated with oxygen reduction on platinum, E act , is 67 KJ/mol.…”

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confidence: 99%

Computationally Efficient Pseudo-2D Non-Isothermal Modeling of Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cells with Two-Phase Phenomena

Goshtasbi

Pence

Ersal

2016

J. Electrochem. Soc.

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In this article, a computationally efficient pseudo-2D model for real-time dynamic simulations of polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) is developed with a specific focus on water and thermal management. The model accounts for temperature dynamics, two-phase flow and flooding in the diffusion media, and membrane water crossover as well as absorption and desorption processes. Computational efficiency is achieved by leveraging the disparate time scales within the system dynamics, in addition to exploiting the large aspect ratio of the cell layers to create a spatio-temporal decoupling. Taking advantage of such decoupling, the model yields a computationally efficient solution while providing detailed information about the state of water and temperature throughout the cell. Through this approach, the current implementation of the model is found to be about twice faster than real time. Moreover, a case study is carried out where different mechanisms contributing to overall water balance in the cell are investigated. The results are shown to be in qualitative agreement with published experimental data, thereby providing a preliminary validation of the modeling approach. Finally, using the modeling results, an equivalent electrical circuit model is proposed to help elucidate water transport inside various cell layers. Real-time estimation, prediction, and control of cell hydration and temperature distribution is essential for optimizing the performance of polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs), as well as avoiding critical conditions and mitigating cell degradation. These applications necessitate mathematical models that not only run in real time, but also incorporate the important physical phenomena related to water transport and thermal management. However, including such phenomena comes at the cost of higher computational requirements, resulting in a trade-off between model accuracy and computational speed, which must be carefully balanced based on the desired application. As a result of these competing requirements, developing mathematical models that achieve a balance between the needs for high fidelity and low computational demand remains an active area of research.Within the context of this paper, a fuel cell model is considered to have high fidelity if it incorporates the following phenomena: i) 3-D effects including anisotropic material properties 1-3 to resolve transport phenomena in all physical directions; ii) transient behavior; iii) detailed multistep hydrogen oxidation reaction (HOR) and oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) kinetics; 4,5 iv) multiphase flow in gas channels and porous media; v) non-isothermal effects; 6 and vi) multicomponent diffusion.7,8 A more detailed explanation of these considerations follows.In terms of dimensionality, 3-D models are of highest fidelity, because they are capable of capturing transport in both through-themembrane and along-the-channel directions and also account for the channel-land effects in the third dimension. Moreover, these models can easily in...

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confidence: 99%

Computationally Efficient Pseudo-2D Non-Isothermal Modeling of Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cells with Two-Phase Phenomena

Goshtasbi

Pence

Ersal

2016

J. Electrochem. Soc.

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“…Numerical simulations of the water transport through different types of GDL were carried out in numerous investigations [344][345][346][347][348][349][350][351][352][353][354][355][356][357][358]. The majority of these two-and three-dimensional models suggest that the transport of liquid water through GDL is mainly dominated by the hydrophobic and morphological properties of the GDL including porosity, tortuosity, cross sectional area, thickness, and PTFE loading.…”

Section: Mea and Gdl Structurementioning

confidence: 99%

“…The majority of these two-and three-dimensional models suggest that the transport of liquid water through GDL is mainly dominated by the hydrophobic and morphological properties of the GDL including porosity, tortuosity, cross sectional area, thickness, and PTFE loading. Other design and operating factors such as the compaction force used for the cell assembly [125], operating temperature [346], stoichiometric ratio of reactant gases [347], and GDL wettability [348,353] were also found to affect water diffusion in the GDL. It is expected that the more the water diffuses through the layer, the more the damage on the GDL structure can be.…”

Section: Mea and Gdl Structurementioning

confidence: 99%

Degradation aspects of water formation and transport in Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell: A review

Ous

Arcoumanis

2013

Journal of Power Sources

123

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This is the accepted version of the paper.This version of the publication may differ from the final published version. Permanent repository link AbstractThis review paper summarises the key aspects of Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell (PEMFC) degradation that are associated with water formation, retention, accumulation, and transport mechanisms within the cell. Issues related to loss of active surface area of the catalyst, ionomer dissolution, membrane swelling, ice formation, corrosion, and contamination are also addressed and discussed. The impact of each of these water mechanisms on cell performance and durability was found to be different and to vary according to the design of the cell and its operating conditions. For example, the presence of liquid water within Membrane Electrode Assembly (MEA), as a result of water accumulation, can be detrimental if the operating temperature of the cell drops to sub-freezing.The volume expansion of liquid water due to ice formation can damage the morphology of different parts of the cell and may shorten its life-time. This can be more serious, for example, during the water transport mechanism where migration of Pt particles from the catalyst may take place after detachment from the carbon support. Furthermore, the effect of transport mechanism could be augmented if humid reactant gases containing impurities poison the membrane, leading to the same outcome as water retention or accumulation.Overall, the impact of water mechanisms can be classified as aging or catastrophic. Aging has a longterm impact over the duration of the PEMFC life-time whereas in the catastrophic mechanism the impact is immediate. The conversion of cell residual water into ice at sub-freezing temperatures by the water retention/ accumulation mechanism and the access of poisoning contaminants through the water transport mechanism are considered to fall into the catastrophic category. The effect of water mechanisms on PEMFC degradation can be reduced or even eliminated by (a) using advanced materials for improving the electrical, chemical and mechanical stability of the cell components against deterioration, and (b) implementing effective strategies for water management in the cell.

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“…A delicate water balance in the system must be maintained in order to keep the membrane hydrated, and meanwhile avoid liquid water flooding in porous components and flow fields, i.e., gas channels [1]. Over the past two decades, numerous studies have been conducted for improving our understanding of water transport mechanisms within the PEFC [2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10]. Compared to the anode side, water transport in the cathode has usually attracted more attention.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Pore-Network Modeling of Water and Vapor Transport in the Micro Porous Layer and Gas Diffusion Layer of a Polymer Electrolyte Fuel Cell

2016

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Abstract:In the cathode side of a polymer electrolyte fuel cell (PEFC), a micro porous layer (MPL) added between the catalyst layer (CL) and the gas diffusion layer (GDL) plays an important role in water management. In this work, by using both quasi-static and dynamic pore-network models, water and vapor transport in the MPL and GDL has been investigated. We illustrated how the MPL improved water management in the cathode. Furthermore, it was found that dynamic liquid water transport in the GDL was very sensitive to the built-up thermal gradient along the through-plane direction. Thus, we may control water vapor condensation only along GDL-land interfaces by properly adjusting the GDL thermal conductivity. Our numerical results can provide guidelines for optimizing GDL pore structures for good water management.

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Two-phase flow modeling for the cathode side of a polymer electrolyte fuel cell

Cited by 54 publications

References 47 publications

Computationally Efficient Pseudo-2D Non-Isothermal Modeling of Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cells with Two-Phase Phenomena

Computationally Efficient Pseudo-2D Non-Isothermal Modeling of Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cells with Two-Phase Phenomena

Degradation aspects of water formation and transport in Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell: A review

Pore-Network Modeling of Water and Vapor Transport in the Micro Porous Layer and Gas Diffusion Layer of a Polymer Electrolyte Fuel Cell

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