模拟PEM燃料电池环境下垫片材料的疲劳损伤研究

以质子交换膜（PEM）燃料电池垫片常用材料（硅橡胶弹性体材料）为对象,研究垫片材料在模拟PEM燃料电池环境下的疲劳损伤情况。选用2种溶液模拟PEM燃料电池环境,一种为接近实际PEM燃料电池环境的溶液,即正规溶液（RS）,另一种为加速损伤试验的加速持久性试验（ADT）溶液。采用压缩疲劳试验和屈挠疲劳试验方法,研究垫片材料在2种模拟PEM燃料电池环境下的疲劳损伤行为。压缩疲劳试验结果表明,PEM燃料电池模拟环境和老化时间对试样的压缩疲劳温升有重要影响,试样暴露在ADT环境下的疲劳温升较暴露在RS环境下高;随着老化时间的增加,试样的疲劳温升增大,疲劳损伤加剧。屈挠疲劳试验结果表明,PEM燃料电池模拟环境和老化时间对试样的疲劳寿命有显著影响,暴露在ADT溶液中的试样疲劳寿命小于暴露在RS溶液中;试样的疲劳寿命随老化时间的增加而减少。     

燃料重整固体氧化物燃料电池发电系统性能分析及多变量参数优化

以燃料重整的固体氧化物燃料电池发电系统为研究对象,通过数值模拟方法对固体氧化物燃料电池发电系统的性能、(火用)损、(火用)效率以及多变量运行参数优化进行了分析。研究结果表明：重整反应中燃料利用系数、电池工作温度、水碳比、电堆电流密度等参数对系统性能影响显著;电堆工作在不同电流密度下都有其对应的最佳工作温度、最佳燃料利用系数工况点;水碳比会改变重整反应产氢量,从而影响电化学反应速率,空气加热器的(火用)损所占份额最大;优化后的系统效率及(火用)效率为0.480 9和0.462 6,效率提升约4%。     

Effect of operating conditions on water management of membrane electrode assembly for direct methanol fuel cell

介绍了直接甲醇燃料电池(DMFCs)膜电极的水平衡研究对单电池性能和稳定性的影响,研究了电池操作温度,空气流量及电流密度等操作条件对膜电极水平衡的影响.通过调节操作条件改变净水传输系数,进一步表征膜电极水平衡对电池稳定性的影响.结果表明,单电池在60 ℃,阴极常压空气80 mL/min进料,100 mA/cm²条件下工作具有较好的水平衡,最后,测试了单电池在该条件下的稳定性,测试结果表明电池稳定运行200 h后,性能没有明显衰减.     

重整条件对SOFC电池堆性能影响的实验研究

以天然气为燃料,建立了外部重整固体氧化物燃料电池(SOFC)系统的实验平台,在不同重整工艺参数条件下,对电池堆的性能进行了测试,得到了电池堆性能参数的变化趋势,分析了水碳物质的量比(即水碳比)、重整温度、重整方式以及天然气体积流量对SOFC电池堆性能的影响.结果表明:在不同的电流密度下,采用水蒸气重整方式电池堆的输出功率高于自热重整方式电池堆的输出功率;当电池堆工作温度设定恒值为1 023K时,随着水碳比的增大,电池堆的输出功率逐渐提高,随着天然气体积流量的增加,电池堆的输出功率显著提高.     

氢能发电技术的研究(Ⅰ)--铂碳复合电极材料对离子交换膜燃料电池放电性能的影响

离子交换膜燃料电池是氢能应用开发的重要研究领域.研究了离子交换膜燃料电池用的铂碳复合电极制备工艺和碳材料的选择对燃料电池电化学性能的影响.研究结果表明,铂碳复合电极的制备工艺对燃料电池放电性能有重要影响,采用刷涂法和物化法制备的铂碳复合电极所组装的燃料电池具有较好的电化学性能.研究结果还发现,复合电极中碳材料的微观结构也是影响燃料电池电化学性能的重要因素,碳材料的比表面积越大,燃料电池的放电性能就越好.     

新型平板式固体氧化物燃料电池的开发和性能分析

利用商业数值分析软件和试验获得的电池各部件材料性能数据,改进了用于分析固体氧化物燃料电池(SOFC)单电池内部复杂物理过程的软件包.应用该软件包,得到了设计的新型高效平板式SOFC单电池内部各气体组分浓度、温度、电势、电流及电流密度等参数的分布规律.分析结果表明:在高燃料利用率情况下,阳极内组分扩散引起的浓度极化损失是影响电池性能的重要因素之一.该新型结构电池可有效改善电池的密封性,但其电解质需要较高的最大离子传导率.     

温度波动对质子交换膜燃料电池的影响

为了研究温度波动对质子交换膜燃料电池性能的影响,文章提出了一种新的温度计算模型——温度波动模型。将温度波动模型通过自定义函数导入计算流体动力学软件(Fluent)上进行仿真计算,并建立燃料电池试验测试系统,对工作温度为60℃,进气温度分别为43,50,55℃的电池性能进行测试。通过对Fluent模型、温度波动模型和试验值的比较发现:随着进气温度的升高,温度波动趋于平缓,燃料电池的性能逐渐增强;温度波动模型能够较准确地预测燃料电池的性能,尤其在进气温度为43℃、电流密度为1.088 A/cm2时,其误差比Fluent模型减少30%。     

直接甲醇燃料电池粗(火用)传递及能量利用特性

建立了直接甲醇燃料电池(DMFC)炯分析的稳态模型,模型中考虑了甲醇串流以及各种不可逆损失引起的过电位的影响.在模型基础上推导出DMFC的炯效率表达式,并分别从电效率和热炯效率的角度出发,分析了燃料中能量的有效利用率,定量分析了甲醇串流率、电流密度、工作温度、阴极压力等参数对电池炯效率的影响,揭示了不可逆因素对直接甲醇燃料电池炯传递规律的影响.通过分析发现:燃料电池在运行过程中产生的热能<火用在总有效能中占有很大比例,与电能相当,充分利用热量炯可显著提高电池的整体效率;电池在低电流密度下运行时,甲醇串流率过高足造成能量损失的主要原因;DMFC的总效率在电流密度接近极限电流密度时达到峰值,电池的工作电流应尽量控制在这一区间内.     

氢能发电技术的研究（Ⅰ）——铂碳复合电极材料对离子交换膜燃料电 …

离子交换膜燃料电池是氢能应用开发的重要研究领域。研究了离子交换膜燃料电池用的铂碳复合电极制备工艺和碳材料的选择对燃料电化学性能的影响。研究结果表明,铂碳复合电极的制备工艺对燃料电池放电性能有重要影响,采用刷涂法和物化法制备的铂碳复合电极所组装的燃料电池具有较好的电化学性能。研究结果还发现,复合电极中碳材料的微观结构也是影响燃料电池化学性能的重要因素,碳材料的比表面积越大,燃料电池的放电性能就越好。     

质子交换膜燃料电池的膜电极及其湿度特性

质子交换膜燃料电池的膜电极结构与电池性能密切相关，膜的湿度直接影响膜的性能。膜内水的迁移受到多个参数的影响：较大的电流密度使水的净迁移量下降；电池温度的提高将增大电池水平衡的电流密度；提高湿化程度可以减小膜的欧姆损失。膜内的湿度不足以保证燃料电池正常工作，就必须采用湿化方法。水的迁移过程涉及到电池的压降和温度变化。实际的湿度状态是各种因素的综合．电池的工作条件最终决定了它自身的水平衡状态。     

Gravity effect on water discharged in PEM fuel cell cathode

Experimental purpose is to test gravity influence on water discharged in PEM fuel cell cathode. Through changing the way of placement of the cathode and anode, it takes adjusting the electronic load to test the output of voltage and current. Corresponding to the position of the cathode-upward and the anode-upward, different humidification condition, draws the polarization curve using the voltage and current density. According to the placing position of the cathode and anode, cell temperature, humidification temperature of the cathode and anode gas, 4 groups of experimental results are obtained. The experimental conclusion is: when a PEM fuel cell is placed anode-upward, gravity is advantageous to discharge the liquid water in PEM fuel cell cathode. On the contrary, gravity is disadvantageous to discharge the liquid water.     

Along‐channel flooding prediction of polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells

Non‐uniform current distribution in polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) fuel cells results in local over‐heating, accelerated ageing, and lower power output than expected. This issue is quite critical when a fuel cell experiences water flooding. In this study, the performance of a PEM fuel cell is investigated under cathode flooding conditions. A two‐dimensional approach is proposed for a single PEM fuel cell based on conservation laws and electrochemical equations to provide useful insight into water transport mechanisms and their effect on the cell performance. The model results show that inlet stoichiometry and humidification, and cell operating pressure are important factors affecting cell performance and two‐phase transport characteristics. Numerical simulations have revealed that the liquid saturation in the cathode gas distribution layer (GDL) could be as high as 20%. The presence of liquid water in the GDL decreases oxygen transport and surface coverage of active catalyst, which in turn degrades the cell performance. The thermodynamic quality in the cathode flow channel is found to be greater than 99.7%, indicating that liquid water in the cathode gas channel exists in very small amounts and does not interfere with the gas phase transport. A detailed analysis of the operating conditions shows that cell performance should be optimized based on the maximum average current density achieved and the magnitude of its dispersion from its mean value. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The effect of operating parameters on water transport in PEM fuel cells

Water content in the membrane and the presence of liquid water in the catalyst layers (CL) and the gas diffusion layers (GDL) play a very important role in the performance of a PEM fuel cell. To study water transport in a PEM fuel cell, a two‐phase flow mathematical model is developed. This model couples the continuity equation, momentum conservative equation, species conservative equation, and water transport equation in the membrane. The modeling results of fuel cell performances agree well with measured experimental results. Then this model is used to simulate water transport and current density distribution in the cathode of a PEM fuel cell. The effects of operating pressure, cell temperature, and humidification temperatures on the net water transfer through the membrane, liquid water saturation, and current density distribution are studied. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Heat Trans Asian Res, 35(2): 89–100, 2006; Published online in Wiley InterScience ( www.interscience. wiley.com ). DOI 10.1002/htj.20107     

Numerical studies of liquid water behaviors in PEM fuel cell cathode considering transport across different porous layers

In this paper, a two-phase two-dimensional PEM fuel cell model, which is capable of handling liquid water transport across different porous materials, is employed for parametric studies of liquid water transport and distribution in the cathode of a PEM fuel cell. Attention is paid particularly to the coupled effects of two-phase flow and heat transfer phenomena. The effects of key operation parameters, including the outside cell boundary temperature, the cathode gas humidification condition, and the cell operation current, on the liquid water behaviors and cell performance have been examined in detail. Numerical results elucidate that increasing the fuel cell temperature would not only enhance liquid water evaporation and thus decrease the liquid saturation inside the PEM fuel cell cathode, but also change the location where liquid water is condensed or evaporated. At a cell boundary temperature of 80 °C, liquid water inside the catalyst layer and gas diffusion media under the current-collecting land would flow laterally towards the gas channel and become evaporated along an interface separating the land and channel. As the cell boundary temperature increases, the maximum current density inside the membrane would shift laterally towards the current-collecting land, a phenomenon dictated by membrane hydration. Increasing the gas humidification condition in the cathode gas channel and/or increasing the operating current of the fuel cell could offset the temperature effect on liquid water transport and distribution.     

Determination of the optimal active area for proton exchange membrane fuel cells with parallel,interdigitated or serpentine designs

Effects of active area size on steady-state characteristics of a working PEM fuel cell, including local current densities, local oxygen transport rates, and liquid water transport were studied by applying a three-dimensional, two-phase PEM fuel cell model. The PEM fuel cells were with parallel, interdigitated, and serpentine flow channel design. At high operating voltages, the size effects on cell performance are not noticeable owing to the occurrence of oxygen supply limit. The electrochemical reaction rates are high at low operating voltages, producing large quantity of water, whose removal capability is significantly affected by flow channel design. The cells with long parallel flow field experience easy water accumulation, thereby presenting low oxygen transport rate and low current density. The cells with interdigitated and serpentine flow fields generate forced convection stream to improve reactant transport and liquid water removal, thereby leading to enhanced cell performance and different size effect from the parallel flow cells. Increase in active area significantly improves performance for serpentine cells, but only has limited effect on that of interdigitated cells. Size effects of pressure drop over the PEM cells were also discussed.     

Humidity of reactant fuel on the cell performance of PEM fuel cell with baffle-blocked flow field designs

The objective of this work is to examine the effects of humidity of reactant fuel at the inlet on the detailed gas transport and cell performance of the PEM fuel cell with baffle-blocked flow field designs. It is expected that, due to the water management problem, the effects of inlet humidity of reactant fuel gases on both anode and cathode sides on the cell performance are considerable. In addition, the effects of baffle numbers on the detailed transport phenomena of the PEM fuel cell with baffle-blocked flow field are examined. Due to the blockage effects in the presence of the baffles, more fuel gas in the flow channel can be forced into the gas diffuser layer (GDL) and catalyst layer (CL) to enhance the chemical reactions and then augment the performance of the PEMFC systems. Effect of liquid water formation on the reactant gas transport is taken into account in the numerical modeling. Predictions show that the local transport of the reactant gas, the local current density generation and the cell performance can be enhanced by the presence of the baffles. Physical interpretation for the difference in the inlet relative humidity (RH) effects at high and low operating voltages is presented. Results reveal that, at low voltage conditions, the liquid water effect is especially significant and should be considered in the modeling. The cell performance can be enhanced at a higher inlet relative humidity, by which the occurrence of the mass transport loss can be delayed with the limiting current density raised considerably.     

The effect of flow distributors on the liquid water distribution and performance of a PEM fuel cell

Water management is one of the important factors which determine the performance of a Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) fuel cell using hydrogen as fuel. For developing efficient water management systems, it is important to know the potential locations of formation and the nature of distribution of liquid water in the fuel cell. In the present study a PEM fuel cell with three different types of flow distributors are modeled and numerically simulated to find out the water formation and distribution characteristics. The model is validated by comparing the simulated polarization curve to experimental data. It is found that the type of flow distributor used plays a major role in determining the distribution of liquid water in the cell. A parallel flow distributor exhibits poor water removal capabilities whereas a serpentine flow distributor exhibits better water removal. A mixed flow distributor is found to give better water distribution characteristics compared to the parallel and serpentine distributors. Further the effect of liquid water formation and distribution on the species transport, temperature distribution and current generation are also investigated.     

Liquid water visualization in PEM fuel cells: A review

Over the past few years, the importance of water management to the successful operation of polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) fuel cells has stimulated an extensive research focus on liquid water transport and its effect on performance and durability. Empirical methods employed to investigate water transport in the fuel cell have the potential to provide useful feedback for developing empirical correlations and validating numerical models for fuel cell research and development. In this paper, a literature review is provided for the experimental techniques that have been applied to visualize liquid water in operating hydrogen PEM fuel cells and flow fields. The main hypotheses that have been proposed to describe liquid water transport in the gas diffusion layer (GDL) and current challenges will also be discussed.     

Simulation of the water and heat management in proton exchange membrane fuel cells

A non-isothermal and three-dimensional numerical model of a PEM fuel cell was developed to compute the water and heat management. Transport of water in the polymer membrane, phase change of water in the cathode porous medium and capillary flow to the gas channels were determined. Influences of these phenomena on fuel cells and conditions that may affect their performance have been numerically evaluated. Output variables are velocity, temperature, mass fraction, current density, voltage loss, water content of the polymer membrane, saturation and liquid flow fields. Cell voltage and total current density of PEM fuel cell were computed as well. Results show that there may be severe mass transfer limitations depending either on the design or on the water management of the cell. For the chosen conditions, the polymer membrane can keep and even increase its water content, as long as inlet flows are injected at 100% relative humidity. In case the fuel cell is operated under dehydrating conditions, the decrease of the water content of the polymer electrolyte may affect the performance. The variations of temperature were small. However, temperature plays an important role in the cathode reaction rate of the cell and in the dehydration of the polymer membrane. Numerical results and experimental data were found to be in good agreement.     

A hybrid model of cathode of PEM fuel cell using the interdigitated gas distributor

A two-dimensional (2D), single- and two-phase, hybrid multi-component transport model is developed for the cathode of PEM fuel cell using interdigitated gas distributor. The continuity equation and Darcy's law are used to describe the flow of the reactant gas and production water. The production water is treated as vapor when the current density is small, and as two-phase while the current density is greater than the critical current density. The advection–diffusion equations are utilized to study species transport of multi-component mixture gas. The Butler–Volmer equation is prescribed for the domain in the catalyst layer. The predicted results of the hybrid model agree well with the available experimental data. The model is used to investigate the effects of operating conditions and the cathode structure parameters on the performance of the PEM fuel cell. It is observed that liquid water appears originally in the cathodic catalyst layer over outlet channel under intermediate current and tends to be distributed uniformly by the capillary force with the increase of the current. It is found that reduction of the width of outlet channel can enhance the performance of PEM fuel cell via the increase of the current density over this region, which has, seemingly, not been discussed in previous literatures.