Naslov
Influence of Channel and Substrate Hydrophobicity on the Dynamic Water Transport Inside PEM Fuel Cell Channels

Autori
Penga, Željko ; Penga, Jure ; Barbir, Frano

Vrsta, podvrsta i kategorija rada
Radovi u zbornicima skupova, cjeloviti rad (in extenso), znanstveni

Izvornik
SpliTech2019 / - , 2019, Pdf-pdf

Skup
4th International Conference on Smart and Sustainable Technologies (SpliTech 2019)

Mjesto i datum
Split, Hrvatska; Bol, Hrvatska, 18.06.2019. - 21.06.2019

Vrsta sudjelovanja
Poster

Vrsta recenzije
Međunarodna recenzija

Ključne riječi
Computational Fluid Dynamics ; Volume of Fluid ; PEM Fuel Cells ; Hydrophobicity ; Bipolar Plates

Sažetak
The occurrence of liquid water inside Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) fuel cell can have detrimental effects on the performance of the cell, resulting from non-uniform reactant supply along the active area of the cell or neighbouring channels and the accompanying non- uniform heat transfer, to severe flooding and starvation of the cell. Liquid water transport inside the cell is investigated by developing a transient 3D numerical model using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) analysis and Volume of Fluid (VoF) methodology. Several different commercially used bipolar plate materials, with different hydrophobicity, are mutually compared in regard to the dynamic water transport and the transient information on the gas diffusion layer substrate surface coverage. The effect of gas diffusion layer aging is also investigated in conjunction with different bipolar plate materials. The numerical model is developed for single-channel serpentines of a commercial 100 cm2 single- cell. Numerical analysis is also conducted to correlate the required pressure potential between the inlet and outlet of the cell to expel the liquid water plug for a rectangular channel with uniform cross-section and trapezoid channel with two reductions in the cross-section in the downstream direction. The influence of the cell positioning, i.e. gravity, on the net liquid water transport is also investigated and the results also indicate the potential for development of a diagnostic strategy for determining the predominant water transport mechanism inside the channel based on the net pressure drop. This work represents the upgrade vs. common approach where only a small portion of the channel is observed and gives indication of the requirement for more thorough analysis of nowadays commonly investigated channels with different modifications of the channel geometry, and also gives insight in the significance of surface coating of the channels on long term performance of the cell by comparing the CFD data with new and aged substrates for different configurations for the first time.

Izvorni jezik
Engleski

Znanstvena područja
Strojarstvo, Interdisciplinarne tehničke znanosti

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