Temperature distribution in a liquid-cooled HT-PEFC stack

A liquid (heat transfer oil) cooling system for high temperature polymer electrolyte fuel cell (HT-PEFC) stacks in the power range above 1 kW_el using encapsulated cooling cells was designed. Calculations showed that it is sufficient to cool every third cell to maintain an operating temperature of about 160 °C. An HT-PEFC stack module including 12 cells with an active area of 320 cm² each was assembled and tested experimentally regarding the temperature distribution from cell to cell. It was found that sufficient cooling with an oil inlet temperature of 160 °C is guaranteed up to a current density of 450 mA/cm² when operated with synthetic reformate (42% H₂, 57% N₂, 1% CO). At this current density, the maximum temperature difference from cell to cell does not exceed 8.3 K. Additionally, this cooling system provided enhanced protection against leaks.     

Performance analysis for the part-load operation of a solid oxide fuel cell–micro gas turbine hybrid system

In this paper, the performance evaluation of a solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC)–micro gas turbine (MGT) hybrid power generation system under the part-load operation was studied numerically. The present analysis code includes distributed parameters model of the cell stack module. The conversions of chemical species for electrochemical process and fuel reformation process are considered. Besides the temperature distributions of the working fluids and each solid part of cell module by accounting heat generation and heat transfers, are taken into calculation. Including all of them, comprehensive energy balance in the cell stack module is calculated. The variable MGT rotational speed operation scheme is adopted for the part-load operation. It will be made evident that the power generation efficiency of the hybrid system decreases together with the power output. The major reason for the performance degradation is the operating temperature reduction in the SOFC module, which is caused by decreasing the fuel supply and the heat generation in the cells. This reduction is also connected to the air flow rate supplement. The variable MGT rotational speed control requires flexible air flow regulations to maintain the SOFC operating temperature. It will lead to high efficient operation of the hybrid system.     

Thermal analysis and management of proton exchange membrane fuel cell stacks for automotive vehicle

The thermal management of a proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) is crucial for fuel cell vehicles. This paper presents a new simulation model for the water-cooled PEMFC stacks for automotive vehicles and cooling systems. The cooling system model considers both the cooling of the stack and cooling of the compressed air through the intercooler. Theoretical analysis was carried out to calculate the heat dissipation requirements for the cooling system. The case study results show that more than 99.0% of heat dissipation requirement is for thermal management of the PEMFC stack; more than 98.5% of cooling water will be distributed to the stack cooling loop. It is also demonstrated that controlling cooling water flow rate and stack inlet cooling water temperature could effectively satisfy thermal management constraints. These thermal management constraints are differences in stack inlet and outlet cooling water temperature, stack temperature, fan power consumption, and pump power consumption.     

Experimental investigation of a liquid cooled high temperature proton exchange membrane (HT-PEM) fuel cell coupled to a sodium alanate tank

In high temperature proton exchange membrane (HT-PEM) fuel cells, waste heat at approximately 160 °C is produced, which can be used for thermal integration of solid state hydrogen storage systems. In the present study, an HT-PEM fuel cell stack (400 W) with direct liquid cooling is characterized and coupled to a separately characterized sodium alanate storage tank (300 g material). The coupled system is studied in steady state for 20 min operation and all relevant heat flows are determined. Even though heat losses at that specific power and temperature level cannot be completely avoided, it is demonstrated that the amount of heat transferred from the fuel cell stack to the cooling liquid circuit is sufficient to desorb the necessary amount of hydrogen from the storage tank. Furthermore, it is shown that the reaction rate of the sodium alanate at 160 °C and 1.7 bar is adequate to provide the hydrogen to the fuel cell stack. Based on these experimental investigations, a set of recommendations is given for the future design and layout of similar coupled systems.     

Study on a twin‐bed adsorption refrigeration system using R134a‐activated carbon pair

A low capacity twin‐bed adsorption refrigeration system has been built with R134a as a refrigerant and activated carbon as the adsorbent. Simple tube‐in‐tube heat exchangers have been fabricated and have been used as the adsorber beds. Activated carbon (granular type) has been filled in the annular space of the inner tube and outer tube. A plate heat exchanger has been used as the condenser and the temperature of cooling water has been maintained between 25°C and 30°C, also the evaporator has been custom designed as per requirements. A mathematical model has also been developed and the results obtained have been found to be comparable. While operating the system in the single‐bed mode a cooling power of 250.4 W has been obtained with a coefficient of performance (COP) of 0.38 with an average evaporator temperature of 18.4°C against a predicted value of 263.7 W with a COP of 0.41. While operating in the twin‐bed mode a cooling power of 281.3 W with a COP of 0.47 with an average evaporator temperature of 17.6°C has been obtained against a predicted value of 294.5 W with a COP of 0.52.     

Modelling of temperature distribution in a solid polymer electrolyte fuel cell stack

The production of electricity in a fuel cell system is associated with the production of an equivalent amount of thermal energy, both for large size power plants and for transportation applications. The heat released by the cells must be removed by a cooling system, characterized by its small size and weight, which must be able to assure uniform work conditions and reduce performance losses. Based upon realistic assumptions, a mathematical model has been developed to determine the temperature and current density distribution in a solid polymer electrolyte fuel cell (SPEFC) stack as a function of operating conditions and stack geometry. The model represents a useful tool to identify operating conditions, such as to have an optimal longitudinal and axial temperature profile, so allowing the design of cooling system and bipolar plates. In this paper, the model has been applied to determine the temperature profile of an experimental SPEFC stack. The model is validated by comparing model results with experimental measurements; simulated and experimental results agree satisfactorily.     

A study of operation strategy of cooling module with dynamic fuel cell system model for transportation application

A fuel cell system model with detailed cooling module model was developed to evaluate the control algorithms of cooling module which is used for the thermal management of a proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) system. The system model is composed of a dynamic fuel cell stack model and a detailed dynamic cooling module model. To extend modeling flexibility, the fuel cell stack model utilizes analytic approach to capture the transient behavior of the stack temperature corresponding to the change of the coolant temperature and the flow rate during load follow-up. The cooling module model integrated model of fan, water pump, coolant passage, and electric motors so that the model is capable of investigation of operating strategy of pump and fan.The fuel cell system model is applied to the investigation of the control logics of the cooling module. Since, it is necessary for the control of cooling module to define the reference conditions such as coolant temperature and fuel cell stack temperature, this study presents such thermal management criteria. Finally, two control algorithms were compared, a conventional control algorithm and a feedback control algorithm. As a consequence, the feedback control algorithm was found to be more suitable for the cooling module of the PEMFC stack, as they consume less parasitic power while producing more stack power compared to a conventionally controlled cooling module.     

Heat and power management of a direct-methanol-fuel-cell (DMFC) system

In this paper, we describe the heat and the power management of a direct methanol fuel cell system. The system consists mainly of a direct methanol fuel cell stack, an anode feed loop with a heat exchanger and on the cathode side, a compressor/expander unit. The model calculations are carried out by analytical solutions for both mass and energy flows. The study is based on measurements on laboratory scale single cells to obtain data concerning mass and voltage efficiencies and temperature dependence of the cell power. In particular, we investigated the influence of water vaporization in the cathode on the heat management of a direct-methanol-fuel-cell (DMFC) system. Input parameters were the stack temperature, the cathode pressure and the air flow rate. It is shown that especially at operating temperatures above 90 °C, the combinations of pressure and air flow rate are limited because of heat losses due to vaporization of water in the cathode.     

Experimental performance of a thermoelectric ceiling cooling panel

An experiment has been performed to investigate the cooling performance of a thermoelectric ceiling cooling panel (TE‐CCP). The TE‐CCP was composed of 36 TE modules. The cold side of the TE modules was fixed to an aluminum ceiling panel to cool a test chamber of 4.5 m³ volume, while a copper heat exchanger with circulating cooling water at the hot side of the TE modules was used for heat release. Tests were conducted using various system parameters. It was found that the cooling performance of the system depended on the electrical supply, cooling water temperature and flow rate through the heat exchanger. A suitable condition occurred at 1.5 A of current flow with a corresponding cooling capacity of 289.4 W which gives the coefficient of performance (COP) of 0.75 with an average indoor temperature of 27°C. Using thermal comfort test data in literature for small air movements under radiant cooling ceilings, results from the experiments show that thermal comfort could be obtained with the TE‐CCP system. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A critical review of cooling techniques in proton exchange membrane fuel cell stacks

Effective cooling is critical for safe and efficient operation of proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) stacks with high power. The narrow range of operating temperature and the small temperature differences between the stack and the ambient introduce significant challenges in the design of a cooling system. To promote the development of effective cooling strategies, cooling techniques reported in technical research publications and patents are reviewed in this paper. Firstly, the characteristics of the heat generation and cooling requirements in a PEMFC stack are introduced. Then the advantages, challenges and progress of various cooling techniques, including (i) cooling with heat spreaders (using high thermal conductivity materials or heat pipes), (ii) cooling with separate air flow, (iii) cooling with liquid (water or antifreeze coolant), and (iv) cooling with phase change (evaporative cooling and cooling through boiling), are systematically reviewed. Finally, further research needs in this area are identified.     

Performance analysis of HT-PEFC stacks

The performance analysis of a five-cell HT-PEFC stack is presented. The stack was operated either with pure hydrogen or synthetic reformate on the anode side and air on the cathode side. The overall electric performance and the heat management were analyzed. The local performance was assessed by current density and temperature distribution measurements. For this purpose, a tailor-made measuring board was integrated into the stack assembly. It is shown how the choice of fuel gas composition, reactant stoichiometry, flow direction and cooling affect the current density and temperature distribution.     

Analysis of thermal balance in high-temperature proton exchange membrane fuel cells with short stacks via in situ monitoring with a flexible micro sensor

The heat produced from the electrochemical reaction in a fuel cell is worth studying, the heat recycled make the fuel cell more efficiency, especially in a high-temperature proton exchange membrane fuel cell (HTPEMFC). In low temperature PEMFC system, the heat is removed by cooling system avoid the membrane degradation exceed 100 °C. But in HTPEMFC system, the membrane can afford higher temperature (T_g 420 °C), means the cooling system could be removing and through changing the inside flow field to uniform the unit cell temperature in stack. In this study, a 50–100 W HTPEMFC stack is demonstrated and a micro sensor was integrated with the HTPEMFC stack for in situ measurements during the experiments. The results show that when the stack is operated at low and high current loads, the heat generation from the fuel cell causes noticeable changes in the cell temperature, especially in the middle of the stack. In the middle cell of the stack, the temperature exceeds the operating temperature (160 °C) by 10–30 °C when the current increases. Moreover, changing the flow field to counter-flow or co-flow with U- or Z-type flow fields causes changes to the thermal balance in the stack. The performance, however, remains almost the same for each type of flow field when there is no water affecting the HTPEMFC, even though the change in thermal balance in the stack still occurs. The results of the micro sensor in situ monitoring for each type of flow field displayed higher temperatures on the middle cells. If the waste heat is appropriately used, the high-temperature fuel cell will then be more efficient than the low-temperature fuel cell. The results also show that, in the HTPEMFC stack, the heat generated from the fuel cell can be reused in other ways.     

Performance evaluation of high-efficiency SOFC-PEMFC hybrid system fueled by liquid ammonia

The liquid ammonia-fueled SOFC-PEMFC (solid oxide fuel cell-proton exchange membrane fuel cell) hybrid system is studied, and the influence of three factors on the energy efficiency of the system is analyzed. The results show that when the SOFC fuel utilization rate gradually increases, the maximum power of the hybrid system is 1277.85 kW, the total electrical efficiency of the system can reach 62.55%, the combined cooling and power (CCP) efficiency is the highest 69.25%, and the thermoelectric efficiency is gradually increased to 93.19%. When the SOFC operating temperature gradually increases, the electrical efficiency of the hybrid system is the highest 62.72%, the CCP efficiency is 69.41%, and the thermoelectric efficiency is basically maintained at about 90%. When the SOFC operating pressure gradually increases, the total power of the system is up to 1352.19 kW, the electrical efficiency and CCP efficiency of the system are about 60%, and the thermoelectric efficiency of the system is basically maintained between 88% and 95%.     

Exergoeconomic analysis of a vehicular PEM fuel cell system

In this study, we deal with the exergoeconomic analysis of a proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cell power system for transportation applications. The PEM fuel cell performance model, that is the polarization curve, is previously developed by one of the authors by using the some derived and developed equations in literature. The exergoeconomic analysis includes the PEM fuel cell stack and system components as compressor, humidifiers, pressure regulator and the cooling system. A parametric study is also conducted to investigate the system performance and cost behaviour of the components, depending on the operating temperature, operating pressure, membrane thickness, anode stoichiometry and cathode stoichiometry. For the system performance, energy and exergy efficiencies and power output are investigated in detail. It is found that with an increase of temperature and pressure and a decrease of membrane thickness the system efficiency increases which leads to a decrease in the overall production cost. The minimization of the production costs is very crucial in commercialization of the fuel cells in transportation sector.     

Fuel cell system with sodium borohydride as hydrogen source for unmanned aerial vehicles

In this study, we design and fabricate a fuel cell system for application as a power source in unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). The fuel cell system consists of a fuel cell stack, hydrogen generator, and hybrid power management system. PEMFC stack with an output power of 100 W is prepared and tested to decide the efficient operating conditions; the stack must be operated in the dead-end mode with purge in order to ensure prolonged stack performance. A hydrogen generator is fabricated to supply gaseous hydrogen to the stack. Sodium borohydride (NaBH₄) is used as the hydrogen source in the present study. Co/Al₂O₃ catalyst is prepared for the hydrolysis of the alkaline NaBH₄ solution at room temperature. The fabricated Co catalyst is comparable to the Ru catalyst. The UAV consumes more power in the takeoff mode than in the cruising mode. A hybrid power management system using an auxiliary battery is developed and evaluated for efficient energy management. Hybrid power from both the fuel cell and battery powers takeoff and turning flight operations, while the fuel cell supplies steady power during the cruising flight. The capabilities of the fuel-cell UAVs for long endurance flights are validated by successful flight tests.     

Implementation of a heat recovery unit in a proton exchange membrane fuel cell system

A heat recovery unit (HRU) has been developed and implemented in a proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cell cogeneration system that generates electricity and hot water efficiently. It consists of a stack coolant circuit, a heat exchanger, and a heat recovery circuit. An intelligent thermal control algorism is proposed as well to manage the cogeneration system. The HRU together with the control scheme has managed the fuel cell cogeneration system properly and efficiently. The stack coolant inlet temperature (SCIT) is well controlled at the preset temperatures (55 °C and 59 °C) under different external loads (0–3 kW). Results also show that the dynamics of the SCIT is closely related to the actions of the secondary fluid pump. Up to 50% fuel energy can be recovered thermally in the present cogeneration system. Examination of the external-load effects reveals that increasing external loads increases the electrical efficiency but decreases the heat recovery efficiency slightly. The maximum efficiency as a combination of heat and power is 82% based on hydrogen's lower heating value.     

Part-load,startup, and shutdown strategies of a solid oxide fuel cell-gas turbine hybrid system

Current work on the performance of a solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) and gas turbine hybrid system is presented. Each component model developed and applied is mathematically defined. The electrochemical performance of single SOFC with different fuels is tested. Experimental results are used to validate the SOFC mathematical model. Based on the simulation model, a safe operation regime of the hybrid system is accurately plotted first. Three different part-load strategies are introduced and used to analyze the part-load performance of the hybrid system using the safe regime. Another major objective of this paper is to introduce a suitable startup and shutdown strategy for the hybrid system. The sequences for the startup and shutdown are proposed in detail, and the system responses are acquired with the simulation model. Hydrogen is used instead of methane during the startup and shutdown process. Thus, the supply of externally generated steam is not needed for the reforming reaction. The gas turbine is driven by complementary fuel and supplies compressed air to heat up or cool down the SOFC stack operating temperature. The dynamic simulation results show that smooth cooling and heating of the cell stack can be accomplished without external electrical power.     

Performance of a polymer electrolyte fuel cell for automotive applications

The objectives of this study were to fabricate a self‐humidifying fuel cell stack of 10 cells with 104 cm² cell areas humidified with water recovered at cathodes, and to measure and simulate the performance of the stack. This involves the simulation of a three‐dimensional model of the heat and mass transfer of the water and the gaseous reactants in the fuel cell components with a water‐cooling system. The results of the stack experiments indicated a maximum power of 250 kW at a current density of 0.5 A/cm². The simulation showed good agreement with the actual performance of the stack. The performance of the self‐humidifying stack with a vapor‐permeating membrane is comparable to a conventional stack with external humidifiers, and it appears very effective in simplifying stack systems. The modeling analysis indicated that for the gas flow directions, at anode and cathode, a parallel flow is superior to a cross flow, and that one cooling cell is necessary for two to three generating cells in order to maintain the fuel cell temperature below 100 °C. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Heat Trans Asian Res, 31(6): 421–429, 2002; Published online in Wiley InterScience ( www.interscience.wiley.com ). DOI 10.1002/htj.10041     

A comparison of temperature distribution in PEMFC with single-phase water cooling and two-phase HFE-7100 cooling methods by numerical study

Thermal management has been considered as one of the critical issues in proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC). Key roles of thermal management system are maintaining optimal operating temperature of PEMFC and diminishing temperature difference over a single fuel cell and stack. Severe temperature difference causes degradation of performance and deterioration of durability, so understanding temperature distribution inside a single fuel cell and stack is crucial. In this paper, two-phase HFE-7100 cooling method is suggested for PEMFC thermal management and investigated regarding temperature change inside a fuel cell. Also, the results are compared to single-phase water cooling method. Numerical study of temperature distribution inside a single PEMFC is conducted under various conditions for the two different cooling methods. Fuel cell model considering mass transfer, electrochemical reaction and heat transfer is developed.The result indicates that two-phase HFE-7100 cooling method has an advantage in temperature maintenance and temperature uniformity than single-phase water cooling method, especially in high current density region. It is also revealed that the cell temperature is less dependent on system load change with two-phase cooling method. It indicates that the fuel cell system with two-phase cooling method has high thermal stability. In addition, the effect of coolant flow rate and coolant inlet pressure in two-phase HFE-7100 cooling method are discussed. As a result, two-phase cooling method showed reliable cooling performance even with low coolant flow rate and the system temperature increased as coolant pressure rose.     

Characterization of a novel, highly integrated tubular solid oxide fuel cell system using high-fidelity simulation tools

A novel, highly integrated tubular SOFC system intended for small-scale power is characterized through a series of sensitivity analyses and parametric studies using a previously developed high-fidelity simulation tool. The high-fidelity tubular SOFC system modeling tool is utilized to simulate system-wide performance and capture the thermofluidic coupling between system components. Stack performance prediction is based on 66 anode-supported tubular cells individually evaluated with a 1-D electrochemical cell model coupled to a 3-D computational fluid dynamics model of the cell surroundings. Radiation is the dominate stack cooling mechanism accounting for 66-92% of total heat loss at the outer surface of all cells at baseline conditions. An average temperature difference of nearly 125 °C provides a large driving force for radiation heat transfer from the stack to the cylindrical enclosure surrounding the tube bundle. Consequently, cell power and voltage disparities within the stack are largely a function of the radiation view factor from an individual tube to the surrounding stack can wall. The cells which are connected in electrical series, vary in power from 7.6 to 10.8 W (with a standard deviation, σ = 1.2 W) and cell voltage varies from 0.52 to 0.73 V (with σ = 81 mV) at the simulation baseline conditions. It is observed that high cell voltage and power outputs directly correspond to tubular cells with the smallest radiation view factor to the enclosure wall, and vice versa for tubes exhibiting low performance. Results also reveal effective control variables and operating strategies along with an improved understanding of the effect that design modifications have on system performance. By decreasing the air flowrate into the system by 10%, the stack can wall temperature increases by about 6% which increases the minimum cell voltage to 0.62 V and reduces deviations in cell power and voltage by 31%. A low baseline fuel utilization is increased by decreasing the fuel flowrate and by increasing the stack current demand. Simulation results reveal fuel flow as a poor control variable because excessive tail-gas combustor temperatures limit fuel flow to below 110% of the baseline flowrate. Additionally, system efficiency becomes inversely proportional to fuel utilization over the practical fuel flow range. Stack current is found to be an effective control variable in this type of system because system efficiency becomes directly proportional to fuel utilization. Further, the integrated system acts to dampen temperature spikes when fuel utilization is altered by varying current demand. Radiation remains the dominate heat transfer mechanism within the stack even if stack surfaces are polished lowering emissivities to 0.2. Furthermore, the sensitivity studies point to an optimal system insulation thickness that balances the overall system volume and total conductive heat loss.