质子交换膜燃料电池的水热管理

质子交换膜燃料电池电化学反应生成电能、热能和水。质子交换膜燃料电池中水管理与热管理是紧密关联互相耦合的,有效的水热管理对于提高电池的性能和寿命起着关键作用。本文对膜中水的迁移机理及影响水平衡的主要因素进行了分析,对目前较为有效的水管理方法进行了综述。另外,分析了在微重力条件下燃料电池水管理问题的重要性。燃料电池中约有40%~50%的能量耗散为热能,必须采取有效的散热方式及时排除这些热量。本文对质子交换膜燃料电池的温度分布、局部换热系数及散热等燃料电池热管理相关问题进行了分析。     

小型质子交换膜燃料电池的增湿技术研究

分析了PEMFC电池内部水的生成和转移过程，列举了各种增湿方法，指出了几种外增湿法对小型氢空质子交换膜燃料电池进行增湿的优缺点和对电池性能的影响。     

质子交换膜燃料电池自增湿研究进展

概述了质子交换膜燃料电池自增湿研究状况，指出自增湿的出发点是有效利用电池阴极过程生成水。综述了薄电解质膜、新型自增湿膜、自增湿流场结构三种方法的研究进展及适用空间。对自增湿技术发展前景进行了探讨。     

质子交换膜燃料电池

因其具有独特的优点，质子交换膜燃料电池（PEMFC）的市场前景很好，国际上已经形成了一股研究开发热潮。电催化剂、质子交换膜、双极板、燃料、水管理、热管理是质子交换膜燃料电池的关键技术。文章介绍了PEMFC的特点及开发应用状况，综述了PEMFC的研究进展。     

质子交换膜燃料电池及其水管理技术

介绍了质子交换膜（ＰＥＭ）燃料电池的工作原理和电池内部物质传递原理,综述了ＰＥＭ燃料电池的水管理技术。     

甲醇质子交换膜燃料电池的水和热管理

甲醇质了换燃料电是未来最有希望获得工程应用的燃料电池，文章简述了燃料电的发电原理及其分类。对多孔电极，直接甲醇质子交换膜燃料电及甲醇改质质子交换膜燃料电作了分析和讨论，指出了对质子交换膜燃料电池系统进行水管理和热管理的重要性和必要性。     

质子交换膜燃料电池可靠性分析

可靠性是质子交换膜燃料电池(PEMFC)的重要指标，文中定性分析了PEMFC组成元件、装配工艺和工作过程的可靠性。提出了提高PEMFC可靠性的措施和可靠性的设计原则。     

质子交换膜燃料电池的应用研究

质子交换膜燃料电池（PEMFC）与其它燃料电池一样，是利用氧化、还原反应产生电子流的装置。它以氢为燃料、以氧为氧化剂，把化学能直接转化为电能。由于该电池以氢气为燃料，生成的产物是水，对环境造成的污染少。在化石燃料日益短缺及环境污染日益严峻的条件下，燃料电池倍受关注。而近几年发展起来的质子交换膜燃料电池（PEMFC）由于其无污染、发电效率高等特点正受到各国各部门的重视。主要评述了PEMFC的主要用途、工作原理及其实现商业化所面临的几个主要问题。     

质子交换膜燃料电池的开发应用

质子交换膜燃料电池（PEMFC）作为一种新一代的发电技术,已成为世界各国特别是发达国家的研发重点被纳入发展规划,应用领域从特殊应用到商品化、产业化不断开拓.但PEMFC的产业化和推广应用受关键材料和工艺技术的制约,为了加速我国PEMFC的发展,今后必须投入足够的财力,组织相关学科的人才,制定可行的规划,加大科研力度.     

质子交换膜燃料电池的研究及应用

概述了燃料电池的工作原理及其特点,较详细地综述了质子交换膜燃料电池目前的研究状况及应用。     

Experimental study on water transport coefficient in Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell

Water transport within Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell (PEMFC) is investigated by systematic measurements of the water transport coefficient, defined as the net water flux across the membrane divided by the water production. It is recorded for various operating conditions (current density, gas stoichiometry, air inlet relative humidity, temperature, pressure) in a fuel cell stack fed by dry hydrogen. The measurement of the water transport coefficient shows that a significant fraction of water is collected at the anode while water is produced or injected at the cathode. Moreover, in usual operating conditions, liquid water is present at the cell outlet not only in the cathode but also in the anode. Contrary to the electrical performances, ageing has no influence on the water transport coefficient, which allows the comparison between data collected at different periods of the fuel cell lifetime. From this comparison, it was found that the hydrogen flow rate, the amount of vapor injected at cathode inlet, and the temperature are the main parameters influencing the water transport coefficient. It is shown that air and hydrogen stoichiometry present significant effects on water transport but only through these parameters.     

Water management studies in PEM fuel cells,Part I: Fuel cell design and in situ water distributions

A proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) must maintain a balance between the hydration level required for efficient proton transfer and excess liquid water that can impede the flow of gases to the electrodes where the reactions take place. Therefore, it is critically important to understand the two-phase flow of liquid water combined with either the hydrogen (anode) or air (cathode) streams. In this paper, we describe the design of an in situ test apparatus that enables investigation of two-phase channel flow within PEMFCs, including the flow of water from the porous gas diffusion layer (GDL) into the channel gas flows; the flow of water within the bipolar plate channels themselves; and the dynamics of flow through multiple channels connected to common manifolds which maintain a uniform pressure differential across all possible flow paths. These two-phase flow effects have been studied at relatively low operating temperatures under steady-state conditions and during transient air purging sequences.     

Surface treatments with perfluoropolyether derivatives for the hydrophobization of gas diffusion layers for PEM fuel cells

In the present work, preliminary results of different hydrophobic surface treatments for gas diffusion layer (GDL) for PEM fuel cells are presented. This hydrophobic coating consists of new perfluoropolyether (PFPE) derivatives, in comparison to standard polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) dispersions. Experimental conditions for an efficient coating of fluoropolymers onto carbon clothes were explored by wet chemical methods.The GDLs obtained were tested in a single fuel cell at the lab scale. The cell testing was run at two temperatures (60 °C and 80 °C) with a relative humidity (RH) of the feeding gases of 80/100%, hydrogen/air respectively.The new PFPE coatings measurably improve the cell performances, and this effect is more evident at 60 °C with respect to 80 °C.     

Water balance for the design of a PEM fuel cell system

The design of a proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cell system is important for the optimization of the function of supporting parameters in the fuel cell. The water balance in a PEM fuel cell is investigated based on the water transport phenomena. In this investigation, the diffusion of water from the cathode side to the anode side of the cell is observed to not occur at 20% relative humidity at the cathode (RHC) and 58% relative humidity at the anode (RHA). The minimum concentration of condensed water at the cathode side is observed at a cathode gas inlet relative humidity of 40% RHC–92% RHC and at temperatures between 343 K and 363 K. RHC operating conditions that are greater than 90% and at a temperature of 363 K increased the concentration of condensed water and occurred quickly, which result in a water balance that became difficult to control. On the anode side, the condensation of water is observed at operating temperatures of 353 K and 363 K.     

Simulation of species transport and water management in PEM fuel cells

A single phase computational fuel cells model is presented to elucidate three-dimensional interactions between mass transport and electrochemical kinetics in proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cells with straight gas channels. The governing differential equations are solved over a single computational domain, which consists of a gas channel, gas diffusion layer, and catalyst layer for both the anode and cathode sides of the cell as well as the solid polymer membrane. Emphasis is placed on obtaining a basic understanding of how three-dimensional flow and transport phenomena in the air cathode impact the electrochemical process in the flow field. The complete cell model has been validated against experimentally measured polarization curve, showing good accuracy in reproducing cell performance over moderate current density interval. Fully three-dimensional results of the flow structure and species profiles are presented for cathode flow field. The effects of pressure on oxygen transport and water removal are illustrated through main axis of the flow structure. The model results indicate that oxygen concentration in reaction sites is significantly affected by pressure increase which leads to rising fuel cells power.     

Cell failure mechanisms in PEM water electrolyzers

PEM water electrolysis offers an efficient and flexible way to produce “green-hydrogen” from renewable (intermittent) energy sources. Most research papers published in the open literature on the subject are addressing performances issues and to date, very few information is available concerning the mechanisms of performance degradation and the associated consequences. Results reported in this communication have been used to analyze the failure mechanisms of PEM water electrolysis cells which can ultimately lead to the destruction of the electrolyzer. A two-step process involving firstly the local perforation of the solid polymer electrolyte followed secondly by the catalytic recombination of hydrogen and oxygen stored in the electrolysis compartments has been evidenced. The conditions leading to the onset of such mechanism are discussed and some preventive measures are proposed to avoid accidents.     

重力对PEM燃料电池性能的影响

水对质子交换膜(PEM)燃料电池的性能有极其重要的影响,良好的水管理是PEM燃料电池保持高性能的必要条件.通过试验,观察了在重力作用下液态水对PEM燃料电池性能及其内部传质的影响,分析了PEM燃料电池单体电极的不同摆放位置对其性能的影响.试验结果发现:在电流密度较小时,重力对PEM燃料电池性能的影响不明显,电流密度较大时,重力对PEM燃料电池性能的影响比较明显.试验结果对优化PEM燃料电池的结构和水管理有一定的参考价值.     

The effect of relative humidity of the cathode on the performance and the uniformity of PEM fuel cells

The effect of relative humidity of the cathode (RHC) on proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cells has been studied focusing on automotive operation. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations were performed on a 300-cm² serpentine flow-field configuration at various RHC levels. The dependency of current density, membrane water contents, net water flux on the performance and the uniformity was investigated. The uniformity of current density and temperature was evaluated by employing standard deviation. The water balance inside a fuel cell was examined by describing electro-osmotic drag and back diffusion. It was concluded that the RHC has strong effect on the cell performance and uniformity. The dry RHC showed low cell voltage and non-uniform distributions of current density and temperature, whereas high RHC presented increased cell performance and uniform distributions of current density and temperature with well-hydrated membrane electrode assembly (MEA). Also the local current density distribution was strongly dependent on the local membrane water contents distribution that has complex phenomena of water transport. The elimination of external humidifier is desirable for the automotive operation, but it could degrade cell performance and durability due to dehydration of the MEA. Therefore a proper humidification of the reactant is necessary.     

Experimental validation of a lumped model of single droplet deformation,oscillation and detachment on the GDL surface of a PEM fuel cell

Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell (PEMFC) performance significantly depends on electrodes water content. Liquid water emerging from the Gas Diffusion Layer (GDL) micro-channels can form droplets, films or slugs in the Gas Flow Channel (GFC). In the regime of droplets formation, the interaction with the gas flow leads to an oscillating mechanisms that is fundamental to study the detachment from the GDL surface. In this work, a numerical model of a droplet growing on the GDL surface is developed to describe the interaction between droplet and gas flow. Therefore, a lumped force balance is enforced to determine the center of mass motion law. Oscillation frequencies during growth and at detachment are found as a function of droplet size. The model is also exploited to find the relationship between droplet critical detachment size and gas velocity. The numerical results are compared with the experimental data previously published by the authors as well as with other experimental results available in the literature. The matching between the numerical and experimental data is very good. The low computational burden and the conciseness of the proposed approach make the model suitable for applications such as control and optimization strategies development to enhance PEMFC performance. Additionally, the model can be exploited to implement monitoring and diagnostic algorithm as well.     

A two-phase non-isothermal mixed-domain PEM fuel cell model and its application to two-dimensional simulations

In this paper, a two-phase non-isothermal PEM fuel cell model based on the previously developed mixed-domain PEM fuel cell model with a consistent treatment of water transport in MEA has been established using the traditional two-fluid method. This two-phase multi-dimensional PEM fuel cell model could fully incorporate both the anode and cathode sides, properly account for the various water phases, including water vapor, water in the membrane phase, and liquid water, and truly enable numerical investigations of water and thermal management issues with the existence of condensation/evaporation interfaces in a PEM fuel cell. This two-phase model has been applied in this paper in a two-dimensional configuration to determine the appropriate condensation and evaporation rate coefficients and conduct extensive numerical studies concerning the effects of the inlet humidity condition and temperature variation on liquid water distribution with or without a condensation/evaporation interface.