Simulation and experimental measurements of 10-kW PEMFC passive hydrogen recovery system

Simulations are performed to examine the performance of a vacuum ejector in the hydrogen recovery loop of a 10-kW PEMFC system. The simulations commence by examining the effects of the primary flow fluid pressure and secondary flow temperature on the recirculation ratio and hydrogen stoichiometric ratio. Further simulations are then performed to investigate the temperature, pressure, velocity and Mach number distributions within the ejector for various values of the primary flow inlet pressure and temperature. A prototype ejector is fabricated using a 3D printing technique. Experiments are performed to evaluate the gas tightness and gas recovery performance of the ejector under realistic operating conditions. The simulation results show that the recirculation ratio and hydrogen stoichiometric ratio increase with a decreasing primary flow inlet pressure and secondary flow inlet temperature. As the primary flow inlet pressure increases, the pressure, velocity, and Mach number in the mixing chamber increase, and the hydrogen recovery performance decreases. Furthermore, as the temperature of the primary fluid flow increases, the stability of the isentropic flow condition within the ejector is enhanced. The experimental results show that the prototype vacuum ejector has a maximum gas leakage of just 0.7 psi and a minimum hydrogen recirculation rate of 59.3%. Consequently, it has significant potential for passive hydrogen recovery in large-scale fuel cell systems.     

Navier—Stokes Computations of the Supersonic Ejector—Diffuser System with a Second Throat

The supersonic ejector-diffuser system with a second throat was simulated using CFD.An explicit finite volume scheme was applied to solve two-dimensional Navier-Stokes equations with standard κ-εturbulence model.The vacuum performance of the supersonic ejector-diffuser system was investigated by changing the ejector throat area ration and the operating pressure ratio.Two convergent-divergent nozzles with design Mach number of 2.11 and 3.41 were selected to give the supersonic operation of the ejector-diffuser system.The presence of a second throat strongly affected the shock wave structure inside the mixing tube as well as the spreading of the under-expanded jet discharging from the primary nozzle.There were optimum values of the operating pressure ratio and ejector throat area ratio for the vacuum performance of the system to maximize.     

Numerical Simulation of the Supersonic Flows in the Second Throat Ejector —Diffuser Systems

INTRODUCTIONThe ejector system is a device which employs ahigh-velocity primary motive fluid to enirain and accelerate a slower moving secondary fluid. The resulting kinetic energy of the mixture is subsequently usedfor self-compression to a higher pressure, thus performing the function of a compressor. The ejectorsystem has lOng been applied to jet pumps, vacuumpumps, high-altitude simulators, V/STOLs, etc[lrv4],because of the major advantages of its structural simplicity and reliabili…     

Design and investigation of multi-nozzle ejector for PEMFC hydrogen recirculation

In this study, a multi-nozzle ejector is proposed for hydrogen recirculation in proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) systems. Numerical simulations are performed on the basis of an experimentally verified three-dimensional numerical model to investigate the performance and inner-flow distribution of the proposed multi-nozzle ejector. We show that the fuel cell system with the multi-nozzle ejector can achieve a wide output-power range without a significant change in the primary pressure by simply switching the operating mode of the nozzles; moreover, the recirculation ratios are acceptable. The output-power can cover the range of 20–25 kW and 35–100 kW theoretically; in addition, a relatively stable anodic inlet pressure can be achieved. The collaboration of nozzles can effectively restrain the vortex, and the operating mode with two nozzles can achieve the best recirculation capacity. The proposed method extends the operating range of the ejector and the results of this study may contribute to the further multi-nozzle ejector design.     

喷嘴可调式蒸汽喷射器的性能计算

基于气体动力学函数法,建立了的喷嘴可调式蒸汽喷射器的变工况性能计算模型。应用该模型得到了喷射器压缩蒸汽压力变化时,不同喷嘴喉口面积下喷射器性能的变化规律,为研究喷嘴可调式喷射器的变工况性能提供依据。结果表明:减小喷嘴喉口面积,喷射器的最佳工作点具有较高的喷射系数,同时该点的压缩蒸汽压力、压缩蒸汽温度较低;喷射器压缩蒸汽流量随喷嘴喉口面积减小而降低。     

二维流动模型的喷射器性能分析研究

采用二维轴对称流动模型，计算分析了吸入通道内回流现象、喷射器“恒能力”现象与静压力在轴线上分布情况之间的关系；探讨了工作压力对喷射器性能的影响。结果表明：持续降低出口压力会在混合室内形成激波，喷射因数保持不变；工作压力过高会在混合室内产生壅塞，反而降低喷射因数；吸入压力过低会在喷射器吸入通道内产生回流现象，影响喷射式制冷系统运行的安全性。     

Numerical investigation of ejector transient characteristics for a 130-kW PEMFC system

Improvement of fuel utilization is an important issue for proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) system. As a promising anode recirculation method, ejector has attracted great attention because it does not require additional power consumption. However, some transient processes such as the suck, diffusion, and mix of fluids are still not thoroughly revealed, which significantly influence ejector performances. In this study, a dynamic three-dimensional (3D) multicomponent ejector model for a 130-kW PEMFC system is developed. The model is validated against experimental data, including the entrainment ratio and mass flow rates. The effects of operating conditions (eg, pressure, water vapor, and nitrogen mass fraction) are investigated. The results show that the fuel supply can be controlled by the primary flow pressure. When the pressure difference between the primary and secondary flow is less than 10 kPa, the secondary flow cannot be sucked into the ejector. The transient response of ejector during stack power variations can be classified into two periods: the primary flow impact period and the mixed flow impact period. Under normal fuel cell system operating conditions, when the inlet relative humidity of the secondary flow is higher than 85%, the water vapor condensation is possible to happen at the ejector outlet region, leading to fuel supply instability. Besides, the hydrogen entrainment ratio decreases with the increase of nitrogen mass fraction. The effects of geometric parameters (eg, nozzle convergence angle, secondary flow tube diameter, mixing tube length, and diffuser angle) on ejector performances are also studied. It is found that the relatively short tube leads to pressure fluctuations in the vacuum region. Increasing the tube length is beneficial to creating a stable vacuum region. However, excessive tube length can increase the friction loss. Increasing the secondary flow inlet tube diameter is beneficial to the entrainment ratio. However, further enlarging the diameter contributes negligibly to the increase of entrainment ratio once the secondary flow mass rate depends on pressure.     

Optimal design of a novel nested-nozzle ejector for PEMFC's hydrogen supply and recirculation system

The ejector-based hydrogen supply and recirculation system (HSRS) for a Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell (PEMFC) system has the advantages of compact size and zero power consumption, compared with the HSRS using a recirculation pump. However, the conventional ejector with a single venturi nozzle can only function within a narrow power range of the PEMFC system due to its restricted primary inlet pressure. This study proposed a novel ejector design with nested nozzles to solve this problem. The key geometric parameters, including the nozzle diameters of a large nozzle (BN), a small nozzle (SN), and the axial distance between two nozzles, were optimized using CFD simulations to obtain the maximum entrainment capability. The BN mode is responsible for the stack's higher load operations, while the SN mode supports the lower power operations. Additionally, a bypass was used parallel to the nested-nozzle ejector in the HSRS to extend the ejector operating range further. The consistent CFD simulation and testing results of the nested-nozzle ejector showed effective hydrogen entrainment capability between 9% and 100% of power output for a 150 kW PEMFC stack. Moreover, the new nested-nozzle ejector HSRS showed much-reduced anode inlet pressure fluctuation compared to the HSRS using two conventional ejectors.     

高压气体引射器的试验研究和仿真

以一个高压气体引射器试验台为基础，开展了一系列高压引射试验，研究高背压条件下引射器的工作特性。同时，利用计算流体力学方法对引射器引射，混合过程进行了详细的研究。系列试验表明引射系数对引射气流的压力变化不敏感，但高背压的确对引射气流和被引射气流在混合管内的混合，扩散和流动产生影响。数值仿真克服了试验设备的限制，并显示了引射流动的详细情况。数值仿真结果表明：在一定的工况下，总存在一个最佳面积比和最佳相对位置以对应最大引射系数(即使引射器达到最大工作效率)，而其物理表现为引射器喉管壁面压力最低。正是它们之间的内在关系决定了气体引射器的工作特性。     

Numerical analysis of transport phenomena for designing of ejector in PEM forklift system

In the present study, Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) technique is used to design an ejector for anode recirculation in an automotive PEMFC system. A CFD model is firstly established and tested against well-documented and relevant solutions from the literature, and then used for different ejector geometries under different operating conditions. Results showed that a single ejector with optimized geometry cannot cover the required recirculation in the entire range of the fuel cell current. Having two ejectors for different ranges of currents is thus proposed as an alternative solution in which the system can better take the advantage of ejectors for recirculation purpose. In addition, the operating mode of one variable nozzle ejector has been investigated and compared with aforementioned cases. The results showed that the variable nozzle ejector can work in the same operational mode as in the case with two ejectors. However, in practice, the latter one needs a more complicated control system and it is more difficult to manufacture.     

Performance improvement of the vapour compression refrigeration cycle by a two‐phase constant area ejector

The performance of a vapour compression system that uses an ejector as an expansion device was investigated. In the analysis, a two‐phase constant area ejector flow model was used. R134a was selected as the refrigerant. According to the obtained results, for any operating temperature there are different optimum values of pressure drop in the suction chamber, ejector area ratio, ejector outlet pressure and cooling coefficient of performance (COP). As the difference between condenser and evaporator temperatures increases, the improvement ratio in COP rises whereas ejector area ratio drops. The minimum COP improvement ratio in the investigated field was 10.1%, while its maximum was 22.34%. Even in the case of an off‐design operation, the performance of a system with ejector is higher than that of the basic system. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

匹配新能源电能并网的压缩空气储能站性能研究

  [目的]  压缩空气储能系统在电能释放环节依托节流降压阀进行调压的方法,存在较大的空气压力能损失,降低了压缩空气储能系统的能量转换效率。  [方法]  引入喷射调压理论,通过高压流体对低压流体的自动卷吸作用获得中压流体的方法来完成调压过程,减少由节流降压阀引起的压力能损失。在研究过程中,分别构建了融合“节流阀调压”、“固定式匹配器调压”以及“可调式匹配器调压”三种不同调压方式的压缩空气储能系统并进行了性能比较分析。  [结果]  研究结果表明:“固定式匹配器调压”方法与“可调式匹配器调压”方法通过压力能回收,使得首台膨胀机可做功气流总量分别增加了2%与4.1%,储能系统的能量转换效率也由节流阀调压储能系统的59.26%分别提升至59.60%与59.97%。  [结论]  性能优化后的压缩空气储能系统能够服务于新能源电能并网需求,通过储能站与新能源电能发电站形成联合体的方式,促进新能源电能的消纳。     

Geometric optimization of an ejector for a 4 kW SOFC system with anode off-gas recycle

One of the important energy saving tools used in solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) system is the anode off-gas recycling (AGR) via an ejector which allows the recirculation of the unused fuels in the anode exhaust gas including hot steam which is essential for the elimination of the carbon deposition and the initiation of the reactions in the reformer. In an ejector system developed for the SOFCs, the steam to carbon ratio (STCR) and entrainment ratio are the crucial parameters for the determination of the ejector performance. These parameters can be engineered by modifying the geometric dimensions and operation conditions. This study focuses on the determination of the maximum STCR value and entrainment ratio via numerical geometric analyses for a micro combined heat and power (μ-CHP) system based on 4 kW SOFC, utilizing methane. A detailed numerical procedure for designing an ejector is provided and the ejector performance is investigated for different critical dimensions (throat diameter, nozzle exit angle and nozzle position etc.). The results show that the nozzle position and the nozzle exit angle significantly affect STCR and the entrainment ratio. When the nozzle position increases and nozzle exit angle decreases, the entrainment ratio and STCR is found to increase. The entrainment ratio and STCR are determined as around 7.3 and 2.7, respectively for a specific design created in the study.     

Performance of anodic recirculation by a variable flow ejector for a solid oxide fuel cell system under partial loads

An anode gas recycle (AGR) system driven by a variable flow rate ejector was developed for use in small-scale solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) systems. The partial load conditions were simulated through recycling power generation experiments to clarify the fundamental characteristics of the variable flow ejector by using actual 1 kW-class SOFC equipment at the steady state. We achieved power generation in a range of recirculation ratios under partial load conditions of 62.5%–80% by controlling the recirculation characteristics with the developed ejector by using a needle. Results showed that the recirculation ratio can be controlled in the range of 0.595–0.694 by adjusting the driving energy with the ejector even at a partial load where the fuel gas flow rate of the ejector changes. Furthermore, the effect of the recirculation ratio on SOFC output was discussed based on the results of gas analyses and temperature measurements. As the recirculation ratio increased, the fuel concentration at the SOFC inlet decreased and the water vapor concentration increased. However, the effect of the recirculation ratio on the stack temperature and output power was proposed to be small. In addition, it was confirmed that the operation was performed under safe conditions where no carbon deposition occurred by circulating the steam generated inside the SOFC without an external water supply. Ejector characteristics during power generation experiments were lower than those at room temperature, which indicates that an ejector upstream pressure of approximately 20–170 kPa gauge pressure was required. Variations in the fluid properties of the driver gas in the ejector motive nozzle heated by the hot suction gas were found to degrade the performance of the ejector installed in the SOFC system, as compared with the results of simulation experiments at room temperature. Nevertheless, the recirculation ratio range required for operation could be satisfied by adjusting the flow velocity of the driving gas through needle control.     

A parametric comparison of three fuel recirculation system in the closed loop fuel supply system of PEM fuel cell

Anodic fuel recirculation system has a significant role on the parasitic power of proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC). In this paper, different fuel supply systems for a PEMFC including a mechanical compressor, an ejector and an electrochemical pump are evaluated. Furthermore, the performances of ejector and electrochemical pump are studied at different operating conditions including operating temperature of 333 K–353 K, operating pressure of 2 bar–4 bar, relative humidity of 20%–100%, stack cells number from 150 to 400 and PEMFC active area of 0.03 m²–0.1 m². The results reveal that higher temperature of PEMFC leads to lower power consumption of the electrochemical pump, because activation over-potential of electrochemical pump decreases at higher temperatures. Moreover, higher operating temperature and pressure of PEMFC leads to higher stoichiometric ratio and hydrogen recirculation ratio because the motive flow energy in ejector enhances. In addition, the recirculation ratio and hydrogen stoichiometric ratio increase, almost linearly, with increase of anodic relative humidity. Utilization of mechanical compressor leads to lower system efficiency than other fuel recirculating devices due to more power consumption. Utilization of electrochemical pump in anodic recirculation system is a promising alternative to ejector due to lower noise level, better controllability and wide range of operating conditions.     

气-液喷射器工作参数的数值模拟

建立了气-液喷射器工作过程的一维稳态模型。运用数值计算方法对模型进行求解,采用Nabil Beithou等中的定解条件,计算了水为工质时的气-液喷射器内轴向压力分布。计算结果表明,本模型得到的气-液喷射器轴向压力分布与相同条件下Cattadori的实验值吻合较好；以实验结果为基准,本模型蒸汽喷嘴数值模拟结果比Nabil Beithou等的结果大为改善。对太阳能双喷射式制冷系统中的气-液喷射器进行了模拟,得到轴向压力分布和速度分布,结果表明,喷射系数随工作压力的升高而降低。     

Performance investigation on a coaxial-nozzle ejector for PEMFC hydrogen recirculation system

The ejector driven by the high-pressure gas potential energy from the hydrogen storage tank can reliably recirculate the unconsumed hydrogen in the proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) system. However, the fixed-geometry ejector cannot maintain consistently high performance among the whole power output range in the PEMFC system due to its shortage of limited operating range. In this paper, a coaxial two-nozzle ejector, satisfying the requirements of the PEMFC system under different power outputs, is developed for hydrogen recirculation. The proposed ejector is investigated numerically based on an experimentally verified simulation model to reveal the flow distribution and predict its performance. The simulation results show that the proposed ejector can work in a wide power range of 17.90–84.00 kW within a suitable supply hydrogen pressure range of 4–7 bar. More importantly, the ejector can not only maintain a recirculation ratio above 0.9 in the wide output power range but a high recirculation ratio greater than 2.0 in the low power output. The proposed ejector broadens the working range of a single ejector used in the PEMFC system, which significantly promotes the development of fuel cell being widely adopted in automobiles.     

Optimal technical analysis of vacuum ejector for passive hydrogen recovery

In this study, the numerical analysis and experimental measurements are conducted on the internal flow field and temperature distribution of ejectors with different throat diameters. The computational fluid dynamics (CFD) is used to simulate different ejectors and investigate the effects of Mach number, pressure, and temperature distributions. The hydrogen Entrainment Ratio (ER) of ejectors is also measured for proton exchange membrane fuel cell applications. The experimental measurements and simulations of the hydrogen Entrainment Ratio of the ejectors showed that the recovery efficiencies are 59%, 53%, and 33% for the pipe diameters of 0.5, 0.7, and 1.0 mm at the inlet pressures of 340 kPa, respectively. In different area ratios, the larger area ratio of the nozzle leads to greater difference between the diameter of the throat and the diameter of the throat outlet. This causes a smaller recovery rate. In the internal flow field of the ejector, higher recovery rate can be achieved by using the closer location of the positive shock wave to the nozzle outlet.     

太阳能喷射式制冷系统喷射器性能的三维数值模拟

利用FLUENT软件对太阳能喷射式制冷系统中的喷射器进行三维数值模拟,从影响喷射器性能的主要工作参数和喷射器的主要尺寸、结构等方面进行了数值计算。从数值模拟的研究中得出：流线型结构的喷射器能减弱混合过程中的回流现象;在超过某一值时继续增加工作流体的压力对喷射器性能没有改善;喷嘴出口和扩压管入口存在一定的距离会提高喷射器的性能;收缩段采用流线型的喷射器性能很接近四段都采用流线型的喷射器的性能,并且都能提高喷射器的性能。     

Experimental investigation on starting process of supersonic single-stage air ejector

This paper deals with experimental study of flow field of starting process in two-dimensional, single-stage supersonic ejector on different air total pressure. Schlieren pictures of flow field were taken, static pressure distribu-tions on side wall were measured. The obtained results show that, on critical pressure, the starting main shock waves in ejector oscillated back and forth between the second throat and the middle section of the mixing chamber, it causes the pressure in the second half of the mixing chamber acutely fluctuated .When the working pressure of the active flow is higher than the critical starting pressure, ejector starts normally and the inner flow-field of the mixing chamber keeps stable and the shock waves in the second throat have a certain degree of oscillation . After ejector starts, the operating pressure of the active flow may be lower than the starting pressure .