PEMFC带沟槽气体扩散层内传输特性孔隙网络模拟

采用三维孔隙网络模型计算了不同沟槽参数下气体扩散层(GDL)的液态水突破压力、毛细压力分布、气体扩散率和液相相对渗透率随饱和度变化,并从孔隙尺度角度探究了沟槽的作用机制。研究结果表明:沟槽改变了GDL的毛细压力分布,提供了液态水直接传输路径并优化了GDL内氧气和液态水的分布,从而提高了氧气有效扩散率。沟槽位置对氧气传输有明显影响,对液相传输的影响取决于是否形成贯穿GDL的传输路径;沟槽加深,氧气和液态水传输性能增强,沟槽穿透GDL时传输性能达到最佳;沟槽变宽,液相传输性能增强,氧气传输性能在低饱和度范围内先增强后减弱。综合各因素,给出了氧气和液态水传输性能最优时的沟槽参数。     

PEMFC中粗糙GDL表面对液态水在GC中传输过程的影响

采用商业软件FLUENT中VOF模型模拟了质子交换膜燃料电池（PEMFC）中液态水在具有粗糙气体扩散层（GDL）表面的气体通道（GC）中的传递过程。考察了GDL表面润湿特性和粗糙度对液态水传输过程的影响。研究结果表明：和亲水GDL表面相比,疏水GDL表面有利于液态水的排出;和光滑疏水GDL表面相比,粗糙疏水GDL表面加快了液滴的排出,减小了液滴覆盖GDL表面的面积;同时,粗糙GDL表面增加了GC相似文献   

Liquid water transport in a mixed-wet gas diffusion layer of a polymer electrolyte fuel cell

After PTFE treatment, a gas diffusion layer (GDL) of a polymer electrolyte fuel cell (PEFC) features mixed wettability, which substantially impacts liquid water transport and associated mass transport losses. A pore-network model is developed in this work to delineate the effect of GDL wettability distribution on pore-scale liquid water transport in a GDL under fuel cell operating conditions. It is found that in a mixed-wet GDL liquid water preferentially flows through connected GDL hydrophilic network, and thereby suppresses the finger-like morphology observed in a wholly hydrophobic GDL. The effect of GDL hydrophilic fraction distribution is investigated, and the existence of an optimum hydrophilic fraction that leads to the least mass transport losses is established. The need for controlled PTFE treatment is stressed, and a wettability-tailored GDL is proposed.     

Pore-network modeling of liquid water transport in gas diffusion layer of a polymer electrolyte fuel cell

A pore-network model is developed to study the liquid water movement and flooding in a gas diffusion layer (GDL), with the GDL morphology taken into account. The dynamics of liquid water transport at the pore-scale and evolution of saturation profile in a GDL under realistic fuel cell operating conditions is examined for the first time. It is found that capillary forces control liquid water transport in the GDL and that liquid water moves in connected clusters with finger-like liquid waterfronts, rendering concave-shaped saturation profiles characteristic of fractal capillary fingering. The effect of liquid coverage at the GDL–channel interface on the liquid water transport inside GDL is also studied, and it is found that liquid coverage at the GDL–channel interface results in pressure buildup inside the GDL causing the liquid water to break out from preferential locations.     

Influence of the Teflon loading in the gas diffusion layer of PBI-based PEM fuel cells

The influence of the PTFE content in commercial Toray graphite paper gas diffusion layer (GDL) on the performance of a PBI-based polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) has been studied. These materials have been characterised by evaluating the porosity, pore size distribution, SEM micrographs, hydrophobicity, air permeability and electrical resistance. Fuel cell results show that the lower the Teflon content, the better the cell performance and the lower the losses when oxygen was replaced by air. These results led to non-Teflonized carbon paper to be postulated as the most suitable candidate, provided that its mechanical integrity can be maintained throughout the whole process of preparation and testing of the MEA. However, some practical problems with this type of commercial non-Teflonized carbon paper were experienced in this work and led to damage of the support. The detrimental effects are described and discussed. As conclusion, the use of a minimally PTFE-loaded (10%) carbon paper is suggested because the inclusion of this level of Teflon improved properly the mechanical properties of the carbon support and only caused a very small drop in the performance.     

Characterization of gas diffusion layers for PEMFC

A carbon-filled gas diffusion layer (CFGDL), which is in the configuration similar to conventional carbon cloth gas diffusion layer (GDL) coated with carbon layer on both faces, was investigated and compared with conventional carbon paper-based single-layer and dual-layer GDLs. Like the carbon cloth GDL, CFGDL has presented superior performances over the single-layer or dual-layer GDL in all three polarization (activation, ohmic and concentration) controlled regions under electrochemical characterizations (steady-state polarization and electrochemical impedance spectra). The results from SEM showed that CFGDL has the same thickness of 0.11 mm as that of single-layer GDL, while dual-layer GDL has a thickness of 0.18 mm. The fully filled carbon paper with carbon/PTFE filler, as seen in the SEM image, displayed good support for the catalyst layer and electrolyte phase, allowing good electrical contact between the GDL/catalyst/membrane and GDL/flow field plate to be achieved. From porosimetry analysis, CFGDL presented a lower porosity of 67% and a much smaller average pore diameter of 4.7 μm compared to the single-layer GDL (porosity of 77% and pore diameter of 35.8 μm) and dual-layer GDL (porosity of 73% and pore diameter of 25.5 μm); however, it also gave the largest limiting current density, which reflects the improvement in mass transportation. This phenomenon is likely attributed to the fast removal of micro-water droplets formed in the CFGDL structure of the electrode.     

Oxygen mass transport limitations at the cathode of polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells

Oxygen transport across the cathode gas diffusion layer (GDL) in polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) fuel cells was examined by varying the O₂/N₂ ratio and by varying the area of the GDL extending laterally from the gas flow channel under the bipolar plate (under the land). As the cathode is depleted of oxygen, the current density becomes limited by oxygen transport across the GDL. Oxygen depletion from O₂/N₂ mixtures limits catalyst utilization, especially under the land.The local current density with air fed PEM fuel cells falls to practically zero at lateral distances under the land more than 3 times the GDL thickness; on the other hand, catalyst utilization was not limited when the fuel cell cathode was fed with 100% oxygen. The ratio of GDL thickness to the extent of the land is thus critical to the effective utilization of the catalyst in an air fed PEM fuel cell. © 2010 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 2011     

阴、阳极加湿程度对PEMFC内部传质的影响

为了研究常规流场下阴、阳极增湿程度对电池内部水分布、传递、膜性能及水拖曳系数等的影响,对PEMFC进行二维建模,应用控制容积法对控制方程进行离散,然后求解,得到了电池内部水和反应气浓度、速度分布、膜中电流密度、电势分布及膜中水分布,考察了气体不同增湿程度对质子交换膜电导率及电池内部传质的影响.结果表明,PEMFC中水综合拖曳系数随着阳极加湿程度的增加而增大,随阴极增湿程度的增加而减小,但阳极增湿对水综合拖曳系数的影响比同增湿程度下阴极增湿对水综合拖曳系数的影响大得多.同时,随着阳极加湿程度的升高,质子交换膜（PEM）电导率急剧升高,而阴极加湿程度对PEM电导率的影响只是停留在较小的电流范围之内.故PEMFC在小电流密度工作时,应该使阳极气体充分增湿;而在大电流密度工作时,应该适当降低阳极的增湿程度以降低阴极两相流的机会,从而改善阴极的传质状况.     

Effect of gas diffusion layer compression on the performance in a proton exchange membrane fuel cell

This study investigates the gas permeability, bulk density, thickness and conductivity of two types of gas diffusion layer (OC14, NC14) as a function of the compressed thickness. The compression of a gas diffusion layer reduces gas permeability and contact resistance. The performance is measured using a single proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) with an active area of 25 cm². The results provide an optimum value of compression ratio that maximizes the cell performance. For OC14 the optimum compression ratio is about 64%, whereas for NC14 it is 59%. The best performances are 375 mA/cm² and 296 mA/cm² at 0.7 V, respectively. These results concerning the balance between compression and performance provide vital information for the fabrication of stacks and support for industrial applications.     

PEMFC阴极扩散层结构特性对水淹影响的数值分析

建立质子交换膜燃料电池一维两相传递模型,通过达西定律和菲克定律的联立求解得到扩散层中的液体饱和度和氧气浓度分布。考察扩散层特性参数孔隙率、厚度、接触角、渗透率对阴极水淹的影响,结果表明扩散层表面憎水将有助于液态水移出,但当达到憎水条件后,增大接触角对液态水传输和氧气传质的影响逐渐变小。憎水条件下孔隙率和厚度对液态水传输的影响不是很明显,但孔隙率增大和扩散层厚度减小均有利于氧气传质,实际应用中孔隙率增大的同时,厚度也要适当增大,极限电流密度相差不大。模型计算结果与文献中不同PTFE含量条件下实验的Tafel斜率和极限电流密度比较,吻合较好。     

Analysis of GDL flooding effects on PEMFC performance

One of the major concerns of the gas diffusion layer (GDL) inside a proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) is water management. Treatment of the pores of the GDL can affect the PEMFC performance due to the degree of water flooding inside the GDL. In this work, GDL flooding was investigated using a simplified approach in an established numerical model. The predictions are compared with experimental data of GDLs with different treatments. Local distributions inside the cell are given and the effect of homogenous GDL flooding on these is discussed.     

New mechanism of gas transport at the interface solid/liquid

It was recently shown that an abnormally fast transport of CO molecules takes place at the electrode/electrolyte interface of Pt and PtRu electrodes in H₂SO₄ and HClO₄ solutions. In the present paper, this phenomenon is tested for other gases, such as hydrogen and oxygen. The fast transport is also observed at the solid/electrolyte solution interface of other electrode materials and at the glass/electrolyte interface. Several experiments are shown, demonstrating that mass transfer takes place at a velocity, which is more than one order of magnitude higher than expected for usual diffusion conditions.Assuming radial mass transfer at the interface of a Pt disc, the activation energy, E_a = 23 kJ mol⁻¹, was calculated from Arrhenius plots. The same value was measured in H₂SO₄ and HClO₄ as supporting electrolytes. The mass transport parameter, Y, at 298 K was 4.8 × 10⁻³ cm² s⁻¹ and 2.9 × 10⁻³ cm² s⁻¹ in 0.5 M H₂SO₄ and 1 M HClO₄ respectively.     

Effect of cathode GDL characteristics on mass transport in PEM fuel cells

The effect of the content of the hydrophobic agent in the cathode gas diffusion layer (GDL) on the mass transport in the proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) was studied using mercury porosimetry, scanning electron microscopy, and electrochemical polarization techniques. The mercury intrusion data and SEM micrograph indicated that the hydrophobic agent alters the surface and bulk structure of the GDL, thereby controlling gas-phase void volume and liquid water transport. The electrochemical polarization curves were measured and quantitatively analyzed to determine the oxygen transport limitation both in the catalyst layer and the GDL. Evaluation of the parameter ζ, which represents the cathode GDL characteristics for liquid water transport, indicated that the optimized content of the hydrophobic agent and effective water management results from a trade-off between the hydrophobicity and the absolute permeability for faster water drainage.     

Two-phase transport and the role of micro-porous layer in polymer electrolyte fuel cells

Two-phase transport of reactants and products constitutes an important limit in performance of polymer electrolyte fuel cells (PEFC). Particularly, at high current densities and/or low gas flow rates, product water condenses in open pores of the cathode gas diffusion layer (GDL) and limits the effective oxygen transport to the active catalyst sites. Furthermore, liquid water covers some of the active catalytic surface, rendering them inactive for electrochemical reaction. Traditionally, these two-phase transport processes in the GDL are modeled using so-called unsaturated flow theory (UFT), in which a uniform gas-phase pressure is assumed across the entire porous layer, thereby ignoring the gas-phase flow counter to capillarity-induced liquid motion. In this work, using multi-phase mixture (M²) formalism, the constant gas pressure assumption is relaxed and the effects of counter gas-flow are studied and found to be a new oxygen transport mechanism. Further, we analyze the multi-layer diffusion media, composed of two or more layers of porous materials having different pore sizes and/or wetting characteristics. Particularly, the effects of porosity, thickness and wettability of a micro-porous layer (MPL) on the two-phase transport in PEFC are elucidated.     

Effects of the cathode gas diffusion layer characteristics on the performance of polymer electrolyte fuel cells

Polymer electrolyte fuel cell (PEFC) electrodes were prepared by applying different porous gas diffusion half-layers (GDHLs) onto each face of a carbon cloth support, followed by the deposition of a catalyst layer onto one of these half-layers. The performance of PEFCs in H₂/air operation using cathodes with GDHLs presenting different characteristics were compared. The best result was obtained using cathodes with GDHLs having polytetrafluorethylene (PTFE) contents of 30 wt % in the gas side and 15 wt % in the catalyst side. This behaviour was explained in terms of a better water management within the cell.     

Modification and durability of carbon paper gas diffusion layer in proton exchange membrane fuel cell

To solve the durability problem caused by carbon corrosion in the porous carbon paper gas diffusion layer (GDL) of proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC), a Cr₇C₃ ceramic coating on porous carbon paper by molten salt method was prepared. The obtained Cr₇C₃ coating is dense and shows good adherent with the carbon paper. Based on the corrosion resistance testes, it is concluded that the Cr₇C₃ coated carbon paper can keep high chemical stability in the long-time acid immersion accelerated corrosion tests and simulated cathodic proton exchange membrane fuel cells environment. The carbon paper with Cr₇C₃ coating shows a small current density with a value of about 1.1 × 10^?5 A cm^?2 in the potentiostatic polarization test under 1 M H₂SO₄ + 2 ppm HF at 70 °C and1.4 V_SCE for 72 h. Meanwhile, the resistivity of carbon paper with Cr₇C₃ coating prepared is 30% lower than that of pure carbon paper, and the conductivity is 1.5 times that of pure carbon paper.     

Pore-network analysis of two-phase water transport in gas diffusion layers of polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells

A pore-network model was developed to study the water transport in hydrophobic gas diffusion layers (GDLs) of polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs). The pore structure of GDL materials was modeled as a regular cubic network of pores connected by throats. The governing equations for the two-phase flow in the pore-network were obtained by considering the capillary pressure in the pores, and the entry pressure and viscous pressure drop through the throats. Numerical results showed that the saturation distribution in GDLs maintained a concave shape, indicating the water transport in GDLs was strongly influenced by capillary processes. Parametric studies were also conducted to examine the effects of several geometrical and capillary properties of GDLs on the water transport behavior and the saturation distribution. The proper inlet boundary condition for the liquid water entering GDLs was discussed along with its effects on the saturation distribution.     

Determination of mass diffusion overpotential distribution with flow pulse method from current distribution measurements in a PEMFC

The mass diffusion overpotential distribution in a free-breathing proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) was determined from current distribution measurements using a flow pulse approach. The current distribution measurements were conducted with a segmented flow-field plate. Flow pulses were fed to the cathode channels to form a uniform oxygen concentration distribution along the channels. Simultaneously, the cell resistance was monitored using the current interruption method. From the experimental data, the mass diffusion overpotential distribution was calculated using the Tafel equation. The results show that the mass diffusion overpotential in different parts of the cell may vary considerably, for example, at 180 mA cm^–2 the mass diffusion overpotential difference between the bottom and top part of the cell was 0.1 V.     

Monte Carlo simulation of the PEMFC catalyst layer

The performance of the polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) is greatly controlled by the structure of the catalyst layer. Low catalyst utilization is still a significant obstacle to the commercialization of the PEMFC. In order to get a fundamental understanding of the electrode structure and to find the limiting factor in the low catalyst utilization, it is necessary to develop the mechanical model on the effect of catalyst layer structure on the catalyst utilization and the performance of the PEMFC. In this work, the structure of the catalyst layer is studied based on the lattice model with the Monte Carlo simulation. The model can predict the effects of some catalyst layer components, such as Pt/C catalyst, electrolyte and gas pores, on the utilization of the catalyst and the cell performance. The simulation result shows that the aggregation of conduction grains can greatly affect the degree of catalyst utilization. The better the dispersion of the conduction grains, the larger the total effective area of the catalyst is. To achieve higher utilization, catalyst layer components must be distributed by means of engineered design, which can prevent aggregation.     

Anisotropic, effective diffusivity of porous gas diffusion layer materials for PEFC

A comparative, experimental diffusivity study of gas diffusion layer (GDL) materials for polymer electrolyte fuel cells (PEFC) is presented for the first time. The GDL plays an important role for electrochemical losses due to gas transport limitations at high current densities. Characterization and optimization of these layers is therefore essential to improve power density. A recently developed method which allows for fast diffusimetry is applied and data compared to the literature values. Measurements are made as a function of direction and compression and the effect of different binder structures and hydrophobic treatments on effective diffusivities are discussed. A better understanding of the results is gained by including novel GDL cross-section images and a meaningful unit cell model for the interpretation of the data. The diffusivity data is valuable for GDL manufacturers and future PEFC models. The study reveals that a binder-fiber ratio larger than 50% has a negative impact on the effective diffusion properties. The hydrophobic treatment which is necessary to improve the water management can impede diffusion and thus reduce the power density. Furthermore binder has an isotropic effect while compression pronounces the in-plane orientation of the fibers.