With the rapid growth and development of proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) technology there has been an increasing demand for clean and sustainable global energy applications.While there are many device-level and infrastructure challenges still to be overcome before wide commercialization can be realized, increasing the PEMFC power density is a critical technical challenge, with ambitious goals proposed globally. For example, the short-term and long-term goals of the Japan New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO) are 6 kW L -1 by 2030 and 9 kW L -1 by 2040, respectively. To this end, we propose technical development directions required for next-generation high power density PEMFCs. This perspective comprehensively embraces the latest advanced ideas for improvements in the membrane electrode assembly (MEA) and its components, bipolar plate (BP), integrated BP-MEA design, with regard to water and thermal management, and materials. The realization of these ideas is expected to be encompassed in next-generation PEMFCs with the aim of achieving a high power density.
Summary
A three‐dimensional (3D) multi‐phase numerical model of proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) is built. The catalyst layer (CL) spherical agglomerate model is used to replace traditional homogenous model, which can predict the concentration loss in PEMFC more accurately. Utilizing this multi‐phase model, the PEMFC with 3D fine mesh flow field is investigated at length, and the liquid water distribution in 3D flow field is qualitatively compared with the experimental image in previous literature. It is found that the 3D fine mesh flow field can improve the reactant gas supply from flow field to porous electrodes significantly and facilitate liquid water removal in PEMFC simultaneously. Therefore, it reduces the concentration loss of PEMFC effectively without increasing the pumping power loss thanks to the greatly increased mass transfer area between gas diffusion layer (GDL) and flow field and vertical flow design of hydrogen and air, which also make the reaction rate distribution in CL more uniform. However, the decreased contact area between GDL and bipolar plate in 3D flow field may decrease PEMFC performance at the current densities where ohmic loss is dominated, but its effect is insignificant.
Liquid water transport in perforated gas diffusion layers (GDLs) is numerically investigated using a threedimensional (3D) two-phase volume of fluid (VOF) model and a stochastic reconstruction model of GDL microstructures. Different perforation depths and diameters are investigated, in comparison with the GDL without perforation. It is found that perforation can considerably reduce the liquid water level inside a GDL. The perforation diameter (D = 100 lm) and the depth (H = 100 lm) show pronounced effect. In addition, two different perforation locations, i.e. the GDL center and the liquid water breakthrough point, are investigated. Results show that the latter perforation location works more efficiently. Moreover, the perforation perimeter wettability is studied, and it is found that a hydrophilic region around the perforation further reduces the water saturation. Finally, the oxygen transport in the partially-saturated GDL is studied using an oxygen diffusion model. Results indicate that perforation reduces the oxygen diffusion resistance in GDLs and improves the oxygen concentration at the GDL bottom up to 101% (D = 100 lm and H = 100 lm).
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