CFD Modelling of a Hydrogen/Air PEM Fuel Cell with a Serpentine Gas Distributor

D'Adamo, Alessandro; Riccardi, Marco; Borghi, Massimo; Fontanesi, Stefano

doi:10.3390/pr9030564

Cited by 22 publications

(20 citation statements)

References 36 publications

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“…Finally, an important role is played by the characterization of the electrolyte, which is modelled as impermeable to fluids, but which allows the transport of ions and water molecules via electro-osmotic drag effect. With reference to a preliminary validation of the model in [18], the CFD-3D model is here developed extensively as reported in [19]. The multiphase approach adopted in this study is the mixture multiphase (MMP) approach.…”

Section: Numerical Modelmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Application of an Ageing Model to a Hydrogen-Fuelled PEM Fuel Cell

2021

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Hydrogen is one of the most promising energy vectors for achieving the decarbonization of the propulsion systems market. Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cell system (PEMFCs) stand out in this panorama, thanks to reduced activation times and low temperatures of use, easily adapting to the needs of the sector. In this paper, a multi-phase, multi-component and non-isothermal 3D-CFD model is proposed to simulate the effects of PEMFC ageing, limiting the system durability due to slow membrane corrosion and loss of material performance and properties degradation, resulting in a reduced current density under equal voltage. The model is applied both in 1D and 3D frameworks implementing a validated model from literature, allowing to estimate the useful life of the cell as a function of parameters such as the degradation rate and the crossover rate. Simulations are carried out at different membrane thicknesses and for different membrane conductivities, using a hydrogen-fuelled serpentine-type PEM fuel cell. The study relevance lies in the possibility to investigate the critical aspects limiting PEMFC system durability, as well as the optimal conditions of use, and it allows to identify corrective design actions.

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Section: Numerical Modelmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The degradation rates of membrane thickness and conductivity used as input data in the semi-empirical model of membrane degradation are listed below. Degradation rates are estimated from experimental data reported by Yuan et al [18,19]. ]…”

Section: Ageing Modelmentioning

confidence: 99%

Application of an Ageing Model to a Hydrogen-Fuelled PEM Fuel Cell

2021

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“…In such application it is of utmost importance to maximize the cell power density to reduce weight and volume of the power system. This motives the engineering focus on high electrochemical simulation of a straight-channel hydrogen-air PEMFC, which was applied to a serpentine-type PEMFC in [15,16]. Here, the three-dimensional flow of a serpentine-type PEMFC is simulated on a representative portion, with characterization of the flow by-pass ratio through the porous GDL.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

On the use of tapered channels gas distributors to promote convection in PEM Fuel Cells

D'Adamo

Borghi

2021

E3S Web Conf.

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Polymeric Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells (PEMFC) are promising power propulsion systems for the decarbonization of the transportation sector. Despite being a well-known method for the direct production of electric current from the reactants chemical energy, one of the major limitations to their large-scale industrial development are fluid dynamics and mass transport aspects, crucially limiting the electrochemistry rate under critical conditions. This is especially verified in PEMFC with serpentine-type gas distributors, for which such areas are identified in proximity of the gas channel bends where the dominant mechanism for species transport shifts from a convection-enhanced to a diffusion-limited one. An engineering method to enhance the convective transport in such deficient areas is the use of gas distributors with tapered channels, effectively forcing the flow in diffusive media and improving the reactants delivery rate and products removal. A numerical analysis is presented on a limited domain representing a section of a serpentine gas distributor. A multi-dimensional CFD study is carried out comparing conventional-type and tapered channel distributors, evaluating the combined effect of pressure losses, catalyst layers utilization, flow regime in anisotropic diffusion media and convection/diffusion balance via a non-dimensional analysis. The study covers various inlet Reynolds numbers and in-plane permeability of porous materials for two diffusion media thicknesses, with the aim to extend the generality of the study. Conclusions based on the simulation results outline channel tapering as a very effective way to improve the power density of PEMFC, although an energetic cost/benefit analysis indicates a reduced cell efficiency.

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“…Owing to its physical and thermophysical properties [1,2], hydrogen has shown promising benefits for applications as fuel in ICEs or fuel cells. However, fuel cells, which, so far offer the highest well-to-wheels benefit in terms of efficiency and emissions [3][4][5], are struggling to emerge on the market because of their expensiveness and the lack of hydrogen-refueling infrastructures. Many experts think that it will take no less than 10 years before their mass production [3,6,7].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

3D CFD simulation of a gaseous fuel injection in a hydrogen-fueled internal combustion engine

Barbato

Cantore

2021

E3S Web Conf.

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Nowadays, one of the hottest topic in the automotive engineering community is the reduction of fossil fuels. Hydrogen is an alternative energy source that is already providing clean, renewable, and efficient power being used in fuel cells. Despite being developed since a few decades, fuel cells are affected by several hurdles, the most impacting one being their cost per unit power. While waiting for their cost reduction and mass-market penetration, hydrogen-fueled internal combustion engines (H2ICEs) can be a rapidly applicable solution to reduce pollution caused by the combustion of fossil fuels. Such engines benefit from the advanced technology of modern internal combustion engines (ICEs) and the advantages related to hydrogen combustion, although some modifications are needed for conventional liquid-fueled engines to run on hydrogen. The gaseous injection of hydrogen directly into the combustion chamber is a challenge both for the designers and for the injection system suppliers. To reduce uncertainties, time, and development cost, computational fluid dynamics (CFD) tools appear extremely useful, since they can accurately predict mixture formation and combustion before the expensive production/testing phase. The high-pressure gaseous injection which takes place in Direct-Injected H2ICEs promotes a super-sonic flow with very high gradients in the zone between the bulk of the injected hydrogen and the flow already inside the combustion chamber. To develop a methodology for an accurate simulation of these phenomena, the SoPHy Engine of the Engine Combustion Network group (ECN) is used and presented. This engine is fed through a single nozzle H2-injector; planar laser-induced fluorescence (PLIF) data are available for comparison with the CFD outcomes.

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CFD Modelling of a Hydrogen/Air PEM Fuel Cell with a Serpentine Gas Distributor

Cited by 22 publications

References 36 publications

Application of an Ageing Model to a Hydrogen-Fuelled PEM Fuel Cell

Application of an Ageing Model to a Hydrogen-Fuelled PEM Fuel Cell

On the use of tapered channels gas distributors to promote convection in PEM Fuel Cells

3D CFD simulation of a gaseous fuel injection in a hydrogen-fueled internal combustion engine

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