Pore-scale flow and mass transport in gas diffusion layer of proton exchange membrane fuel cell with interdigitated flow fields

Chen, Li; Luan, Hui; He, Ya-Ling; Tao, Wen‐Quan

doi:10.1016/j.ijthermalsci.2011.08.003

Cited by 205 publications

(119 citation statements)

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“…The pseudopotential model captures the essential elements of fluid behavior, namely it follows a non-ideal equation of state (EOS) and incorporates a surface tension force. Due to its remarkable computational efficiency and clear representation of the underlying microscopic physics, this model has been used as an efficient technique for simulating and investigating multiphase flow problems, particularly for these flows with complex topological changes of the interface, such as deformation, coalescence and breakup of the fluid phase, or fluid flow in complex geometries [24]. Recently, Chen et al [25] thoroughly reviewed the theory and application of the pseudopential model and we refer to their publication for more details.…”

Section:    mentioning

confidence: 99%

Contact Angle Effects on Pore and Corner Arc Menisci in Polygonal Capillary Tubes Studied with the Pseudopotential Multiphase Lattice Boltzmann Model

et al. 2016

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Abstract:In porous media, pore geometry and wettability are determinant factors for capillary flow in drainage or imbibition. Pores are often considered as cylindrical tubes in analytical or computational studies. Such simplification prevents the capture of phenomena occurring in pore corners. Considering the corners of pores is crucial to realistically study capillary flow and to accurately estimate liquid distribution, degree of saturation and dynamic liquid behavior in pores and in porous media. In this study, capillary flow in polygonal tubes is studied with the Shan-Chen pseudopotential multiphase lattice Boltzmann model (LBM). The LB model is first validated through a contact angle test and a capillary intrusion test. Then capillary rise in square and triangular tubes is simulated and the pore meniscus height is investigated as a function of contact angle θ. Also, the occurrence of fluid in the tube corners, referred to as corner arc menisci, is studied in terms of curvature versus degree of saturation. In polygonal capillary tubes, the number of sides leads to a critical contact angle θ c which is known as a key parameter for the existence of the two configurations. LBM succeeds in simulating the formation of a pore meniscus at θ > θ c or the occurrence of corner arc menisci at θ < θ c . The curvature of corner arc menisci is known to decrease with increasing saturation and decreasing contact angle as described by the Mayer and Stoewe-Princen (MS-P) theory. We obtain simulation results that are in good qualitative and quantitative agreement with the analytical solutions in terms of height of pore meniscus versus contact angle and curvature of corner arc menisci versus saturation degree. LBM is a suitable and promising tool for a better understanding of the complicated phenomena of multiphase flow in porous media.

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Section:    mentioning

confidence: 99%

Contact Angle Effects on Pore and Corner Arc Menisci in Polygonal Capillary Tubes Studied with the Pseudopotential Multiphase Lattice Boltzmann Model

et al. 2016

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“…Similarly, Sadeghifar et al 11 proposed a statistical unit cell model for estimating through-plane thermal conductivity. The challenge inherent in these efforts is that the idealized heat transfer structures and the subsequent temperature and property data are only valid for thermal conduction of dry PTLs in the through-plane direction.Alternatively, heat and mass transport within a PTL has been modeled using geometrically reconstructed PTL computational domains [12][13][14][15] and with geometric abstractions such as pore-network models. [16][17][18][19][20] The complex stochastic structure of the PTL makes it difficult and computationally expensive to directly model the thermal and mass transport using techniques such as computational fluid dynamics applied to a geometrically reconstructed domain.…”

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confidence: 99%

Material and Morphological Heat Transfer Properties of Fuel Cell Porous Transport Layers

Konduru

Allen

2017

J. Electrochem. Soc.

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The complex structure of the porous transport layer (PTLs), commonly referred to as gas diffusion layers (GDL), makes direct measurement of thermal transport properties difficult. Typically, effective thermal conductivity values are obtained experimentally and computational models are developed to replicate the measurements. This approach is sufficient for generalized one-dimensional models of fuel cell performance, but is not sufficient to predict reactant maldistribution due to the presence of liquid water in the PTL. Further, the anisotropy in the PTL structure results in dissimilar properties for through-plane and in-plane transport. In this work an analytical model is developed to extract material properties from effective thermal conductivity measurements. The model accounts for the change in the effective thermal conductivity as a function of compression. Geometric changes due to compression are separated from morphological changes using a compression modulation function; the shape of which is indicative of how fiber-to-fiber contact morphology changes with respect to strain. Material and morphological properties are determined using effective thermal conductivity data for three commercial PTLs. The properties also enable prediction of in-plane heat transfer using through-plane empirical data and also provide insight into morphological changes due to compression. A porous transport layer (PTL), more commonly referred to as a gas diffusion layer (GDL), has multiple purposes in a fuel cell including distribution of reactant gases to the catalyst layer, facilitation of product water removal from the catalyst layer, electronic and thermal conduction to/from the catalyst layer, and redistribution of compressive stresses across the membrane electrode assembly (MEA). A typical PTL consists of carbon fibers, either in fibrous or a non-woven morphology, along with binding agents and non-wetting agents such as polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE). Examples of a non-woven and a fibrous PTL are shown in Figure 1. PTL designation is used herein because the transport phenomena of interest is not restricted to diffusion of reactant gases, but is focused heat transfer.Heat transfer across a dry PTL is primarily due to conduction. When liquid water is present, then additional heat may be transferred from the catalyst layer via evaporation and conduction via the liquid water occupying the void space. Either mode of heat transfer, conduction or evaporation, may be the dominant effect depending upon the operating conditions.1 The location of an evaporation front within a PTL depends upon the temperature and temperature gradient within the PTL. The same can be said for water condensation within the PTL as demonstrated by Caulk and Baker.2 A highly conductive PTL may increase the conduction of heat, but result in widely distributed condensation that can block reactant transport. A less conductive PTL may decrease the conduction of heat, but result in a sharp temperature gradient that generates a thin, uniform layer of water which al...

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“…Examples can be (and not limited to) reservoir engineering [1][2][3][4], environmental hydrogeology [5], paper and pulp industry [6], fuel cells [7], biology, and medical science [8].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Examples can be (and not limited to) reservoir engineering [1][2][3][4], environmental hydrogeology [5], paper and pulp industry [6], fuel cells [7], biology, and medical science [8].The first pore-scale model was developed by Fatt in 1956 [9], who simulated the capillary pressure curve as a function of saturation using a pore-network model. After this legendary work, pore-network models, mainly dominated by quasi-static pore-network models, were developed and applied to reservoir engineering and hydrogeology problems.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Pore-scale modelling techniques: balancing efficiency, performance, and robustness

Niasar

2016

Comput Geosci

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BackgroundPore-scale modelling is now a well-established progressive research field, which has significantly contributed to fundamental understanding of flow and transport in porous media in the last five decades. Examples can be (and not limited to) reservoir engineering [1][2][3][4], environmental hydrogeology [5], paper and pulp industry [6], fuel cells [7], biology, and medical science [8].The first pore-scale model was developed by Fatt in 1956 [9], who simulated the capillary pressure curve as a function of saturation using a pore-network model. After this legendary work, pore-network models, mainly dominated by quasi-static pore-network models, were developed and applied to reservoir engineering and hydrogeology problems. The pore-network modelling opened up a new horizon in understanding the constitutive relations for two-phase flow such as capillary pressure and relative permeability curves [10,11], and at a later stage exploring the transport phenomena in porous media [12]. With further technological developments in micromodel and X-ray imaging facilities and computational infrastructures, quantitative pore-network models were further developed [13]. Almost all pore-network models for different applications share the common principles: they require analytical or semianalytical solutions for a given specific research problem at the pore scale, meaning that the domain geometry requires to be well defined. That implies that the idealization of pore space to interconnected simplified geometries is inevitable.To alleviate this restriction of pore-network models, direct numerical modelling techniques are employed where the equations are solved numerically on the original pore space without any geometrical idealization. The most commonly used method is lattice Boltzmann (LB) modelling. However, there are several other methods such as smoothed particle hydrodynamics (SPH), level set (LS), volume of fluids (VoF), and density functional method (DFM), which can handle the numerical simulation within the exact geometry. Focus of this special issueThis special issue presents reviews of three major direct numerical methods, namely LB, SPH, and DFM, to simulate complex processes in porous media. Liu et al. [14] reviewed simulation of single-phase and multiphase multicomponent flow at pore level using the LB method. They reviewed different LB methods, discussed their advantages and disadvantages, and concluded that one method cannot be necessarily the most preferred one. In another review paper by Tartakovsky et al. [15], the SPH method as a Lagrangian method based on a meshless discretization of partial differential equations is discussed. They present the Navier-Stokes and advection-diffusion-reaction equations, implementation of various boundary conditions, and time integration of the SPH equations, and they discuss applications of the SPH method for modelling porescale multiphase flows and reactive transport in porous and fractured media. In another review paper by Dinariev and Evseev [16], applications of densit...

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Pore-scale flow and mass transport in gas diffusion layer of proton exchange membrane fuel cell with interdigitated flow fields

Cited by 205 publications

References 40 publications

Contact Angle Effects on Pore and Corner Arc Menisci in Polygonal Capillary Tubes Studied with the Pseudopotential Multiphase Lattice Boltzmann Model

Contact Angle Effects on Pore and Corner Arc Menisci in Polygonal Capillary Tubes Studied with the Pseudopotential Multiphase Lattice Boltzmann Model

Material and Morphological Heat Transfer Properties of Fuel Cell Porous Transport Layers

Pore-scale modelling techniques: balancing efficiency, performance, and robustness

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