Abstract
Proper operating temperature range and homogenous temperature distribution are important to proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC). For the elevated temperature PEMFC water is not suitable to be used as coolant due to high operating temperature. Instead, air can be chosen as coolant because of the relative large temperature difference between fuel cell itself and the ambient air. In this paper, four types of forced air-cooling modes for elevated temperature PEMFC were discussed, and influences of other factors such as cooling air inlet velocity and thermal conductivity of bipolar plate material and fins on heat dissipation and temperature distribution were investigated. Three-dimensional computational fluid dynamics (CFD) method was employed to investigate fluid flow and heat transfer in the elevated temperature PEMFC on a 250 cm2 single cell level. The temperature distribution fields on the active area of MEA were obtained and compared. One optimized mode, with suitable cooling air inlet velocity and bipolar plate material, was determined for future experimental study.
Highlights
Proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) has many advantages, including clean, efficient and high power density, etc., and it is regarded as an ideal power source for vehicles in the future[1,2]
Operating temperature is a critical factor for proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) since it greatly influences the performance and durability of the PEMFC
Recent research has confirmed that PEMFC operated at an elevated temperature can bring many benefits, e.g. enhanced electrochemical kinetics for both electrode reactions, simplified water management, and increased CO tolerance[3].if the operating temperature is too high, it may lead to degradation on membranes, catalysts layers (CLs) and gas diffusion layers (GDLs)
Summary
Proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) has many advantages, including clean, efficient and high power density, etc., and it is regarded as an ideal power source for vehicles in the future[1,2].Operating temperature is a critical factor for PEMFC since it greatly influences the performance and durability of the PEMFC. Proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) has many advantages, including clean, efficient and high power density, etc., and it is regarded as an ideal power source for vehicles in the future[1,2]. Since energy efficiency of fuel cell is approximately 50%, a kW-class PEMFC stack generates the same amount of heat. It is important to remove the excessive heat and keep PEMFC operating in a proper temperature range. A homogeneous temperature distribution in the active area is very important for PEMFC. It can increase the kinetic rates at reaction sites and reduce the ohmic losses in the electrolyte [4]. A proper cooling structure must be designed to maintain
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