Abstract
Polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells were analyzed to investigate changes in the structure of the flow field and operating conditions. The cell performance, which was controlled by adjusting the width of the cathodic channel, improved as the backpressure increases. With the anodic and cathodic flow channels mismatched, the maximum power densities at 3.0 bar for a narrow cathodic channel were 1115 and 1024 mW/cm2, and those for a wide cathodic channel were 959 and 868 mW/cm2, respectively. The diffusion characteristics were investigated using the non-dimensional numbers Re (Reynolds), Sc (Schmidt), and Sh (Sherwood) to confirm the improvement of mass transport. The narrower the channel or the higher the operating pressure, the larger Re was and the smaller Sc and Sh became. In particular, the wider the anodic channel, the larger the value of Sh.
Highlights
Fuel cells are attracting attention as energy conversion devices owing to their high energy efficiency, near-zero emission, and low noise [1,2]
By re-introducing dimensionless numbers based on previous experience, we investigate the way in which changes in the width of the anode and cathode flow channels along with the operating pressure improve the mass transport by analyzing the diffusion characteristics
This setup enabled us to observe the change in the performance of the fuel cells when the flow channel widths of the anode and cathode bipolar plates were different, and the operating pressure was altered in that state
Summary
This setup enabled us to observe the change in the performance of the fuel cells when the flow channel widths of the anode and cathode bipolar plates were different, and the operating pressure was altered in that state. The catalyst was prepared by mixing Pt/C (40 wt.% Pt, Johnson Matthey Inc., London, UK), Nafion® ionomer solution (5 wt.%, Sigma–Aldrich Inc., St. Louis, MO, USA), and isopropyl alcohol (Daejung Chemicals and Metals Co., Siheung, Korea). A clamping torque of 60 kgf·m is applied to bolts when assembling the cell. Backpressure was applied to the outlet vents of the anode and cathode to control the pressure inside the fuel cells
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