Study on the SO2 adsorption performance of dual-layer activated carbon cloth cathode air filter for high-power fuel cell

Abstract

The removal of SO2 contaminant from the cathode air is crucial for the improvement of the efficiency of high-power fuel cell. The SO2 adsorption behaviour of dual-layer activated carbon cloth (ACC) was investigated at 5–15 ppm SO2 and filtration velocities of 0.125–0.45 m/s. The adsorption amount increased following a power function with time. The equilibrium breakthrough rate declines from approx. 88% to 56% when the concentration drops from 20 ppm to 5 ppm at 0.26 m/s and reduces from approx. 81% to 59% as the filtration velocity decreases from 0.45 m/s to 0.125 m/s at 10 ppm of SO2. In comparison to the packed bed filter, the pressure drop per thickness of the ACC media was considerably lower, measuring less than 9 Pa/mm, which can effectively decrease the parasitic power of the air supply unit. To determine filter’s breakthrough time and adsorption amount for the real application condition, a prediction method coupling the Yoon-Nelson model and the adsorption amount prediction model has been developed. The model can predict the breakthrough time and the adsorption amount of the full-scale filter using low-cost performance test data from the ACC materials with less than 10% error.