Low Carbon Technology Research Group
Prediction and management of fluid transport in PEM fuel cells
PEM Fuel Cells offer wide applicability in automotive and other power generation markets but present designs are constrained by the effects of fluid flow and heat release.
Fluid management is vital to the goal of improved power density and reduced cost. This innovative proposal combines advanced modelling and experimental techniques for improving the understanding of complex fluid dynamics within PEM fuel cells.
CFD and Lattice-Boltzmann Equation (LBE) methods will be used to predict gas and fluid movement within the cell, whilst X-ray tomography and electron microscopy imaging techniques will be used to generate 2D and 3D images of its internal structure, including the GDL and MEA.
The improved understanding and management of fluid dynamics within the cell will be applied to enhance component design, with a target of doubling the existing specific power output.
- Funding body
- Technology Strategy Board (TSB)
- Project duration
- 3 years
- Project team (researchers)
- Professor Rui Chen, Pratap Rama and Yu Liu
- Industrial collaborators
- Intelligent Energy, Johnson Matthey Fuel Cells, Technical Fibre Products, Saati Group (Italy), AVL LIST, University of Birmingham, University of Liverpool
- Contact
- Professor Rui Chen
Project outputs / results
- Generating microstructure images from SEM in nanometre resolution for modelling and experiments;
- Modelling and cell testing, to be carried out under parallel work programmes;
- Visualisation and component modification;
- Validation; and
- Stack design and build.
Publications
- H. Ostadi, P. Rama, Y. Liu, R. Chen, X. Zhang, K. Jiang, “Nanotomography based study of gas diffusion layers”, Microelectronic Engineering, 87 (2010) 1640–1642, doi:10.1016/j.mee.2009.10.027.
- H. Ostadi, P. Rama,Y. Liu, R. Chen, X. X. Zhang, and K. Jiang, “3D reconstruction of a gas diffusion layer and a microporous layer”, Journal of Membrane Science 351 (2010) 69–74. doi:10.1016/j.memsci.2010.01.031
- P Rama, Y Liu and R Chen, H Ostadi, K Jiang, X X Zhang, R Fisher, M Jeschke, “An X-Ray Tomography Based Lattice-Boltzmann Simulation Study on Gas Diffusion Layers of Polymer Electrolyte Fuel Cell”, inprint by American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) Journals, Journal of Fuel Cell Science and Technology, Oct. 2010.
- Pratap Rama, Rui Chen, “Polymer Electrolyte Fuel Cell Transport Mechanisms: A Universal Approach to Multi-Layer Two-Phase Modelling through the General Transport Equation”, In-print American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) Journals, Journal of Fuel Cell Science and Technology, Oct. 2010
- H. Ostadi, P. Rama, Y. Liu, R. Chen, X. Zhang, K. Jiang, “Threshold fine-tuning and 3D characterisation of porous media using X-ray nanotomography”, Current Nanoscience (In press).
- H Ostadi, P Rama, Y Liu, R Chen, X Zhang and K Jiang, “Influence of threshold variation on determining the properties of a polymer electrolyte fuel cell gas diffusion layer in X-ray nano-tomography”, in-print (CES-D-09-01048R1), Journal of Chemical Engineering Science.
- Pratap Rama, Yu Liu, Rui Chen, Hossein Ostadi, Kyle Jiang, Yuan Gao, Xiaoxian Zhang, Rosemary Fisher, Michael Jeschke, “Multi-Scale Modelling of Single-Phase Multi-Component Transport in the Cathode Gas Diffusion Layer of a Polymer Electrolyte Fuel Cell”, submitted to Energy & Fuels, referees comments replied.
- Pratap Rama, Yu Liu, Rui Chen, Hossein Ostadi, Kyle Jiang, Yuan Gao, Xiaoxian Zhang, Davide Brivio, Paolo Grassini, “A Numerical Study of Structural Change and Anisotropic Permeability in Compressed Carbon Cloth Polymer Electrolyte Fuel Cell Gas Diffusion Layers”, submitted to Fuel Cells, March 2010.
- H. Ostadi, P. Rama, Y. Liu, R. Chen, K. Jiang, X. Zhang, Micr/Nano tomography for analysis of gas diffusion layers of microfuel cells, Power MEMS 2009 Workshop, Washington DC, USA, 1-4 Dec. 2009.