Wu, Y;
Cho, JIS;
Neville, TP;
Meyer, Q;
Zeische, R;
Boillat, P;
Cochet, M;
... Brett, DJL; + view all
(2018)
Effect of serpentine flow-field design on the water management of polymer electrolyte fuel cells: An in-operando neutron radiography study.
Journal of Power Sources
, 399
pp. 254-263.
10.1016/j.jpowsour.2018.07.085.
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Abstract
In-depth understanding of the dynamics of water formation, accumulation and removal is important for flow-field design optimization to ensure robust performance and durability of polymer electrolyte fuel cells (PEFCs). Here, in-operando neutron radiography is used to display and quantify liquid water distribution across the entire active area of single-, double- and quad-channel serpentine flow-fields. The results revealed that the water management and performance of PEFCs is strongly affected by the number of serpentine channels in the cathode flow-field. The single-channel serpentine-based PEFC exhibits both a better cell performance and uniformity in the local water distribution. The quad-channel based PEFC exhibits the largest voltage fluctuations caused by severe water flooding in the gas channels. However, the single-channel design leads to significantly larger pressure drop than the multiple-channel counterparts, which requires much higher parasitic power to pressurize and recirculate the reactants. Three different regimes of operation can be defined based on the current density: gradually increasing hydration (<400 mA cm−2), flooding (400 mA cm−2≤ j ≤ 600 mA cm−2) and drying out (>600 mA cm−2). The reduced overall quantity of water in the channels with an increase in current density can be attributed to faster gas velocity and higher cell temperature.
| Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Title: | Effect of serpentine flow-field design on the water management of polymer electrolyte fuel cells: An in-operando neutron radiography study |
| Open access status: | An open access version is available from UCL Discovery |
| DOI: | 10.1016/j.jpowsour.2018.07.085 |
| Publisher version: | https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpowsour.2018.07.085 |
| Language: | English |
| Additional information: | This version is the author accepted manuscript. For information on re-use, please refer to the publisher’s terms and conditions. |
| Keywords: | Water management, Neutron imaging, Flow-field, In-operando, Flooding, Serpentine |
| UCL classification: | UCL UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS > Faculty of Engineering Science UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS > Faculty of Engineering Science > Dept of Chemical Engineering |
| URI: | https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10056256 |
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