Wu, Y;
Cho, JIS;
Whiteley, M;
Rasha, L;
Neville, TP;
Ziesche, R;
Xu, R;
... Brett, DJL; + view all
(2020)
Characterization of water management in metal foam flow-field based polymer electrolyte fuel cells using in-operando neutron radiography.
International Journal of Hydrogen Energy
, 45
(3)
pp. 2195-2205.
10.1016/j.ijhydene.2019.11.069.
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Wu_Characterization of water management in metal foam flow-field based polymer electrolyte fuel cells using in-operando neutron radiography.pdf - Accepted Version Download (1MB) | Preview |
Abstract
© 2019 Hydrogen Energy Publications LLC Metal foam flow-fields have shown great potential in improving the uniformity of reactant distribution in polymer electrolyte fuel cells (PEFCs) by eliminating the ‘land/channel’ geometry of conventional designs. However, a detailed understanding of the water management in operational metal foam flow-field based PEFCs is limited. This study aims to provide the first clear evidence of how and where water is generated, accumulated and removed in the metal foam flow-field based PEFCs using in-operando neutron radiography, and correlate the water ‘maps’ with electrochemical performance and durability. Results show that the metal foam flow-field based PEFC has greater tolerance to dehydration at 1000 mA cm−2, exhibiting a ~50% increase in voltage, ~127% increase in total water mass and ~38% decrease in high frequency resistance (HFR) than serpentine flow-field design. Additionally, the metal foam flow-field promotes more uniform water distribution where the standard deviation of the liquid water thickness distribution across the entire cell active area is almost half that of the serpentine. These superior characteristics of metal foam flow-field result in greater than twice the maximum power density over serpentine flow-field. Results suggest that optimizing fuel cell operating condition and foam microstructure would partly mitigate flooding in the metal foam flow-field based PEFC.
| Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Title: | Characterization of water management in metal foam flow-field based polymer electrolyte fuel cells using in-operando neutron radiography |
| Open access status: | An open access version is available from UCL Discovery |
| DOI: | 10.1016/j.ijhydene.2019.11.069 |
| Publisher version: | https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhydene.2019.11.069 |
| 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: | Metal foam flow-field, Fuel cell, Water management, Neutron imaging, Water distribution |
| 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/10090253 |
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