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Polymeric Membranes and Their Applications
Published in Mihir Kumar Purkait, Randeep Singh, Membrane Technology in Separation Science, 2018
Mihir Kumar Purkait, Randeep Singh
A proton exchange membrane fuel cell or solid polymer or polymer electrolyte fuel cell is a highly efficient fuel cell of low weight and volume in comparison to other types of fuel cells. This fuel cell uses a thin cation exchange polymer membrane as an electrolyte and platinum-coated electrodes. This fuel cell is clean and green in its operation and efficiency. It requires hydrogen, oxygen, and water for its functioning in the range of 80°C. The membrane electrode assembly is the key component of the proton exchange membrane fuel cell. This assembly is composed of a thin cation exchange polymer membrane (50–200 µm) and electrodes pressed directly onto the opposite sides of the membrane. The carbon paper or carbon cloth gas diffusion layers are placed adjacent to the electrodes for the proper distribution of the gases to the catalyst coated on the electrodes and removal of the products from the electrode sites. The fuel cell is made by sandwiching the membrane electrode assembly between two metal plates. The plates have channels engraved into them for the supply of fuel and air to the electrodes and for the removal of water. Generally, the thermodynamic potential of a proton exchange membrane fuel cell is equivalent to 1.23 V. Therefore, in case of higher needs two or more cells are stacked together and the required voltage can be generated.
Fuel Cells
Published in Michael F. Hordeski, Emergency and Backup Power Sources:, 2020
The proton exchange membrane fuel cell has advantages because of its low operating temperature, high power density, and advanced stage of technical development. However, the fuel used by the PEMFC is hydrogen, which is not easily transported or stored. In order to take advantage of the existing fuel infrastructure, the PEMFC can be integrated with a fuel processor that converts liquid hydrocarbons into hydrogen. The fuel cell can then use the hydrogen to produce electricity.
Modular Systems for Energy Conservation and Efficiency
Published in Yatish T. Shah, Modular Systems for Energy Usage Management, 2020
CHP systems for homes or small commercial buildings are often fueled by natural gas to produce electricity and heat. A micro-CHP system usually contains a small fuel cell or a heat engine as a prime mover used to rotate a generator that provides electric power, while simultaneously utilizing the waste heat from the prime mover for an individual building’s heating, ventilation, and air conditioning. A micro-CHP generator may primarily follow heat demand, delivering electricity as the by-product, or may follow electrical demand to generate electricity and use heat as the by-product. When used primarily for heating, micro-CHP systems may generate more electricity than is instantaneously being demanded in circumstances of fluctuating electrical demand. As electricity can be transported practically, it is more efficient to generate electricity near where the waste heat can be used. So in a “micro-combined heat and power system” (micro-CHP), small power plants are instead located where the secondary heat can be used, in individual buildings. After the year 2000, micro-CHP has become cost-effective in many markets around the world, due to rising energy costs. The development of micro-CHP systems has also been facilitated by recent technological developments of small heat engines. This includes improved performance and cost-effectiveness of fuel cells, Stirling engines, steam engines, gas turbines, diesel engines, and Otto engines. A 2013 UK report from Ecuity Consulting stated that MICRO-CHP is the most cost-effective method of utilizing gas to generate energy at the domestic level. Delta-ee consultants stated that with 64% of global sales the fuel cell micro-CHP passed the conventional engine-based micro-CHP systems in sales in 2012. For proton-exchange membrane cell fuel cell (PEMFC) units with a lifetime of 60,000 h, which shut down at night, this equates to an estimated lifetime of between 10 and 15 years [66].
Characteristics of a composite flow field with drop-shaped gas distribution zones and a honeycomb-like staggered channel for proton exchange membrane fuel cells
Published in International Journal of Green Energy, 2023
Wanteng Wang, Nan Li, Caihong Zhang, Liang Zhang
Hydrogen energy is a widely used and low-carbon secondary energy, which has gradually become one of the important carriers of global energy transformation and development (Caizhi et al. 2022; Yao et al. 2022). As an important carrier for hydrogen energy applications, proton exchange membrane fuel cell has the advantages of low operating temperature, high energy conversion efficiency, zero emission, and high power density (Song et al. 2021). However, before large-scale commercial application, PEMFC still faces many problems; for example, the platinum content of catalyst layer needs to be further reduced to reduce its cost (Fan et al. 2022) fuel cell systems need better control algorithms to improve the operation efficiency (Chen et al. 2022) and the water and thermal management of fuel cells (Yao et al. 2022), including preventing membrane degradation caused by excessive temperature and membrane electrode flooding caused by too much water (Chen et al. 2021; Jiamin et al. 2022). Among them, the uniformity of reactants, the removal of liquid water involved in water and thermal management need to be further studied to provide theoretical guidance for improving the performance of PEMFC (Zhang and Jiao 2018; Zhang, Zhiguo, and Wang 2022). In recent years, the improvement of water and thermal management in PEMFC mainly focuses on the design of flow field structure, and there are also ways to improve PEMFC performance through machine learning and big data (Ding et al. 2022; Legala, Zhao, and Xianguo 2022).
Feasibility verification of reducing the total sound pressure level of multiple cooling fans for fuel cell vehicle
Published in International Journal of Green Energy, 2023
Weijie Dong, Donghai Hu, Yuran Shen, Jianwei Li, Qingqing Yang
The coupling of fuel cell cooling system is shown in Figure 1. The cooling system includes a thermal management controller, primary radiator, secondary radiator, cooling fans, pump, fuel cell, and thermostat. The type of fuel cell is a proton exchange membrane fuel cell. The detailed parameters of cooling system are listed in Table 1. The cooling fans are arranged in parallel, and the overall airflow rate of a radiator is generally equal to the total of airflow of each fan. A pump drives the circulation of cooling water in a circuit. The cooling water carries heat out of fuel cell and flows through primary radiator and secondary radiator. The duty cycle of cooling fans is controlled by PWM signal of thermal management controller (Das et al. 2022; Zhao et al. 2020). Under the regulation of thermal management controller, fans force airflow to dissipate the cooling water heat.
A quick evaluation method for the lifetime of the fuel cell MEA with the particle filter algorithm
Published in International Journal of Green Energy, 2021
Luyan He, Zhigang Zhan, Hong Chen, Panxing Jiang, Yuan Yu, Xiaoxiang Yang, Yahao Sun, Xiongbiao Wan, Liwen Liao, Shang Li, Mu Pan
The proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) has been considered as one of the most promising technologies for energy storage for both stationary and transportation applications; however, its commercialization faces challenges related to the performance, cost, and lifetime (Yi 2018). Various studies have been done to increase the lifetime of FCs. The performance degradation mechanism, including the performance degradation during start-up and shut-down, which are caused by the formation of the hydrogen–air interface inside the FC, and the key materials or components, have been studied (Reiser, Bregoli, Patterson et al. 2005). Other studies include catalyst agglomeration or detachment under various working conditions (Fu et al. 2019), carbon carrier corrosion (Zhang et al. 2018), proton exchange membrane chemical, and physical degradation (Jouin et al. 2013), and bipolar coating corrosion (Jouin et al. 2014).