Investigating the Parameter-Driven Cathode Gas Diffusion of PEMFCs with a Piecewise Linearization Model

Siwen Gu, Jiaan Wang, Xinmin You and Yu Zhuang ()
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Siwen Gu: School of Photoelectric Engineering, Changzhou Institute of Technology, Changzhou 213032, China
Jiaan Wang: School of Photoelectric Engineering, Changzhou Institute of Technology, Changzhou 213032, China
Xinmin You: Fundamental Aspects of Materials and Energy (FAME), Faculty of Applied Sciences, Delft University of Technology, Mekelweg 15, 2629 JB Delft, The Netherlands
Yu Zhuang: Frontiers Science Center for Smart Materials Oriented Chemical Engineering, Institute of Chemical Process Systems Engineering, School of Chemical Engineering, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116024, China

Energies, 2023, vol. 16, issue 9, 1-12

Abstract: Improving mass transfer in gas diffusion layers is critical to achieving high-performance proton-exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs). Leaks through the interface between the gas and the membrane electrode assembly frame have been widely investigated, and the controllability of the cathode gas diffusion has not been achieved in most studies. In this study, we develop a structural parameter to investigate the controllability of the gas diffusion mechanism in the cathode in order to improve upon the design and performance of PEMFCs. This parameter accounts for the cathode gas diffusion layer porosity and carbon loading inside the catalyst layer. It is comprehensively calculated to relax the two segments’ distribution along three directions of the coordinate axis. The experimental and simulation results show that the obtained values of the parameter vary and change during voltage stabilization. According to the results, regardless of the materials in the cathode gas diffusion layer, the same steady-state voltage is obtained when the parameter is fixed. The cell could be controllably operated for a wide range of diffusion layer thicknesses by selecting the optimal parameter.

Keywords: PEMFC; structural parameter; gas diffusion; cathode; simulation (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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