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2006 Fiscal Year Final Research Report Summary

Higher load current of PEMFC

Research Project

Project/Area Number 17560188
Research Category

Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)

Allocation TypeSingle-year Grants
Section一般
Research Field Thermal engineering
Research InstitutionKYUSHU UNIVERSITY

Principal Investigator

ITO Kohei  Kyushu University, Faculty of Engineering, Associate Professor, 大学院工学研究院, 助教授 (10283491)

Project Period (FY) 2005 – 2006
KeywordsPEMFC / Flooding / Two-phase flow
Research Abstract

The performance of PEMFC largely depends on its water management. The flooding appeared in gas diffusion layer (GDL) and catalyst layer, which are main target to be managed, is difficult to measure and/or observe, because these layers are categorized as micro-porous media and opaque material based on carbon. On the other hand, the gas-liquid two-phase flow numerical simulation in PEMFC is developed recently. In this progress of simulation, the MM model, which is one of mathematical model to treat two-phase phenomena in porous media such as GDL, seems to successfully simulate the flooding during cell operation. However the evaluation of the simulation is not enough. Only the evaluation is based on the comparison of IV characteristic between simulation and experiment. The simulated two-phase phenomena, such as the water saturation ratio in GDL, have not been evaluated with experimental result.
In this study, we measured the water saturation in GDL with indirect method and compared its res … More ult with that obtained from simulation. We fabricated a simple interdigitated cell where the whole fluid flows forcedly in GDL, and measured the differential pressure through GDL, and estimated the water saturation ratio from its differential pressure. In numerical simulation, we formulated the full conservation equations based on MM model, and executed with the boundary condition considering the interdigitated cell. In simulation we also executed the transient calculation in which the load current changed step-wisely.
In measurement, the cell potential decreased significantly over 0.5A/cm2 load current. We successfully explained that this drop was caused by the concentration over potential accompanied with the water saturation estimated. The water saturation ratio increased with higher load current, humidification temperature, and gas utilization ratio. These operation conditions are noted as the key parameter to control the flooding in GDL. The simulated IV characteristics succeeded to reproduce the measured. But they could not show the concentration overpotential appeared in high current region. The differential pressure obtained from the simulation qualitatively agreed with the measured data within 15%. In transient calculation, the cell potential changed complexly. We could explain this with several time constant corresponding to the transport phenomena being progressed in cell. Less

  • Research Products

    (5 results)

All 2007 2006

All Journal Article (4 results) Book (1 results)

  • [Journal Article] 気液二相流を考慮した数値シミュレーションによる固体高分子形燃料電池の過渡応答時の解析2007

    • Author(s)
      益田啓光, 伊藤衡平, 柿本益志, 佐々木一成
    • Journal Title

      日本機械学会論文集B編 73巻727号

      Pages: 207-214

    • Description
      「研究成果報告書概要(和文)」より
  • [Journal Article] 差圧計測を介したPEMFCガス拡散層における水詰りの推算2007

    • Author(s)
      伊藤衡平, 足利謙介, 柿本益志, 大嶋敏宏, 益田啓光, 佐々木一成
    • Journal Title

      日本機械学会論文集B編 73巻731号(in press)

    • Description
      「研究成果報告書概要(和文)」より
  • [Journal Article] Numerical Analysis of Transient Response in Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cell Considering Gas/Liquid Two Phase Flow2007

    • Author(s)
      Hiromitsu MASUDA, Kohei ITO, Yasushi KAKIMOTO, Kazunari SASAKI
    • Journal Title

      JSME pert B Vol.73, No.727

    • Description
      「研究成果報告書概要(欧文)」より
  • [Journal Article] Estimation of flooding in PEMFC gas diffusion layer by differential pressure measurement2007

    • Author(s)
      Kohei ITO, Kensuke ASHIKAGA, Yasushi KAKIMOTO, Toshihiro OSHIMA, Hiromitsu MASUDA, Kazunari SASAKI
    • Journal Title

      JSME pert B Vol.73, No.731

    • Description
      「研究成果報告書概要(欧文)」より
  • [Book] Recent Trend in Fuel Cell Science & Technology, Chapter 5, Water Problem in PEMFC (Edited by S. Basu)2006

    • Author(s)
      Kohei Ito
    • Total Pages
      8
    • Publisher
      Anamaya Publishers, New Delhi, India
    • Description
      「研究成果報告書概要(和文)」より

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Published: 2008-05-27  

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