Okereke, I.C., Ismail, M.S., Ingham, D. et al. (3 more authors) (2023) The effects of GDL anisotropic transport properties on the PEFC performance. International Journal of Numerical Methods for Heat & Fluid Flow, 33 (2). ISSN 0961-5539
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to numerically investigate the impact of gas diffusion layer (GDL) anisotropic transport properties on the overall and local performance of polymer electrolyte fuel cells (PEFCs).
Design/methodology/approach
A three-dimensional numerical model of a polymer electrolyte fuel cell with a single straight channel has been developed to investigate the sensitivity of the fuel cell performance to the GDL anisotropic transport properties – gas permeability, diffusivity, thermal conductivity and electrical conductivity. Realistic experimentally estimated GDL transport properties were incorporated into the developed PEFC model, and a parametric study was performed to show the effect of these properties on fuel cell performance and the distribution of the key variables of current density and oxygen concentration within the cathode GDL.
Findings
The results showed that the anisotropy of the GDL must be captured to avoid overestimation/underestimation of the performance of the modelled fuel cell. The results also showed that the fuel cell performance and the distributions of current density and oxygen mass fraction within the cathode GDL are highly sensitive to the through-plane electrical conductivity of the GDL and, to a lesser extent, the through-plane diffusivity, and the thermal conductivity of the GDL. The fuel cell performance is almost insensitive to the gas permeability of the GDL.
Practical implications
This study improves the understanding of the importance of the GDL anisotropy in the modelling of fuel cells and provides useful insights on improving the efficiency of the fuel cells.
Originality/value
Realistic experimentally estimated GDL transport properties have been incorporated into the PEFC model for the first time, allowing for more accurate prediction of the PEFC performance.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © 2022 Emerald Publishing Limited. This is an author-produced version of a paper subsequently published in International Journal of Numerical Methods for Heat & Fluid Flow. This version is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial Licence (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. You may not use the material for commercial purposes. |
Keywords: | Polymer electrolyte fuel cells; Numerical model; Anisotropic transport properties; Gas diffusion layers |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Sheffield |
Academic Units: | The University of Sheffield > Faculty of Engineering (Sheffield) > Department of Mechanical Engineering (Sheffield) |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Sheffield |
Date Deposited: | 22 Aug 2022 09:36 |
Last Modified: | 02 Feb 2023 11:41 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | Emerald |
Refereed: | Yes |
Identification Number: | 10.1108/hff-05-2022-0284 |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:190225 |
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