IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/appene/v320y2022ics0306261922006079.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Lattice Boltzmann simulation of a gas diffusion layer with a gradient polytetrafluoroethylene distribution for a proton exchange membrane fuel cell

Author

Listed:
  • Wang, Yulin
  • Xu, Haokai
  • Zhang, Zhe
  • Li, Hua
  • Wang, Xiaodong

Abstract

The content and distribution of polytetrafluoroethylene are key factors that determine liquid transport behaviors in gas diffusion layers and, thus, the performance of proton exchange membrane fuel cells. In this study, by employing a stochastic algorithm, the two-dimensional microstructure of a representative gas diffusion layer with the real distributed property of polytetrafluoroethylene was reconstructed. Subsequently, the influence of polytetrafluoroethylene content and gradient distributions on liquid water transport behaviors was examined by implementing a multiphase lattice Boltzmann method. The results supported the findings that an increased content of polytetrafluoroethylene in the conventional gas diffusion layer favors liquid removal, but an extremely high content could cause a marked decrease in the corresponding effective porosity of the gas diffusion layer, hence weakening cell performance. The simulation found that the optimal polytetrafluoroethylene content for the conventional gas diffusion layer was 10 wt%. More importantly, the study reveals that a reasonably higher polytetrafluoroethylene content in the inlet region of the gas diffusion layer benefits the enhancement of water drainage. Compared with the conventional gas diffusion layer with a polytetrafluoroethylene content of 10 wt%, the optimal bigradient and trigradient polytetrafluoroethylene gas diffusion layer exhibits a lower liquid water saturation, a shorter steady-state time of liquid water and gas, and an effective porosity increased by 4.2% and 5.8%, indicating higher water drainage performance. The study here can provide guidelines for the design of high-performance fuel cells with a gradient gas diffusion layer.

Suggested Citation

  • Wang, Yulin & Xu, Haokai & Zhang, Zhe & Li, Hua & Wang, Xiaodong, 2022. "Lattice Boltzmann simulation of a gas diffusion layer with a gradient polytetrafluoroethylene distribution for a proton exchange membrane fuel cell," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 320(C).
  • Handle: RePEc:eee:appene:v:320:y:2022:i:c:s0306261922006079
    DOI: 10.1016/j.apenergy.2022.119248
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0306261922006079
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only

    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.apenergy.2022.119248?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Afra, Mehran & Nazari, Mohsen & Kayhani, Mohammad Hasan & Sharifpur, M. & Meyer, J.P., 2019. "3D experimental visualization of water flooding in proton exchange membrane fuel cells," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 175(C), pages 967-977.
    2. Niu, Zhiqiang & Bao, Zhiming & Wu, Jingtian & Wang, Yun & Jiao, Kui, 2018. "Two-phase flow in the mixed-wettability gas diffusion layer of proton exchange membrane fuel cells," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 232(C), pages 443-450.
    3. Wang, Yulin & Wang, Xiaoai & Fan, Yuanzhi & He, Wei & Guan, Jinglei & Wang, Xiaodong, 2022. "Numerical Investigation of Tapered Flow Field Configurations for Enhanced Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cell Performance," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 306(PA).
    4. Ijaodola, O.S. & El- Hassan, Zaki & Ogungbemi, E. & Khatib, F.N. & Wilberforce, Tabbi & Thompson, James & Olabi, A.G., 2019. "Energy efficiency improvements by investigating the water flooding management on proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC)," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 179(C), pages 246-267.
    5. Ge, Minghui & Zhao, Yuntong & Li, Yanzhe & He, Wei & Xie, Liyao & Zhao, Yulong, 2022. "Structural optimization of thermoelectric modules in a concentration photovoltaic–thermoelectric hybrid system," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 244(PB).
    6. Ge, Minghui & Li, Zhenhua & Wang, Yeting & Zhao, Yulong & Zhu, Yu & Wang, Shixue & Liu, Liansheng, 2021. "Experimental study on thermoelectric power generation based on cryogenic liquid cold energy," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 220(C).
    7. Wang, Yulin & Wang, Xiaodong & Wang, Xiaoai & Liu, Tao & Zhu, Tingting & Liu, Shengchun & Qin, Yanzhou, 2021. "Droplet dynamic characteristics on PEM fuel cell cathode gas diffusion layer with gradient pore size distribution," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 178(C), pages 864-874.
    8. Jiang, Z.Y. & Qu, Z.G. & Zhou, L. & Tao, W.Q., 2017. "A microscopic investigation of ion and electron transport in lithium-ion battery porous electrodes using the lattice Boltzmann method," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 194(C), pages 530-539.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Cui, Peizhe & Xu, Zaifeng & Yao, Dong & Qi, Huaqing & Zhu, Zhaoyou & Wang, Yinglong & Li, Xin & Liu, Zhiqiang & Yang, Sheng, 2022. "Life cycle water footprint and carbon footprint analysis of municipal sludge plasma gasification process," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 261(PB).
    2. He, Wei & Zhang, Jifang & Guo, Rui & Pei, Chenchen & Li, Hailong & Liu, Shengchun & Wei, Jie & Wang, Yulin, 2022. "Performance analysis and structural optimization of a finned liquid-cooling radiator for chip heat dissipation," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 327(C).
    3. Wang, Yulin & Guan, Chao & Li, Hua & Zhao, Yulong & Wang, Cheng & He, Wei, 2023. "Flow field configuration design for a large-scale hydrogen polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 351(C).
    4. Lai, Tao & Qu, Zhiguo, 2023. "Two polytetrafluoroethylene distribution effects on liquid water dynamic behavior in gas diffusion layer of polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell with a pore-scale method," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 271(C).
    5. Yang, Sheng & Jin, Zhengpeng & Ji, Feng & Deng, Chengwei & Liu, Zhiqiang, 2023. "Proposal and analysis of a combined cooling, heating, and power system with humidity control based on solid oxide fuel cell," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 284(C).
    6. Ge, Minghui & Li, Zhenhua & Zhao, Yuntong & Xuan, Zhiwei & Li, Yanzhe & Zhao, Yulong, 2022. "Experimental study of thermoelectric generator with different numbers of modules for waste heat recovery," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 322(C).
    7. Zhang, Yong & He, Shirong & Jiang, Xiaohui & Yang, Xi & Wang, Zhuo & Zhang, Shuanyang & Cao, Jing & Fang, Haoyan & Li, Qiming, 2024. "Full-scale three-dimensional simulation of air cooling metal bipolar plate proton exchange membrane fuel cell stack considering a non-isothermal multiphase model," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 357(C).
    8. Hesham Alhumade & Iqbal Ahmed Moujdin & Saad Al-Shahrani, 2023. "Increasing Output Power of a Microfluidic Fuel Cell Using Fuzzy Modeling and Jellyfish Search Optimization," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(14), pages 1-15, July.
    9. Xu, Chenyang & Wang, Jian & Wang, Jianzhong & Yang, Kun & Li, Guangzhong & Gao, Wenbin & Wang, Hao & Zhao, Shaoyang, 2024. "Structural optimization study on porous transport layers of sintered titanium for polymer electrolyte membrane electrolyzers," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 357(C).
    10. Chen, Chaogang & Gao, Yuan, 2024. "Using multi-threshold non-local means joint distribution method to analysis the spatial distribution patterns of binder and fibers in gas diffusion layers of fuel cells," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 358(C).
    11. Haishan Chen & Xiaoping Meng & Dianlei Liu & Wei Wang & Xiaodong Xing & Zhiyong Zhang & Chen Dong, 2022. "Closed-Loop Microbial Fuel Cell Control System Designed for Online Monitoring of TOC Dynamic Characteristics in Public Swimming Pool," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(20), pages 1-12, October.
    12. Wang, Yulin & Wang, Han & Wang, Guozhuo & Li, Hua & Zhao, Yulong & He, Wei, 2023. "Enhancement of water droplet drainage performance in a cathode flow channel with baffles for a polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 219(P1).
    13. Wang, Yulin & Zhang, Penghui & Gao, Yuyao & He, Wei & Zhao, Yulong & Wang, Xiaodong, 2022. "Optimal design of cathode gas diffusion layer with arrayed grooves for performance enhancement of a PEM fuel cell," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 199(C), pages 697-709.
    14. Zhao, Yulong & Lu, Mingjie & Li, Yanzhe & Wang, Yulin & Ge, Minghui, 2023. "Numerical investigation of an exhaust thermoelectric generator with a perforated plate," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 263(PB).

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Huang, Haozhong & Liu, Mingxin & Li, Xuan & Guo, Xiaoyu & Wang, Tongying & Li, Songwei & Lei, Han, 2022. "Numerical simulation and visualization study of a new tapered-slope serpentine flow field in proton exchange membrane fuel cell," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 246(C).
    2. Wang, Yulin & Zhang, Penghui & Gao, Yuyao & He, Wei & Zhao, Yulong & Wang, Xiaodong, 2022. "Optimal design of cathode gas diffusion layer with arrayed grooves for performance enhancement of a PEM fuel cell," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 199(C), pages 697-709.
    3. Zhang, Xiaoqing & Yang, Jiapei & Ma, Xiao & Zhuge, Weilin & Shuai, Shijin, 2022. "Modelling and analysis on effects of penetration of microporous layer into gas diffusion layer in PEM fuel cells: Focusing on mass transport," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 254(PA).
    4. Liao, Shuxin & Qiu, Diankai & Yi, Peiyun & Peng, Linfa & Lai, Xinmin, 2022. "Modeling of a novel cathode flow field design with optimized sub-channels to improve drainage for proton exchange membrane fuel cells," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 261(PB).
    5. Lei Li & Yude Wu & Yi Lu & Xiao Yang & Qiyang Wang & Xiaoai Wang & Yulin Wang, 2022. "Numerical Simulation on the Structural Design of a Multi-Pore Water Diffuser during the External Ice Melting Process of an Ice Storage System," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(6), pages 1-17, March.
    6. Hossein Pourrahmani & Hamed Shakeri & Jan Van herle, 2022. "Thermoelectric Generator as the Waste Heat Recovery Unit of Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell: A Numerical Study," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(9), pages 1-21, April.
    7. Yonghua Cai & Jingming Sun & Fan Wei & Ben Chen, 2022. "Effect of Baffle Dimensionless Size Factor on the Performance of Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(10), pages 1-19, May.
    8. Lu Zhang & Yongfeng Liu & Pucheng Pei & Xintong Liu & Long Wang & Yuan Wan, 2022. "Variation Characteristic Analysis of Water Content at the Flow Channel of Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(9), pages 1-20, April.
    9. Li, Yanzhe & Wang, Shixue & Zhao, Yulong & Yue, Like, 2022. "Effect of thermoelectric modules with different characteristics on the performance of thermoelectric generators inserted in the central flow region with porous foam copper," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 327(C).
    10. Liu, Huize & Hu, Zunyan & Li, Jianqiu & Xu, Liangfei & Shao, Yangbin & Ouyang, Minggao, 2023. "Investigation on the optimal GDL thickness design for PEMFCs considering channel/rib geometry matching and operating conditions," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 282(C).
    11. Sun, Zeyu & Luo, Ding & Wang, Ruochen & Li, Ying & Yan, Yuying & Cheng, Ziming & Chen, Jie, 2022. "Evaluation of energy recovery potential of solar thermoelectric generators using a three-dimensional transient numerical model," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 256(C).
    12. He, Wei & Zhang, Jifang & Guo, Rui & Pei, Chenchen & Li, Hailong & Liu, Shengchun & Wei, Jie & Wang, Yulin, 2022. "Performance analysis and structural optimization of a finned liquid-cooling radiator for chip heat dissipation," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 327(C).
    13. Ge, Minghui & Li, Zhenhua & Zhao, Yuntong & Xuan, Zhiwei & Li, Yanzhe & Zhao, Yulong, 2022. "Experimental study of thermoelectric generator with different numbers of modules for waste heat recovery," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 322(C).
    14. Lin, Rui & Wang, Hong & Zhu, Yu, 2021. "Optimizing the structural design of cathode catalyst layer for PEM fuel cells for improving mass-specific power density," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 221(C).
    15. Liu, Xun & Zhang, Chen-Feng & Zhou, Jian-Gang & Xiong, Xin & Wang, Yi-Ping, 2022. "Thermal performance of battery thermal management system using fins to enhance the combination of thermoelectric Cooler and phase change Material," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 322(C).
    16. Lin, Rui & Diao, Xiaoyu & Ma, Tiancai & Tang, Shenghao & Chen, Liang & Liu, Dengcheng, 2019. "Optimized microporous layer for improving polymer exchange membrane fuel cell performance using orthogonal test design," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 254(C).
    17. Marco Mariani & Andrea Basso Peressut & Saverio Latorrata & Riccardo Balzarotti & Maurizio Sansotera & Giovanni Dotelli, 2021. "The Role of Fluorinated Polymers in the Water Management of Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells: A Review," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(24), pages 1-17, December.
    18. Xiao, Fei & Chen, Tao & Gan, Zhongyu & Zhang, Ruixuan, 2023. "The influence of external operating conditions on membrane drying faults of proton-exchange membrane fuel cells," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 285(C).
    19. Yu, Yang & Chen, Sheng & Wu, Yuanhao, 2023. "Predicting gas diffusion layer flow information in proton exchange membrane fuel cells from cross-sectional data using deep learning methods," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 282(C).
    20. Zhang, Caizhi & Zhang, Yuqi & Wang, Lei & Deng, Xiaozhi & Liu, Yang & Zhang, Jiujun, 2023. "A health management review of proton exchange membrane fuel cell for electric vehicles: Failure mechanisms, diagnosis techniques and mitigation measures," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 182(C).

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:appene:v:320:y:2022:i:c:s0306261922006079. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/journaldescription.cws_home/405891/description#description .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.