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Fan selection and stack design for open-cathode polymer electrolyte fuel cell stacks

Author

Listed:
  • Sasmito, A.P.
  • Birgersson, E.
  • Lum, K.W.
  • Mujumdar, A.S.

Abstract

The design of open-cathode polymer electrolyte fuel cell (PEFC) stacks with forced-air convection from one or several fans requires careful consideration of the characteristic curves of the stack and the fan(s). Ideally, the intersection – the operating point – between the stack and the fan characteristic curves should be located in the optimal operating region of the fan; and be sufficiently far away from any unstable region. In this paper, the effect of various fan and stack configurations, operating conditions and their impact on the fan and system characteristic curves as well as stack performance are investigated with a model considering two-phase flow and conservation of mass, momentum, species, charge, and energy in the PEFC stack and ambient; the fans are treated as interface conditions. The results indicate that the fan power rating, fan type, single fan or fans in series, fuel cell length, and separate air-coolant channels have a significant impact on the operating point and resulting stack performance – these factors therefore have to be accounted for when designing the PEFC stack and selecting fans. Furthermore, the results suggest that the stack characteristic curve can be secured by straight-forward air-flow simulations instead of solving a detailed, mechanistic fuel-cell model, allowing for more efficient model-based design studies of fans interacting with a PEFC stack.

Suggested Citation

  • Sasmito, A.P. & Birgersson, E. & Lum, K.W. & Mujumdar, A.S., 2012. "Fan selection and stack design for open-cathode polymer electrolyte fuel cell stacks," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 37(1), pages 325-332.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:renene:v:37:y:2012:i:1:p:325-332
    DOI: 10.1016/j.renene.2011.06.037
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. De las Heras, A. & Vivas, F.J. & Segura, F. & Redondo, M.J. & Andújar, J.M., 2018. "Air-cooled fuel cells: Keys to design and build the oxidant/cooling system," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 125(C), pages 1-20.
    2. Zhao, Chen & Wang, Fei & Wu, Xiaoyu, 2024. "Analysis and review on air-cooled open cathode proton exchange membrane fuel cells: Bibliometric, environmental adaptation and prospect," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 197(C).
    3. Sasmito, Agus P. & Kurnia, Jundika C. & Shamim, Tariq & Mujumdar, Arun S., 2017. "Optimization of an open-cathode polymer electrolyte fuel cells stack utilizing Taguchi method," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 185(P2), pages 1225-1232.
    4. Chang, Huawei & Cai, Fengyang & Yu, Xianxian & Duan, Chen & Chan, Siew Hwa & Tu, Zhengkai, 2023. "Experimental study on the thermal management of an open-cathode air-cooled proton exchange membrane fuel cell stack with ultra-thin metal bipolar plates," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 263(PA).
    5. Xing, Shuang & Zhao, Chen & Zou, Jiexin & Zaman, Shahid & Yu, Yang & Gong, Hongwei & Wang, Yajun & Chen, Ming & Wang, Min & Lin, Meng & Wang, Haijiang, 2022. "Recent advances in heat and water management of forced-convection open-cathode proton exchange membrane fuel cells," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 165(C).
    6. Ling, C.Y. & Cao, H. & Chen, Y. & Han, M. & Birgersson, E., 2016. "Compact open cathode feed system for PEMFCs," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 164(C), pages 670-675.
    7. Torsten Berning & Søren Knudsen Kær, 2020. "A Thermodynamic Analysis of an Air-Cooled Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell Operated in Different Climate Regions," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(10), pages 1-14, May.
    8. Islam, M.R. & Shabani, B. & Rosengarten, G. & Andrews, J., 2015. "The potential of using nanofluids in PEM fuel cell cooling systems: A review," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 48(C), pages 523-539.
    9. Song, Ke & Fan, Zhixin & Hu, Xiao & Ding, Yuhang & Li, Haiyang & Xu, Hongjie & Zhang, Tong, 2021. "Effect of adding vortex promoter on the performance improvement of active air-cooled proton exchange membrane fuel cells," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 223(C).
    10. Wasselynck, Guillaume & Auvity, Bruno & Olivier, Jean-Christophe & Trichet, Didier & Josset, Christophe & Maindru, Philippe, 2012. "Design and testing of a fuel cell powertrain with energy constraints," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 38(1), pages 414-424.
    11. Kurnia, Jundika C. & Chaedir, Benitta A. & Sasmito, Agus P. & Shamim, Tariq, 2021. "Progress on open cathode proton exchange membrane fuel cell: Performance, designs, challenges and future directions," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 283(C).

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