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Coupling of lattice boltzmann and volume of fluid approaches to study the droplet behavior at the gas diffusion layer/gas channel interface

Andersson, M. LU ; Beale, S. B. ; Froning, D. and Lehnert, W. (2018) Symposium on Polymer Electrolyte Fuel Cells and Electrolyzers 18, PEFC and E 2018 - AiMES 2018, ECS and SMEQ Joint International Meeting 86. p.329-336
Abstract

A typical polymer electrolyte fuel cell (PEFC) flow field consists of micro/minichannels. The continues removal of liquid water from the cathode channels is a critical topic, as water droplets forming in the channels may block the transport of gaseous oxygen to the active sites, which not only gives an uneven current distribution and substantial loss of performance, but also, increases degradation rates and unstable operation. Water generated by the electrochemical reactions condenses, depending on temperature mainly, into liquid form, potentially flooding various part of the PEFC. The aim of this work is to obtain an increased understanding of the droplet behavior at the gas diffusion layer (GDL) interface with the gas channels in... (More)

A typical polymer electrolyte fuel cell (PEFC) flow field consists of micro/minichannels. The continues removal of liquid water from the cathode channels is a critical topic, as water droplets forming in the channels may block the transport of gaseous oxygen to the active sites, which not only gives an uneven current distribution and substantial loss of performance, but also, increases degradation rates and unstable operation. Water generated by the electrochemical reactions condenses, depending on temperature mainly, into liquid form, potentially flooding various part of the PEFC. The aim of this work is to obtain an increased understanding of the droplet behavior at the gas diffusion layer (GDL) interface with the gas channels in PEFCs by the coupling of Lattice Boltzmann (LB) and Volume of Fluid (VOF) approaches. A multiscale environment is established with input parameters in the VOF model being extracted from in-house LB calculations. It is clear that the contact angle as well as the size of the liquid droplet vary with positions at the GDL surface, depending on the stochastic GDL geometry. A VOF model describing one straight channel with one gas inlet, one liquid inlet (at the GDL surface) and one two-phase outlet is employed.

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Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
; ; and
organization
publishing date
type
Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding
publication status
published
subject
host publication
ECS Transactions
editor
Coutanceau, C. ; Narayan, S. ; Kim, Y.-T. ; Gochi-Ponce, Y. ; Pivovar, B.S. ; Fuller, T.F. ; Mantz, R.A. ; Shirvanian, P. ; Jones, D.J. ; Buechi, F. ; Ramani, V.K. ; Fenton, J.M. ; Swider-Lyons, K.E. ; Schmidt, T.J. ; Ayers, K.E. ; Weber, A.Z. ; Pintauro, P.N. ; Strasser, P. ; Xu, H. ; Mitsushima, S. ; Gasteiger, H. and Uchida, H.
volume
86
edition
13
pages
8 pages
publisher
Electrochemical Society
conference name
Symposium on Polymer Electrolyte Fuel Cells and Electrolyzers 18, PEFC and E 2018 - AiMES 2018, ECS and SMEQ Joint International Meeting
conference location
Cancun, Mexico
conference dates
2018-09-30 - 2018-10-04
external identifiers
  • scopus:85055735608
ISBN
978-1-60768-860-0
DOI
10.1149/08613.0329ecst
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
feadaedd-b6bd-4402-a553-a6499c670063
date added to LUP
2018-12-22 22:53:31
date last changed
2022-06-27 23:45:30
@inproceedings{feadaedd-b6bd-4402-a553-a6499c670063,
  abstract     = {{<p>A typical polymer electrolyte fuel cell (PEFC) flow field consists of micro/minichannels. The continues removal of liquid water from the cathode channels is a critical topic, as water droplets forming in the channels may block the transport of gaseous oxygen to the active sites, which not only gives an uneven current distribution and substantial loss of performance, but also, increases degradation rates and unstable operation. Water generated by the electrochemical reactions condenses, depending on temperature mainly, into liquid form, potentially flooding various part of the PEFC. The aim of this work is to obtain an increased understanding of the droplet behavior at the gas diffusion layer (GDL) interface with the gas channels in PEFCs by the coupling of Lattice Boltzmann (LB) and Volume of Fluid (VOF) approaches. A multiscale environment is established with input parameters in the VOF model being extracted from in-house LB calculations. It is clear that the contact angle as well as the size of the liquid droplet vary with positions at the GDL surface, depending on the stochastic GDL geometry. A VOF model describing one straight channel with one gas inlet, one liquid inlet (at the GDL surface) and one two-phase outlet is employed.</p>}},
  author       = {{Andersson, M. and Beale, S. B. and Froning, D. and Lehnert, W.}},
  booktitle    = {{ECS Transactions}},
  editor       = {{Coutanceau, C. and Narayan, S. and Kim, Y.-T. and Gochi-Ponce, Y. and Pivovar, B.S. and Fuller, T.F. and Mantz, R.A. and Shirvanian, P. and Jones, D.J. and Buechi, F. and Ramani, V.K. and Fenton, J.M. and Swider-Lyons, K.E. and Schmidt, T.J. and Ayers, K.E. and Weber, A.Z. and Pintauro, P.N. and Strasser, P. and Xu, H. and Mitsushima, S. and Gasteiger, H. and Uchida, H.}},
  isbn         = {{978-1-60768-860-0}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  month        = {{01}},
  pages        = {{329--336}},
  publisher    = {{Electrochemical Society}},
  title        = {{Coupling of lattice boltzmann and volume of fluid approaches to study the droplet behavior at the gas diffusion layer/gas channel interface}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1149/08613.0329ecst}},
  doi          = {{10.1149/08613.0329ecst}},
  volume       = {{86}},
  year         = {{2018}},
}