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Thermal management of high temperature polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell stacks in the power range of 1-10 kWe
Published in Elsevier Ltd
2014
Volume: 39
   
Issue: 35
Pages: 20127 - 20138
Abstract
Maintaining optimal temperature of the stack is critical for efficient operation of high temperature polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells. While a number of possibilities of thermal management exist for small stacks, the problem becomes more complicated for larger stacks. In the present study, the thermal management of stacks in the power range of 1-10 kWe is considered through computational fluid dynamics simulations. It is shown that large stacks need to have dedicated cooling plates through which a coolant is circulated. Further, stacks of the size of 10 kWe can have reasonably low cell temperature variations (∼20 K) only by passing pre-heated liquid coolant through the coolant plates. Estimates show that the concomitant increase in the coolant flow rate induces large pressure drops, of the order of 30 bar, if a four-parallel serpentine is used on an active cell area of 30 cm × 30 cm. It is therefore necessary to use parallel channel flow fields with carefully designed feeder manifolds to maintain optimal cell temperatures and reasonably low coolant pressure drops in large stacks. © 2014 Hydrogen Energy Publications, LLC. All rights reserved.
About the journal
JournalData powered by TypesetInternational Journal of Hydrogen Energy
PublisherData powered by TypesetElsevier Ltd
ISSN03603199
Open AccessNo
Concepts (8)
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    Pressure drop
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    Temperature control
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    CIRCULATION SYSTEMS
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    HIGH TEMPERATURE PEM FUEL CELLS
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    HIGH TEMPERATURE POLYMER ELECTROLYTE MEMBRANES
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    POWER RANGE
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    Scale-up
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    Computational fluid dynamics