• 한국신재생에너지학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2010.11a
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• pp.71.1-71.1
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• 2010

고분자 전해질 연료전지(PEMFC) 내의 기체확산층(GDL)은 셀 내의 물 관리에 중요한 역할을 수행한다. 일반적으로 다공성 기제(GDBL) 위에 미세기공층(MPL)을 코팅한 2층 구조의 기체확산층이 사용되는데, 이 미세기공층은 카본파우더와 테프론의 혼합물로 이루어져 있으며 촉매층에서 발생한 물을 셀 밖으로 빠르게 배출하는 역할을 수행한다. 본 연구에서는 다양한 기공분포를 갖는 미세기공층을 제조하여 고분자 전해질 연료전지 성능에 미치는 영향을 분석하였다. 미세기공층 슬러리내에 암모늄염 계열의 기공형성제를 혼합하여 다공성 기제 위에 코팅한 후 다양한 온도조건에서 건조함에 따라 기공분포가 다른 미세기공층을 제조하였다. 이렇게 제조된 미세기공층의 물성은 수은기공도계, FE-SEM, 자체적으로 제조한 기체투과도 측정 장치를 사용하여 측정하였으며, 단위 전지 성능 측정은 두 개의 가습조건(RH100%, RH50%)에서 실시하였다. 기공분포 측정결과 건조온도가 높은 미세기공층은 건조온도가 낮은 미세기공층에 비해 직경이 1,000 - 20,000 nm 인 대공극(macropore)의 수가 많지만, 직경이 100 nm 이하의 미세공 (micropore)의 수가 적은 것을 확인하였다. 전지성능 측정 결과 고가습 조건 (RH100%)에서는 미세공 (micropore)이 발달한 미세기공층을 포함한 기체확산층을 사용한 경우 가장 우수한 성능을 보여고, 저가습 조건 (RH50%)에서는 대공극 (macropore)이 발달한 미세기공층을 포함한 기체확산층을 사용한 경우 가장 우수한 성능을 나타내었다. 이는 물배출에 유리한 미세공 (micropore)의 성질과 원료 기체의 이동에 유리한 대공극(macropore)의 성질에 의한 것으로 판단된다. 따라서 셀 운전 가습조건에 따라 최적화된 기공구조를 갖는 미세기공층을 사용함으로써 셀 운전 성능을 향상 시킬 수 있을 것으로 예상된다.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Propulsion Engineers
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.9-17
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• 2015

The basic flow configuration is composed of a plane, double shear layer where relatively thin mid gas layer is sandwiched between air and fuel stream. The present study describes numerical investigations concerning the combustion enhancement according to a variation of mid layer thickness. In this case, the effect of heat release in turbulent mixing layers is important. For the numerical solution, a fully conservative unsteady $2^{nd}$ order time accurate sub-iteration method and $2^{nd}$ order TVD scheme are used with the finite volume method including k-${\omega}$ SST model. The results consists of three categories; single shear layer consists of fuel and air, inert gas sandwiched between fuel and air, cold fuel gas sandwiched between fuel and air. The numerical calculations has been carried out in case of 1, 2, 4 mm of mid layer thickness. The height of total gas stream is 4 cm. The combustion region is broadened in case of inert gas layer of 2, 4 mm thickness and cold fuel layer of 4 mm thickness compared with single shear layer.

• Proceedings of the Membrane Society of Korea Conference
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• 1994.04a
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• pp.1-12
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• 1994

고분자에 의한 기체분리는 막의 기능층을 박막화하는 기술의 발달로 저항층을 극소화할 수 있게 되었고, 중공사막제조, 모듈제조기술의 발달로 단위용적당 투과면적을 극대화 할 수 있게되어 실용화단계에 와 있으나 널리 이용하기 위하여는 분리투과능이 획기적으로 개선된 고분자막 재료를 개발하여야 한다. 따라서 분리기능을 나타내는 고분자층을 기체가 투과하는 기구를 밝히고 고분자의 화학구조가 막형성 미세구조와 기체투과특성에 어떤 영향을 끼치는지 밝히는 것은 기체분리용 고분자막의 재료를 개발하는 데 중요하다고 생각한다.

• Proceedings of the Korea Society for Energy Engineering kosee Conference
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• 1995.11a
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• pp.23-26
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• 1995

내경 0.1 m, 높이 5.3 m 의 순환유동층 반응기를 사용하여 기체의 역혼합특성을 조사하였다. 기체의 역혼합은 동일한 기상유속일때 고체순환속도가 증가할수록 증가하였다. 희박상영역에서 일정한 고체체류량에서는 기상유속이 증가할수록 벽면에서의 하강흐름도 증가되어 기체의 역혼합은 증가되었다. Tracer 주입위치가 반응기 벽면에서 중심으로 이동할수록 빠른 기체와 고체의 흐름으로 인하여 기체의 역혼합은 상당히 감소하였다. 그리고, 희박상영역에서 core-annulus 구조를 기초로 하여 기체역혼합과 core 와 annulus 간의 물질전달계수를 예측할 수 있는 모델식을 제안하였다.

• Journal of the Korean Electrochemical Society
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• v.10 no.4
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• pp.306-310
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• 2007

Characteristics of GDL (Gas Diffusion Layer) mainly determine the gas diffusion and water removal in a cell, thereby changing the performance and affecting durability of PEFC. To optimize the water management and understand the two phase flow in a GDL, it is important to study the behaviors of GDL micro structure under the real operating condition. In the clamped condition of cell, the GDL beneath the rib is more compressed than beneath the channel. Many researches on physical, electrochemical, mechanical behaviors of gas diffusion layer has been conducted. However, changes in surface properties under clamped condition have rarely studied. In present study, the morphology of broken connections of carbon fibers and detachment of PTFE coatings on the fibers were shown from the microscopic observations. In addition, changes in wetting properties of GDL by compression were investigated by using XPS and liquid uptake methods. The hydrophobic characteristics of GDL surface beneath the rib of the flow field plate are changed due to the deformation of micro structure.

• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
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• v.49 no.6
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• pp.790-797
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• 2011

Hydrodynamic similarity was analyzed by employing scaling factor in three phase fluidized beds. The scaling factor was defined based on the holdups of gas, liquid and solid particles and effectivity volumetric flux of fluids between the two kinds of fluidized beds with different column diameter. The column diameter of one was 0.102 m and that of the other was 0.152 m. Filtered compressed air, tap water and glass bead of which density was 2,500 kg/$m^3$ were used as gas, liquid and solid phases, respectively. The individual phase holdups in three phase fluidized beds were determined by means of static pressure drop method. Effects of gas and liquid velocities and particle size on the scaling factors based on the holdups of each phase and effective volumetric flux of fluids were examined. The deviation of gas holdup between the two kinds of three phase fluidized beds decreased with increasing gas or liquid velocity but increased with increasing fluidized particle size. The deviation of liquid holdup between the two fluidized beds decreased with increasing gas or liquid velocity or size of fluidized solid particles. The deviation of solid holdup between the two fluidized beds increased with increasing gas velocity or particle size, however, decreased with increasing liquid velocity. The deviation of effective volumetric flux of fluids between the two fluidized beds decreased with increasing gas velocity or particle size, but increased with increasing liquid velocity. The scaling factor, which was defined in this study, could be effectively used to analyze the hydrodynamic similarity in three phase fluidized processes.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers B
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• v.35 no.5
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• pp.487-490
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• 2011

We used X-ray tomography to carry out an experimental study to visualize the effect of freeze and thaw cycles on the gas diffusion layer (GDL) in a polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell (PEMFC). A PEMFC has freeze and thaw cycles if the fuel cell is operating at a below-freezing ambient temperature. The cycle permanently deforms the fuel-cell capillary structures and reduces the ability of the cell to generate electric power and also reduces its service life. The GDL is the thickest capillary layer in the fuel cell, so it experiences the most deformation. The X-ray tomography facility at the Pohang Accelerator Laboratory was used to observe the structural changes in GDLs induced by a freeze and thaw cycle. We discuss the effects of these structural changes on the power production and service life of PEMFCs.

• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
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• v.32 no.1
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• pp.68-74
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• 2021

Gas diffusion layer (GDL) compression is important parameter of polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) performance to have an effect on contact resistance, reactants transfer to electrode, water content in membrane and electrode assembly (MEA). In this study, the effect of GDL compression on fuel cell performance was investigated for commercial products, JNT20-A3. Polarization curve and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy was performed at different relative humidity and compression ratio using electrode area of 25 ㎠ unit cell. The contact resistance was reduced to 8, 30 mΩ·㎠ and membrane hydration was increased as GDL compression increase from 18.6% to 38.1% at relative humidity of 100 and 25%, respectively. It was identified through ohmic resistance change at relative humidity conditions that as GDL compression increased, water back-diffusion from cathode and electrolyte membrane hydration was increased because GDL porosity was decreased.

• Journal of the Korean Electrochemical Society
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• v.11 no.4
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• pp.273-283
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• 2008

GDL(Gas Diffusion Layer) is one of the main components of PEM fuel cell. It transports reactants from the channel to the catalyst and removes reaction products from the catalyst to the channels in the flow filed plate. It is known that higher permeability of GDL can make it possible to enhance the gas transport through GDL, leading to better performance. And MEA's temperature is determined by gas and heat transport. In this paper, three dimensional numerical simulation of PEM fuel cell of parallel channel and serpentine channel by the permeability of GDL is presented to analysis heat and mass transfer characteristics using a FLUENT modified to include the electrochemical behavior. Results show that in the case of parallel channel, performance variation with change of permeability of GDL was not so much. This is thought because mass transfer is carried out by diffusion mechanism in parallel channel. Also, in the case of serpentine channel, higher GDL permeability resulted in better performance of PEM fuel cell because of convection flow though GDL. And mass transfer process is changed from convection to diffusion when the permeability becomes low.

• 한국신재생에너지학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2011.05a
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• pp.92.2-92.2
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• 2011

고분자전해질 연료전지 (PEMFC)의 가격 결정 요인 중 막 전극 접합체 (MEA)가 차지하는 비중은 약 45%정도이며, 이것을 구성하는 주요 부품인 기체 확산층 (GDL)은 carbon paper나 carbon cloth 형태가 사용되고 있다. 그렇지만 GDL을 제조하는 공정은 매우 복잡하고, 그 가격이 너무 높은 단점이 있다. 본 연구에서는 카본블랙, 흑연 등의 탄소화합물과 polymer binder를 이용하여 단순화된 공정으로 GDL을 제조하였다. 또한, GDL의 물리적 특성이 전극 성능에 미치는 영향을 분석하기 위하여 표면 morphology, 접촉각 및 표면에너지, 전기전도도, 기체투과도, porosity, pore distrivution 등을 측정하였고, 각각의 GDL 표면에 동량의 Pt 촉매를 도포하여 MEA를 제작한 후 그 성능을 평가하였다.