• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.33 no.5
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• pp.547-555
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• 2001

In pressurized light water reactor fuel assembly, spacer grids support nuclear fuel rods both laterally and vertically. The fuel rods are supported by spacer grid springs and grid dimples that are located in the grid cell. The support system allows for some thermal expansion and imbalance of the fuel rods. The imbalance is absorbed by elastic energy to prevent coolant flow- induced vibration damage. Design requirements are defined and a design process is established. The design process includes mathematical optimization as well as practical design method. The shape of the grid spring is designed to maintain its function during the lifetime of the fuel assembly. A structural optimization method is employed for the shape design. Since the optimization is carried out in the linear range of finite element analysis, the optimum solution is verified by nonlinear analysis. A good design is found and the final design is compared with the initial conceptual design. Commercial codes are utilized for structural analysis and optimization.

• Journal of the Korean Electrochemical Society
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.104-109
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• 2007

Single fuel cell was fabricated with a MEA (membrane electrode assembly) that had a $4cm^2$ active area and with silicon bipolar plates those were introduced to miniaturize the fuel cell by replacing heavy weight graphite plates. Optimum humidification condition for the single cell was selected based on performance results obtained varying humidifier temperature at a fixed feed rate of hydrogen and oxygen. Furthermore, to study the effect of humidification condition on the performance of a fuel cell stack, the fuel cell stack consisting of two MEAs and silicon bipolar plates was studied, then problems and characteristics of silicon-based fuel cell stack were examined.

• The Transactions of The Korean Institute of Electrical Engineers
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• v.58 no.7
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• pp.1287-1293
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• 2009

This paper presents an application of Harmony Search (HM) meta-heuristic optimization algorithm for optimal operation of microgrid system. The microgrid system considered in this paper consists of a wind turbine, a diesel generator, and a fuel cell. An one day load profile which divided 20 minute data and wind resource for wind turbine generator were used for the study. In optimization, the HS algorithm is used for solving the problem of microgrid system operation which a various generation resources are available to meet the customer load demand with minimum operating cost. The application of HS algorithm to optimal operation of microgrid proves its effectiveness to determine optimally the generating resources without any differences of load mismatch and having its nature of fast convergency time as compared to other optimization method.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Illuminating and Electrical Installation Engineers
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• v.29 no.5
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• pp.34-40
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• 2015

This paper presents an application of Differential Search (DS) meta-heuristic optimization algorithm for optimal operation of micro grid system. DS algorithm has the benefit of high convergence rate and precision compared to other optimization methods. The micro grid system consists of a wind turbine, a diesel generator, and a fuel cell. The simulation is applied to micro grid system only. The wind turbine generator is modeled by considering the characteristics of variable output. One day load data which is divided every 20 minute and wind resource for wind turbine generator are used for the study. The method using the proposed DS algorithm is easy to implement, and the results of the convergence performance are better than other optimization algorithms.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Illuminating and Electrical Installation Engineers
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• v.23 no.12
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• pp.154-161
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• 2009

A fuel cell power plant is a very complex system which has various control loops with some non-linearity. For control of a fuel cell power plant, dynamic models of fuel cell stacks have been developed and simplified process flow diagrams of a fuel cell power plant has been presented. Using such a model of a Molten Carbonate Fuel Cell (MCFC) power plant, this paper deals with development of an intelligent setpoint reference governor (I-SRG) to find the optimal setpoints and feed forward control inputs for the plant power demand. The I-SRG is implemented with neural network by using Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) algorithm based on system constraints and performance objectives. The feasibility of the I-SRG is shown through simulation of an MCFC power plant for tracking control of its power demand.

• Transactions of the Korean hydrogen and new energy society
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• v.32 no.4
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• pp.245-255
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• 2021

Various studies about metallic bipolar plates have been conducted to improve fuel cell performance through flow field design optimization. These research works have been mainly focused on fuel cells for vehicle, but not fuel cells for building. In order to reduce the price and volume of fuel cell stacks for building, it is necessary to apply a metallic flow field, In this study, for a metallic flow field applied to a fuel cell for building, the effect of a change in the flow field shape on the performance of a polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell was confirmed using a model and experiments with a down-sizing single cell. As a result, the flow field using a metal foam outperforms the channel type flow field because it has higher internal differential pressure and higher reactants velocity in gas diffusion layer, resulting in higher water removal and higher oxygen concentration in the catalyst layer than the channel type flow field. This study is expected to contribute to providing basic data for selecting the optimal flow field for the full stack of polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells for buildings.

• New & Renewable Energy
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• v.1 no.4 s.4
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• pp.49-54
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• 2005

There is close relation between the heat generation in the fuel cell stack and the fuel performance. In PEM fuel cell vehicles, the stack coolant temperature is about $65^{\circ}C$, which is far lower than that for general automobile engine. Therefore, it is hard to release heat generated in the stack by using a radiator of limited size because of the reduced temperature difference between the coolant and the ambient air. In this study, indirect stack cooling system using $CO_2$ heat pump was designed and its stack cooling performance in releasing heat to the ambient was investigated. This work focuses on a series of processes that grasp the relation among the fuel cell power, the radiator capacity and the stack temperature. The purpose of this work is to find out a way to properly release sufficient amount of heat through the finite sized radiator, so that the slack power generation can not be deteriorated due to the stack temperature increase. The optimization between the compressor power consumption and the fuel cell output power can be carried out to maximize the performance of fuel cell system.

• Transactions of the Korean hydrogen and new energy society
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• v.32 no.1
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• pp.11-40
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• 2021

Solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) has received significant attention recently because of its potential for the clean and efficient power generation. The current manufacturing processes for the SOFC components are somehow complex and expensive, therefore, new and innovative techniques are necessary to provide a great deal of cell performance and fabricability. Three-dimensional (3D) printing processes have the potential to provide a solution to all these problems. This study reviews the literature for manufacturing the SOFC components using 3D printing processes. The technical aspects for fabrication of SOFC components, 3D printing processes optimization and material characterizations are discussed. Comparison of the SOFC components fabricated by 3D printing to those manufactured by conventional ceramic processes is highlighted. Further advancements in the 3D printing of the SOFC components can be a step closer to the cost reduction and commercialization of this technology.

• Transactions of the Korean hydrogen and new energy society
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• v.30 no.6
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• pp.523-530
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• 2019

For the low-Pt electrodes for polymer electrolyte fuel cells (PEMFCs), the optimization of ionomer content for anode catalyst layers was carried out. A commercial catalyst of 20 wt.% Pt/C was used instead of 50 wt.% Pt/C which is commonly used for PEMFCs. The ionomer content varies from 0.6 to 1.2 based on ionomer to carbon ratio (I/C) and the catalyst layer is formed over the electrolyte by the ultrasonic spray process. Evaluation of the prepared MEA in the unit cell showed that the optimal ionomer content of the air electrode was 0.8 on the I/C basis, while the hydrogen electrode was optimal at the relatively high ionomer content of 1.0. In addition, a large difference in cell performance was observed when the ionomer content of the hydrogen electrode was changed. Increasing the ionomer content from 0.6 to 1.0 by I/C in a hydrogen electrode with 0.05 mg/㎠ platinum loading resulted in more than double cell performance improvements on a 0.6 V. Through the analysis of various electrochemical properties in the single cell, it was assumed that the change in ionomer content of the hydrogen electrode affects the water flow between the hydrogen and air electrodes bounded by the membrane in the cell, which affects the overall performance of the cell. A more specific study will be carried out to understand the water flow mechanism in the future, and this study will show that the optimization process of hydrogen electrode can also be a very important cell design variable for the low-Pt and high-performance MEA.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Visualization
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.85-92
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• 2019

Numerical visualization is conducted to confirm the variation of flow characteristics and pressure drop by the shape of channels on the cathode flow path in hydrogen fuel cells for unmanned aerial vehicles(UAVs). Generally, a light-weight fan is commonly used rather than a heavy air compressor at UAVS. However, in case of blower fan, a large pressure drop in the flow path causes the blocking of the oxygen supply to the fuel cell. Therefore, the uniformity of flow inside the cathode has to be achieved by changing the shape of the cathode. The flow channel, the duct shape, and the diameter of the fan are changed to optimize the flow path. As a result, it is confirmed that the optimal flow path can decrease the velocity difference between the center and outer flow by 1.8%. However, It should be noted that the channel size can increase the pressure drop.