• The Transactions of The Korean Institute of Electrical Engineers
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• v.58 no.8
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• pp.1551-1558
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• 2009

This paper proposes a new power conditioning system for the fuel cell power generation, which consists of a LLC resonant DC-DC converter and 3-phase inverter. The LLC resonant converter boosts the fuel cell voltage of 26-48V up to 400V, using the hard-switching boost converter and the high-frequency ZVS half-bridge converter. The operation of proposed power conditioning system was verified through simulations with PSCAD/EMTDC software. The feasibility of hardware implementation was verified through experimental works with a laboratory prototype, which was built with 1.2kW PEM fuel-cell stack, 1kW LLC resonant converter, and 3kW PWM inverter. The proposed system can be utilized to commercialize a real interconnection system for the fuel-cell power generation.

• The Transactions of The Korean Institute of Electrical Engineers
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• v.58 no.9
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• pp.1728-1734
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• 2009

This paper proposes a new power conditioning system for the fuel cell power generation, which consists of a ZVS DC-DC converter and 3-phase inverter. The ZVS DC-DC converter with a digital controller boosts the fuel cell voltage of 26-50V up to 400V, and the grid-tie inverter controls the active power delivered to the grid. The operation of proposed power conditioning system was verified through simulations with PSCAD/EMTDC software. The feasibility of hardware implementation was verified through experimental works with a laboratory prototype, which was built with 1.2kW PEM fuel-cell stack, 1kW DC-DC converter, and 3kW PWM inverter. The proposed system can be utilized to commercialize an interconnection system for the fuel-cell power generation.

• Proceedings of the KIEE Conference
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• 2008.04c
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• pp.239-241
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• 2008

A powered system with fuel cell is regarded as a high current and low voltage source. Effects of the loads on the electrical power source are important to optimize the integrated power system. The design parameters of the system should be chosen by taking into account the characteristics of the fuel cell, so the costs of the power system at given operating conditions can be reduced. Furthermore, the dynamics characteristic of the system is crucial to acquire performance in applications, particularly interactions between loads and the fuel cell system. Currently, no integrated simulation has been approached to analyze interrelated effects. Therefore, the dynamic models of power conversion system with a PEM fuel cell that includes the PEM fuel cell stack, DC/DC converter and associated controls is developed. Electric lads for the system are derived by using a power theory that separates a load current into active, reactive, distortion or a mixed current component. Dependency of the DC capacitor on the loads are analyzed.

• Journal of Hydrogen and New Energy
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• v.24 no.5
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• pp.386-392
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• 2013

Polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) fuel cell stacks are constructed by stacking several to hundreds of unit cells depending on their power outputs required. Fuel and oxidant are distributed to each cell of a stack through so-called manifolds during its operation. In designing a stack, if the manifold sizes are too small, the fuel and oxidant would be maldistributed among the cells. On the contrary, the volume of the stack would be too large if the manifolds are oversized. In this study, we present a three-dimensional computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model with a geometrically simplified flow-field to optimize the size of the manifolds of a stack. The flow-field of the stack was simplified as a straight channel filled with porous media to reduce the number of computational meshes required for CFD simulations. Using the CFD model, we determined the size of the oxidant manifold of a 30 kW-class PEM fuel cell stack that comprises 99 cells. The stack with the optimal manifold size showed a quite uniform distribution of the cell voltages across the entire cells.

• Journal of the Korean Solar Energy Society
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• v.32 no.5
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• pp.118-123
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• 2012

Water balance has a significant impact on the overall fuel cell performance. Maintenance of proper water management should provide an adequate membrane hydration and avoidance of water flooding in the catalyst layer and gas diffusion layer. Considering the important of advanced water management in PEM fuel cell, this study proposes a simple one dimensional water transportation model of PEM fuel cell for use in a dynamic condition. The model has been created by assumption that the output is the water liquid saturation difference. The liquid saturation change is the total difference between the additional water and the removal water on the system. The water addition is obtained from fuel cell reaction and the electro osmotic drag. The water removal is obtained from capillary transport and evaporation process. The result shows that the capillary water transport of low temperature fuel cell is high because the evaporation rate is low.

• Journal of the Korean Solar Energy Society
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• v.34 no.4
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• pp.9-16
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• 2014

A proton exchange membrane is a core component in the proton exchange membrane fuel cell because the role of proton exchange membrane(PEM)is supplying proton conductivity to fuel cell, a gas separator, and insulating between an anode and cathode. Among various role of PEM, supplying proton conductivity is the most important and the proton conductivity is strongly related the structural evolution of PEM by hydration. Thus a lot of studies have done by past few decade based on small angle X-ray scattering and wide angle X-ray scattering for understanding morphological structure of the PEM. Resulting from these studies, several morphological models of hydrated PEM are proposed. Current sensing atomic force microscopy (CSAFM) can map morphology and conductance on the membrane simultaneously. It can be the best tool for studying heterogenous structured materials such as PEM. In this study, the hydration of the membrane is examined by using CSAFM. Conductance and morphological images are simultaneously mapped under different relative humidity. The conductance images, which are mapped from different relative humidity, are analyzed by statistical methode for understanding ionic channel variation in PEM.

• Journal of Power Electronics
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• v.8 no.3
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• pp.239-247
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• 2008

This paper presents the design of 1 kW prototype high frequency link boost half bridge inverter-fed DC-DC power converters with bridge voltage-doublers suitable for small scale PEM fuel cell systems and associated control schemes. The operation principle of this converter is described using fuel cell modeling and some operating waveforms. The switching mode equivalent circuits are based on simulation results and a detailed circuit operation analysis at soft-switching conditions.

• 한국신재생에너지학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2011.05a
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• pp.89.2-89.2
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• 2011

Stainless steel bipolar plates have many advantage such as high electrical conductivity and mechanical strength and low fabrication cost. However, they need a passivation layer due to low corrosion resistance under PEM fuel cell operation condition. In this study, polyphenyene sulfide(PPS)/carbon composite coated stainless steel bipolar plates were fabricated by compression molding method after PPS/carbon composite sprayed on the stainless steel plate. PPS and carbon were chosen as the binder and conductive filler of passivation layer, respectively. The interfacial contact resistance and corrosion resistance of PPS/carbon composite coated stainless steel bipolar plates were investigated and compared to the stainless steel. The PPS/carbon composite coated stainless steel compared to stainless steel was improved interfacial contact resistance. The results of the potentiodynamic and potentiostatic measurements also showed that the PPS/carbon composite coated stainless steel did not corroded under PEM fuel cell operating conditions.

• Journal of Hydrogen and New Energy
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.481-487
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• 2011

A fuel cell vehicle using a polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell (PEM FC) as power source produces electric power by consuming the fuel, hydrogen. The unconsumed hydrogen is recirculated and reused to gain higer stack efficiency and to maintain the humidity in the anode side of the stack. So it is needed considering fuel efficiency to recirculated hydrogen. In this study, the indirect hydrogen recirculation flow rate measurement method for fuel cell vehicle is presented. By modeling of a convergent nozzle ejector and a hydrogen recirculation blower for the hydrogen recirculation of a PEM FC, the hydrogen recirculation flow rate was calculated by means of the mass balance and heat balance at Anode In/Outlet.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Precision Engineering Conference
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• 2005.06a
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• pp.1136-1139
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• 2005

As alternative materials for bipolar plate of PEM Fuel Cells, carbon composites were fabricated by compression molding. In this study, four types of nano particles, such as Carbon nanotubes, Carbon black, GX-15 and P-15 were mixed with epoxy resin to provide electric conductivity and structural properties. By increasing pressure during molding and volume ratio of nano particles, the physical contact among particles was improved resulting in increased electric conductivity. Surface resistance test showed, P-15 particles have the highest electric conductivity.