• Transactions of the Korean hydrogen and new energy society
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.1-8
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• 2009

Hydrogen production by the reaction of aluminum alloys and NaOH solution was studied for an automotive proton exchange membrane fuel cell(PEMFC) application. In our experiment conditions($30{\sim}75^{\circ}C$, NaOH $0.5{\sim}5M$), passivation of aluminum was not occurred. Higher rate of hydrogen production was observed at the reaction with Al alloys that contain impurities. With an increase in reaction temperature, hydrogen production rate by an increase in NaOH concentration increased much. When hydrogen was fed into the anode without filtering, PEMFC cell performance decreased 35% by ionic contamination such as $Na^+$ on the membrane and electrode. Thus, filtering of produced hydrogen is necessary for PEMFC operation.

• Transactions of the Korean hydrogen and new energy society
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• v.22 no.5
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• pp.585-591
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• 2011

This study has focused on the development of high performance membrane-electrode assemblies (MEAs) fabricated by decal method for proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC). To study the effect of ionomer contents on performance, we fabricated MEAs with several electrodes which were prepared by varying the quantity of ionomer from 20 wt.% to 45 wt.% in catalyst layer. The MEA performance was obtained through single cell test. The MEA prepared from electrode with 25wt.% of ionomer showed the best performance. We evaluated the surface area and pore volume of electrode with BET. We found that the surface area and pore volume in electrode decreased rapidly at the electrode with 40wt.% of ionomer in catalyst layer. MEA was fabricated by roll laminator machine and the roll laminating conditions for the preparation of MEA, such as laminating press, temperature and speed, were optimized. The MEA performance is not affected by laminating temperature and speed, but roll laminating press have a great effect on MEA performance.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Machine Tool Engineers
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• v.14 no.4
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• pp.104-109
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• 2005

The catalyst layer design is one of the most important factors to enhance the performance of PEMFC(Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell) system. The hydrophobic and ion conductive type is studied for the MEA(Membrane Electrolyte Assembly). It is found that those have some limitations for performance enhancement when they are used separately. Thus, the dual catalyst type, a mixed model, is developed for the better MEA performance. In the meantime, the design of flow field plate is subsequently carried out in order to give more enhanced output during its operation. The conductivity of flow field plate showed better performance in the case of manufactured by the more compressed process(20MPa) than by the less compressed process(10MPa). The micro-structure of the flow field plate is examined in details using SEM(Scanning Electron Microscope) to analyse the effects on the different compression processes.

• Transactions of the Korean hydrogen and new energy society
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.155-162
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• 2016

A proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) produces only water at cathode by an electrochemical reaction between hydrogen and oxygen. The generated water is transported across the membrane from the cathode to the anode. The transported water collected in water-trap and drained to the cathode within the humidifier outlet. If the condensate water is not being drained at the appropriate time, condensate water in the anode can cause the performance degradation or fuel efficiency degradation of fuel cell by the anode flooding or unnecessary hydrogen discharge. In this study, we proposed an optimization method of condensate water drain logic for the water drain performance and the water drain algorithm as considered the condensate water generating speed prep emergency case. In conclusion, we developed the water management strategy of fuel processing system (FPS) as securing fuel efficiency and operating stability.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Automotive Engineers
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.34-40
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• 2015

A stack in the proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) consists of bipolar plates, a membrane electrode assembly, a gas diffusion layer, a collector and end plates. High current density is usually obtainable partially from uniform temperature distribution in the fuel cell. A size optimization method considering the thermal expansion effect of stacked plates was developed on the basis of finite element analyses. The thermal stresses in end, bipolar, and cooling plates were calculated based on temperature distribution obtained from thermal analyses. Finally, the optimization method was applied and optimum thicknesses of the three plates were calculated considering both fastening bolt tension and thermal expansion of each unit cell (72 cells, 5kW). The optimum design considering both thermal and mechanical loads increases the thickness of an end plate by 0.64-0.83% the case considering only mechanical load. The effect can be enlarged if the number of stack increases as in an automotive application to 200-300 stacks.

• Journal of the Korean institute of surface engineering
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• v.48 no.5
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• pp.199-204
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• 2015

Recently, fuel cell is a good alternative for energy source. Separator is a important component for fuel cell. In this study, The surface of separator was modified for corrosion resistance and electric conductivity. Reduced graphene oxide (rGO) was made by Staudenmaier's method. Nickel, phosphorus and rGO were coated on 6061 aluminum alloy as a separator of proton exchange membrane fuel cell by composite electroless plating. Scanning electron microscope, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy were used to examine the morphology of Ni-P-rGO. Surface images were shown that the rGO was dispersed on the surface of Ni-P electroless plating, and nickel was combined with the un-reduced oxygen functional group of rGO.

• Advances in Energy Research
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• v.8 no.4
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• pp.203-211
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• 2022

The aim of this paper is to analyze the performance of commercial fuel cell (rated capacity 1000W) with the help of resistive load and output power variation with change in H₂ flow rate and calculate the maximum power point (MPP) of the proton exchange membrane (PEM) while changing AC and DC load respectively. The factors influencing the output power of a fuel cell are hydrogen flow rate, cell temperature, and membrane water content. The results show that when the H₂ flow rate is changed from 11, 13, and 15 Lpm, MPP is increased from lower to higher flow rate. The power of the fuel cell is increased at the rate of 29% by increasing the flow rate from 11 to 15 lpm. This study will allow small-scale industries and residential buildings (in remote or inaccessible areas) to characterize the performance of PEMFC. Furthermore, fuel cell helps in reducing emission in the environment compared to fossil fuels. Also, fuel cells are ecofriendly as well as cost effective and can be the best alternative way to convert energy.

• Journal of Ceramic Processing Research
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• v.18 no.11
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• pp.810-814
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• 2017

Proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) are some of the most efficient electrochemical energy sources for transportation applications because of their clean, green, and high efficiency characteristics. The optimization of catalyst layer morphology is considered a feasible approach to achieve high performance of PEMFC membrane electrode assembly (MEA). In this work, we studied the effect of the solvent on the catalyst layer of PEMFC MEAs fabricated using the electrostatic spray deposition method. The catalyst ink comprised of Pt/C, a Nafion ionomer, and a solvent. Two types of solvent were used: isopropyl alcohol (IPA) and dimethylformamide (DMF). Compared with the catalyst layer prepared using IPA-based ink, the catalyst layer prepared with DMF-based ink had a dense structure because the DMF dispersed the Pt/C-Nafion agglomerates smaller and more homogeneously. The size distribution of the agglomerates in catalyst ink was confirmed through Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS) and the microstructure of the catalyst layer was compared using field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM). In addition, the electrochemical investigation was performed to evaluate the solvent effect on the fuel cell performance. The catalyst layer prepared with DMF-based ink significantly enhanced the cell performance (1.2 A cm-2 at 0.5 V) compared with that fabricated using IPA-based ink (0.5 A cm-2 at 0.5 V) due to the better dispersion and uniform agglomeration on the catalyst layer.

• Transactions of the Korean hydrogen and new energy society
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• v.34 no.5
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• pp.465-477
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• 2023

In proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC), proper thermal management of the stack and moisture generation by electrochemical reactions significantly affect fuel cell performance. In this study, the PEMFC dynamic characteristic model was developed through Simcenter AMESim, a development program. In addition, the developed model aims to understand the thermal resin balance of the stack and performance characteristics for input loads. The developed model applies the thermal management model of the stack and the moisture content and permeability model to simulate voltage loss and stack thermal behavior precisely. This study extended the C based AMESet (adaptive modeling environment submodeling tool) to simulate electrochemical reactions inside the stack. Fuel cell model of AMESet was liberalized with AMESim and then integrated with the balance of plant (BOP) model and analyzed. And It is intended to be used in component design through BOP analysis. The resistance loss of the stack and thermal behavior characteristics were predicted, and the impact of stack performance and efficiency was evaluated.

• Proceedings of the KSME Conference
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• 2007.05b
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• pp.2255-2260
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• 2007

This Paper focuses on modeling and simulation to analyze the characteristic of hybrid vehicle. The system includes proton exchange membrane fuel cell(PEMFC), photovoltaic generator(PV), lead-acid battery, motor, vehicle and controller. Main electricity is produced by the PEMFC and battery to meet the requirements of a user load. When vehicle is parked in a sunny place, extra power is generated by the photovotaics and is charged in a battery for next drive. Further we evaluate usefulness of this hybrid vehicle by using ADVISOR - the advanced vehicle simulator written in the Matlab/Simulink environment. According to simulation results, the extra power obtained by photovoltaics which have been explored in nature conditions can help to reduce the electrical load of PEMFC and increase the efficiency (over 30%).