• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers B
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• v.36 no.10
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• pp.979-988
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• 2012

The 3D structure of GDL for fuel cells was measured using high-resolution X-ray tomography in order to study material transport in the GDL. A computational algorithm has been developed to remove noise in the 3D image and construct 3D elements representing carbon fibers of GDL, which were used for both structural and fluid analyses. Changes in the pore structure of GDL under various compression levels were calculated, and the corresponding volume meshes were generated to evaluate the anisotropic permeability of gas within GDL as a function of compression. Furthermore, the transfer of liquid water and reactant gases was simulated by using the volume of fluid (VOF) and pore-network model (PNM) techniques. In addition, the simulation results of liquid water transport in GDL were validated by analogous experiments to visualize the diffusion of fluid in porous media. Through this research, a procedure for simulating the material transport in deformed GDL has been developed; this will help in optimizing the clamping force of fuel cell stacks as well as in determining the design parameters of GDL, such as thickness and porosity.

• The Journal of Engineering Geology
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• v.9 no.3
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• pp.187-206
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• 1999

A computer program to numerically predict the permeability tensor of fractured rocks is developed using information on discontinuities which Borehole Televiewer and Borehole Image Processing System (BIPS) provide. It uses orientation and thickness of a large number of discontinuities as input data, and calculates relative values of the 9 elements consisting of the permeability tensor by the formulation based on the EPM model, which regards a fractured rock as a homogeneous, anisotropic porous medium. In order to assess feasibility of the program on field sites, the numerically calculated tensor was obtained using BIPS logs and compared to the results of pumping test conducted in the boreholes of the study area. The degree of horizontal anisotropy and the direction of maximum horizontal permeability are 2.8 and $N77^{\circ}CE$, respectively, determined from the pumping test data, while 3.0 and $N63^{\circ}CE$ from the numerical analysis by the developed program. Disagreement between two analyses, especially for the principal direction of anisotropy, seems to be caused by problems in analyzing the pumping test data, in applicability of the EPM model and the cubic law, and in simplified relationship between the crack size and aperture. Aside from these problems, consideration of hydraulic parameters characterizing roughness of cracks and infilling materials seems to be required to improve feasibility of the proposed program. Three-dimensional assessment of its feasibility on field sites can be accomplished by conducting a series of cross-hole packer tests consisting of an injecting well and a monitoring well at close distance.