• 한국신재생에너지학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2009.11a
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• pp.218-221
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• 2009

Solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs), as high-temperature fuel cells, have various advantages. In some merits of SOFCs, high temperature operation can lead to the capability for internal reforming, providing fuel flexibility. SOFCs can directly use CH4 and CO as fuels with sufficient steam feeds. However, hydrocarbons heavier than CH4, such as ethylene, ethane, and propane, induce carbon deposition on the Ni-based anodes of SOFCs. In the case of the ethylene steam reforming reaction on a Ni-based catalyst, the rate of carbon deposition is faster than among other hydrocarbons, even aromatics. In the reformates of heavy hydrocarbons (diesel, gasoline, kerosene and JP-8), the concentration of ethylene is usually higher than other low hydrocarbons such as methane, propane and butane. It is importatnt that ethylene in the reformate is removed for stlable operation of SOFCs. A new methodology, termed post-reforming was introduced for removing low hydrocarbons from the reformate gas stream. In this work, activity tests of some post-reforming catalysts, such as CGO-Ru, CGO-Ni, and CGO-Pt, are investigated. CGO-Pt catalyst is not good for removing ethylene due to low conversion of ethylene and low selectivity of ethylene dehydrogenation. The other hand, CGO-Ru and CGO-Ni catalysts show good ethylene conversion, and CGO-Ni catalyst shows the best reaction selectivity of ethylene dehydrogenation.

• Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.13 no.4
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• pp.192-196
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• 2008

The generation of high purity hydrogen from reformed hydrocarbon fuels, or syngas, is essential for efficient operation of the fuel cell (PEMFC, Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cell). Usually, major components of reformed gas are $H_2$, CO, $CO_2$ and $H_2O$. Especially a major component, CO poisons the electrode of fuel cells. The water gas shifter (WGS) that shifts CO to $CO_2$ and simultaneously produces $H_2$, was developed to a two stage catalytic conversion process involving a high temperature shifter (HTS) and a low temperature shifter (LTS). Also, experiments were carried out to reduce the carbon monoxide up to $3{\sim}4%$ in the HTS and lower than 5,000 ppm via the LTS.

• 한국신재생에너지학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2009.06a
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• pp.378-378
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• 2009

The ionic liquid-based sulfonated hydrocarbon composite membranes was prepared for use in anhydrous high temperature-polymer electrolyte fuel cells (HT-PEFCs). Ionic liquid behaves like water in the composite membranes under anhydrous condition. However the composite membranes show a low conductivity and high gas permeability as the content of ionic liquid increases due to its high viscosity and content of ionic liquid, respectively. Hence, in order to enhance the proton conductivity and to reduce the gas permeability of the composite membranes with low content of ionic liquids, the acid containing a common ion of ionic liquid was added to the composite membranes. The characterization of composite membranes was carried out using small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS), thermogravimetric analyzer (TGA) and impedance spectroscopy. As a result, the composite membranes containing acid showed higher proton conductivity than those with no acid under the un-humidified condition due to a decrease in viscosity. In addition, the proton conductivity of composite membranes increased with increasing mole concentration of acid.

• Journal of the Korean Electrochemical Society
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.30-38
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• 2013

In this study, a catalyst slurry was prepared with a Pt/C catalyst, Nafion ionomer solution as a binder, an ionic liquid (IL) (1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate), deionized water and ethanol as a solvent for the application to polymer electrolyte fuel cells (PEFCs) at high-temperatures. The effect of the IL in the electrode of each design was investigated by performing a cyclic voltammetry (CV) measurement. Electrodes with different IL distributions inside and on the surface of the catalyst electrode were examined. During the CV test, the electrochemical surface area (ESA) obtained for the Pt/C electrode without ILs gradually decreased owing to three mechanisms: Pt dissolution/redeposition, carbon corrosion, and place exchange. As the IL content increased in the electrode, an ESA decrement was observed because ILs leaked from the Nafion polymer in the electrode. In addition, the CVs under conditions simulating leakage of ILs from the electrode and electrolyte were evaluated. When the ILs leaked from the electrode, minor significant changes in the CV were observed. On the other hand, when the leakage of ILs originated from the electrolyte, the CVs showed different features. It was also observed that the ESA decreased significantly. Thus, leakage of ILs from the polymer electrolyte caused a performance loss for the PEFCs by reducing the ESA. As a result, greater entrapment stability of ILs in the polymer matrix is needed to improve electrode performance.

• Transactions of the Korean hydrogen and new energy society
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.393-404
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• 2014

Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) have been applied to not only military missions like surveillance and reconnaissance but also commercial missions like meteorological observation, aerial photograph, communication relay, internet network build and disaster observation. Fuel cells make UAVs eco-friendly by using hydrogen. Proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) show low operation temperature, high efficiency, low noise and high energy density and those characterisitcs are well fitted with UAVs. Thus Fuel cell based UAVs have been actively developed in the world. Recently, fuel cell UAVs have started to develope for high altitude UAVs because target altitude of UAVs is expanded upto stratosphere altitude. Long endurance of UAVs is essential to improve effects of the missions. Improvement of UAV endurance time could be fulfilled by developing a hydrogen fuel storage system with high energy density and reducing the weight of UAVs. In this paper, research trend and analysis of fuel cell UAVs are introduced in terms of their altitude and endurance time and then the prospect of fuel cell UAVs are shown.

• The Transactions of the Korean Institute of Electrical Engineers P
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• v.58 no.4
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• pp.563-567
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• 2009

The polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell(PEMFC) with the advantages of low-operating temperature, high current density, low cost and volume, fast start-up ability, and suitability for discontinuous operation becomes the most reasonable and attractive power system for transportation vehicle and micro-grid power plant in a household. 200W PEM-type FCs system was integrated by this study, then the electrical characteristics and diagnosis of the fuel cell were analyzed with variations on mass flow rate and stack temperature. The ranges of the variations are 1~8L/min on $H_2$ volume and $20{\sim}70^{\circ}C$ on stack temperature.

• International Journal of Automotive Technology
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• v.7 no.7
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• pp.867-872
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• 2006

Fuel cells are devices that convert chemical energy directly into electrical energy. Owing to the high efficiency of the fuel cells, a large number of research work have been done during these years. Among many kinds of the fuel cells, a polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell is such kind of thing which works under low temperature. Because of the specialty, it stimulated intense global R&D competition. Most of the major world automakers are racing to develop polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell passenger vehicles. Unfortunately, there are still many problems to be solved in order to make them into the commercial use, such as the thermal and water management in working process of PEMFCs. To solve the difficulites facing the researcher, the analysis of the inner mechanism of PEMFC should be implemented as much as possible and mathematical modeling is an important tool for the research of the fuel cell especially with the combination of experiment. By regarding some of the assumptions and simplifications, using the finite element technique, a two-dimensional electrochemical mode is presented in this paper for the further comparison with experimental data. Based on the principals of the problem, the equations of electronic charge conservation equation, gas-phase continuity equation, and mass balance equation are used in calculating. Finally, modeling results indicate some of the phenomenon in a unit cell, and the relationships between potential and current density.

• Transactions of the Korean hydrogen and new energy society
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.232-238
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• 2008

Research has been proceeded on fuel cell which is fueled by hydrogen. Polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) is promising power source due to high power density, simple construction and operation at low temperature. But it has problems such as high cost, temperature dependent performance. These problems could be solved by experiment which is useful for analysis and optimization of fuel cell performance and heat management. In this paper, when hydrogen flows constantly at the stoichiometry of ${\xi}=1.6$, the performance of the fuel cell stack was increased and the voltage difference between each cells was decreased according to the increase of air stoichiometry by 2.0, 2.5, 3.0. Therefore, the control of air flow rate in the same gas channel is important to get higher performance. Purpose of this research is to expect operation temperature, flow rate, performance and mass transportation through experiment and to help actual manufacture of PEM fuel cell stack.

• 한국신재생에너지학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2011.11a
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• pp.84.1-84.1
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• 2011

Typical solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) have limited applications because they operate at high temperature due to low ionic conductivity of electrolyte. Thin film solid oxide fuel cell with yttria stabilized zirconia (YSZ) electrolyte is developed to decrease operating temperature. Pt/YSZ/Pt thin film SOFC was fabricated on anodic aluminum oxide (AAO). The crystalline structure of YSZ electrolyte by sputter is heavily depends on the roughness of porous Pt layer, which results in pinholes. To deposit YSZ electrolyte without pinholes and electrical shortage, it is necessary to deposit smoother and denser layer between Pt anode layer and YSZ layer by sputter. Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD) technique is used to deposit pre-YSZ layer, and it improved electrolyte quality. 300nm thick Bi-layered YSZ electrolyte was successfully deposited without electrical shortage.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers B
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• v.31 no.5
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• pp.473-481
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• 2007

Compared to other types of fuel cells, SOFC has advantages like a wide output range and the direct use of hydrocarbon fuel without the process of external reforming. Particularly because the direct use of fuel without reforming reaction is closely linked to overall system efficiency, it is a very attractive advantage. We tried the operation with methane. However, although methane has a small number of carbons compared to other hydrocarbon fuels, our experiment found the deposition of carbon on the surface of the SOFC electrode. To overcome the problem, we tried the operation through activating internal reforming. The reason that internal reforming was possible was that SOFC runs at high temperature compared to other fuel cells and its electrode is made of Ni, which functions as a catalyst favorable for steam reforming.