The effect of Nafion film on the cathode catalyst layer performance in a low-Pt PEM fuel cell

A single--pore model for performance of the cathode catalyst layer (CCL) in a PEM fuel cell is developed. The model takes into account oxygen transport though the CCL depth and through the thin Nafion film, separating the pore from Pt/C species. Analytical solution to model equations reveals the limiting current density $j_N^{\rm lim}$ due to oxygen transport through the Nafion film. Further, $j_N^{\rm lim}$ linearly depends of the CCL thickness, i.e., the thinner the CCL, the lower $j_N^{\rm lim}$. This result may explain unexpected lowering of low--Pt loaded catalyst layers performance, which has been widely discussing in literature.Comment: 11 page

Comparison of two physical models for fitting PEM fuel cell impedance spectra measured at a low air flow stoichiometry

Local impedance spectra of a segmented PEM fuel cell operated at an air flow stoichiometry of λ = 2 are measured. The local spectra are fitted with the recent 1D and quasi–2D (q2D) physical models for PEMFC impedance. The q2D model takes into account oxygen transport in the gas channel, while the 1D model ignores this transport assuming infinite stoichiometry of the air flow. Analysis of the q2D expression for the GDL impedance Z∞gdl at λ → ∞ shows that the contribution of Z∞gdl to the total cell impedance rapidly decays with the frequency growth. We derive an equation for the boundary frequency flim, above which this contribution is small. We show that the 1D model can be fitted to the high–frequency part (f > flim) of a spectrum acquired at λ ≃ 2, ignoring the low–frequency arc due to the oxygen transport in the channel. Comparison of fitting parameters resulted from the 1D and q2D models confirms this idea

Potentials near the curved anode edge in a PEM fuel cell: Analytical solution for placing a reference electrode

We consider a PEM fuel cell with concentric circular electrodes: the small anode and the large cathode. A model for in-plane distributions of the cathode overpotential ηc and the membrane potential Φ in the anode-free region of the cell is developed. Mathematically, the problem reduces to the axially symmetric Poisson–Boltzmann equation for ηc. An approximate analytical solution shows that |ηc| exhibits rapid decay to zero with the radius, while |Φ| grows to the value of |η0c|, the cathode overpotential in the working domain of the cell. For typical η0c, the radial shape of ηc far from the anode edge only weakly depends on η0c; this effect is analogous to Debye screening in plasmas. The smaller the anode radius, the faster Φ approaches η0c with the distance from the anode. It follows, that a reference electrode for measuring the cathode overpotential in the working area can be placed at a small distance from the curved anode edge

A new numerical strategy with space-time adaptivity and error control for multi-scale streamer discharge simulations

This paper presents a new resolution strategy for multi-scale streamer discharge simulations based on a second order time adaptive integration and space adaptive multiresolution. A classical fluid model is used to describe plasma discharges, considering drift-diffusion equations and the computation of electric field. The proposed numerical method provides a time-space accuracy control of the solution, and thus, an effective accurate resolution independent of the fastest physical time scale. An important improvement of the computational efficiency is achieved whenever the required time steps go beyond standard stability constraints associated with mesh size or source time scales for the resolution of the drift-diffusion equations, whereas the stability constraint related to the dielectric relaxation time scale is respected but with a second order precision. Numerical illustrations show that the strategy can be efficiently applied to simulate the propagation of highly nonlinear ionizing waves as streamer discharges, as well as highly multi-scale nanosecond repetitively pulsed discharges, describing consistently a broad spectrum of space and time scales as well as different physical scenarios for consecutive discharge/post-discharge phases, out of reach of standard non-adaptive methods.Comment: Support of Ecole Centrale Paris is gratefully acknowledged for several month stay of Z. Bonaventura at Laboratory EM2C as visiting Professor. Authors express special thanks to Christian Tenaud (LIMSI-CNRS) for providing the basis of the multiresolution kernel of MR CHORUS, code developed for compressible Navier-Stokes equations (D\'eclaration d'Invention DI 03760-01). Accepted for publication; Journal of Computational Physics (2011) 1-2

Spontaneous Branching of Anode-Directed Streamers between Planar Electrodes

Non-ionized media subject to strong fields can become locally ionized by penetration of finger-shaped streamers. We study negative streamers between planar electrodes in a simple deterministic continuum approximation. We observe that for sufficiently large fields, the streamer tip can split. This happens close to Firsov's limit of `ideal conductivity'. Qualitatively the tip splitting is due to a Laplacian instability quite like in viscous fingering. For future quantitative analytical progress, our stability analysis of planar fronts identifies the screening length as a regularization mechanism.Comment: 4 pages, 6 figures, submitted to PRL on Nov. 16, 2001, revised version of March 10, 200

Analytical and numerical analysis of PEM fuel cell performance curve

We present a novel approach for analyzing the experimental voltage-current curves of a polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) fuel cell. State-of-the-art numerical models involve many poorly known parameters. This makes a comparison of numerical and experimental polarization curves unreliable. We suggest characterizing the cell by first using a simplified analytical model, which contains a minimal number of parameters and ignores three-dimensional (3D) effects. The resulting physical parameters are then used as input data for a 3D numerical simulation of the PEM fuel cell. Comparison of experimental, analytical, and numerical polarization curves enables us to estimate the contribution of 3D effects to the voltage loss. This procedure is performed using specially designed experiments, our recent analytical model, and the newest version of a numerical quasi-3D model of a cell. The results show that this approach may serve as a tool for the optimization of the flow field design. (c) 2005 The Electrochemical Society. All rights reserved

An adaptive grid refinement strategy for the simulation of negative streamers

The evolution of negative streamers during electric breakdown of a non-attaching gas can be described by a two-fluid model for electrons and positive ions. It consists of continuity equations for the charged particles including drift, diffusion and reaction in the local electric field, coupled to the Poisson equation for the electric potential. The model generates field enhancement and steep propagating ionization fronts at the tip of growing ionized filaments. An adaptive grid refinement method for the simulation of these structures is presented. It uses finite volume spatial discretizations and explicit time stepping, which allows the decoupling of the grids for the continuity equations from those for the Poisson equation. Standard refinement methods in which the refinement criterion is based on local error monitors fail due to the pulled character of the streamer front that propagates into a linearly unstable state. We present a refinement method which deals with all these features. Tests on one-dimensional streamer fronts as well as on three-dimensional streamers with cylindrical symmetry (hence effectively 2D for numerical purposes) are carried out successfully. Results on fine grids are presented, they show that such an adaptive grid method is needed to capture the streamer characteristics well. This refinement strategy enables us to adequately compute negative streamers in pure gases in the parameter regime where a physical instability appears: branching streamers.Comment: 46 pages, 19 figures, to appear in J. Comp. Phy

Stability of negative ionization fronts: regularization by electric screening?

We recently have proposed that a reduced interfacial model for streamer propagation is able to explain spontaneous branching. Such models require regularization. In the present paper we investigate how transversal Fourier modes of a planar ionization front are regularized by the electric screening length. For a fixed value of the electric field ahead of the front we calculate the dispersion relation numerically. These results guide the derivation of analytical asymptotes for arbitrary fields: for small wave-vector k, the growth rate s(k) grows linearly with k, for large k, it saturates at some positive plateau value. We give a physical interpretation of these results.Comment: 11 pages, 2 figure

The role of apical support and rectal mucosal prolapse excision in successful treatment of rectocele combined with perineum descending: short-term and follow-up results

The aim of the research was to improve the results of surgery treatment of posterior compartment of pelvic floor using abdominal sacrocolpopexy and stapled trance-anal resection (STARR

Comparative exergy analysis of direct alcohol fuel cells using fuel mixtures

Within the last years there has been increasing interest in direct liquid fuel cells as power sources for portable devices and, in the future, power plants for electric vehicles and other transport media as ships will join those applications. Methanol is considerably more convenient and easy to use than gaseous hydrogen and a considerable work is devoted to the development of direct methanol fuel cells. But ethanol has much lower toxicity and from an ecological viewpoint ethanol is exceptional among all other types of fuel as is the only chemical fuel in renewable supply. The aim of this study is to investigate the possibility of using direct alcohol fuel cells fed with alcohol mixtures. For this purpose, a comparative exergy analysis of a direct alcohol fuel cell fed with alcohol mixtures against the same fuel cell fed with single alcohols is performed. The exergetic efficiency and the exergy loss and destruction are calculated and compared in each case. When alcohol mixtures are fed to the fuel cell, the contribution of each fuel to the fuel cell performance is weighted attending to their relative proportion in the aqueous solution. The optimum alcohol composition for methanol/ethanol mixtures has been determined