بررسی اثر آرایش توده ها بر عملکرد لایه ی کاتالیست الکترود کاتد یک پیل سوختی پلیمری

نوع مقاله : مقاله پژوهشی

نویسندگان

1 دانشکده مهندسی خودرو، دانشگاه علم و صنعت ایران، تهران، ایران

2 دانشکده مهندسی مکانیک، دانشگاه شیراز، شیراز، ایران

چکیده

پیل‌های سوختی پلیمری به دلیل مزایای متعدد و کاربردهای متنوعشان در صنعت خودرو و ... امروزه مورد توجه اغلب محققان می-باشند. با این وجود، شبیه‌سازی آنها به دلیل فیزیک و مایکروساختار نسبتاً پیچیده‌‌ی آنها با دشواری‌هایی همراه بوده‌است. در مقاله‌ی حاضر، جریان واکنش پذیر هوا در الکترود کاتد یک پیل سوختی پلیمری توسط یک رویکرد چندمقیاسی شبکه-بولتزمن شبیه سازی گردیده است. بدین منظور، یک مدل توده‌ای دو بعدیِ تکفازی مبتنی بر روش شبکه-بولتزمن ارائه و صحت آزمایی گردیده و جهت مدلسازی لایه‌ی کاتالیست استفاده شده است.
میدان سرعت و توزیع گونه‌های شیمیایی در ناحیه‌ی حفره، توزیع میزان آب و پتانسیل الکتریکی در لایه‌ی نازک الکترولیت اطراف توده‌ها، و توزیع چگالی جریان الکتریکی در مرز غشاء و لایه‌ی کاتالیست برای هر دو آرایش منظم و نامنظم توده‌ها ارائه و تحلیل گشته-اند. نتایج این پژوهش حاکی از آن است که پارامترهای بررسی شده به شدت از آرایش توده‌ها در لایه‌ی کاتالیست اثر می‌پذیرند. همچنین نتایج مذکور حاکی از آن اند که در شبیه سازی پیل‌های سوختی می‌بایست از روش‌هایی که قادر به در نظر گرفتن مایکروساختارهای پیچیده می‌باشند، نظیر روش مقیاس-حفره‌‌ی شبکه-بولتزمن استفاده نمود. نتایج این پژوهش می‌تواند راهنمایی‌های مهمی جهت طراحی بهتر لایه کاتالیست این گونه پیل‌ها در اختیار قرار دهد.

کلیدواژه‌ها

موضوعات


عنوان مقاله [English]

Effects of Agglomerate Arrangement on Cathode Catalyst Layer Performance in PEM Fuel Cell

نویسندگان [English]

  • G. R. Molaeimanesh 1
  • M. H. Akbari 2
1 Department of Automotive Engineering, Iran University of Science and Technology, Tehran, Iran
2 Department of Mechanical Engineering, Shiraz University, Shiraz, Iran
چکیده [English]

Proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) as efficient and advantageous power sources are currently near the stage of full commercialization in the vehicle industry. However, the simulation of their cathode electrode faces with some challenges due to the complicated physics and microstructure. In the present study, the reactive air flow in a cathode electrode of a PEMFC is simulated through a multi-scale lattice Boltzmann approach. In this regard, a two-dimensional single-phase lattice Boltzmann agglomerate model is presented and validated; then it is applied to model cathode electrode consisting of catalyst layer (CL), gas diffusion layer (GDL) and gas flow channel. To investigate the effects of agglomerate arrangement on the CL performance, species distributions in the pore region, electrical potential distribution in the electrolyte film, and current density distribution at the interface of membrane and CL are presented and analyzed for both uniform and non-uniform agglomerate arrangements. The results establish the fact that the distribution of species, water content, electric potential and current density in the CL, i.e. the CL performance, are strongly affected by agglomerate arrangement in the CL. The results of this study can be helpful to improve catalyst layer microstructure, and subsequently its performance. Besides, the presented model can be extended to three dimensions for further investigation of CL microstructure impact.

کلیدواژه‌ها [English]

  • Polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell (PEMFC)
  • lattice Boltzmann method (LBM)
  • agglomerate model
  • catalyst layer (CL)
  • agglomerate arrangement
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