• International Journal of Automotive Technology
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• 제8권6호
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• pp.761-769
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• 2007

The configuration of the flow channel on a bipolar plate of a proton exchange membrane fuel cell(PEMFC) for efficient reactant supply has great influence on the performance of the fuel cell. Recent demand for higher energy density fuel cells requires an increase in current density at mid voltage range and a decrease in concentration overvoltage at high current density. Therefore, an interdigitated flow channel where mass transfer rate by convection through a gas diffusion layer is greater than the mass transfer by a diffusion mechanism through a gas diffusion layer was recently proposed. This study attempts to analyze the i-V performance, mass transfer and pressure drop in interdigitated flow channels by developing a fully three dimensional simulation model for PEMFC that can deal with anode and cathode flow together. The results indicate that the trade off between performance and pressure loss should be considered for efficient design of flow channels. Although the performance of the fuel cell with interdigitated flow is better than that with conventional flow channels due to a strong mass transfer rate by convection across a gas diffusion layer, there is also an increase in friction due to the strong convection through the porous diffusion layer accompanied by a larger pressure drop along the flow channel. It was evident that the proper selection of the ratio of channel and rib width under counter flow conditions in the fuel cell with interdigitated flow are necessary to optimize the interdigitated flow field design.

• 대한기계학회:학술대회논문집
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• 대한기계학회 2007년도 춘계학술대회B
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• pp.3440-3445
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• 2007

For proton exchange membrane fuel cell, it is very important to design the flow channel on separation plate optimally to maximize the current density at same electrochemical reaction surface and reduce the concentration polarization occurred at high current density. In this paper, three dimensional computation model including anode and cathode domain together was developed to examine effects of flow patterns and operation conditions such as humidity and operating temperature on performance of fuel cell. Results show that voltage at counter flow condition is higher than that at coflow condition in parallel and interdigitated flow pattern. And fuel cell with interdigitated flow pattern which has better mass transport by convection flow through gas diffusion layer has higher performance than with parallel flow pattern but its pressure drop is increased such that the trade off between performance and pressure drop should be considered for selection of flow pattern of fuel cell.

• 한국신재생에너지학회:학술대회논문집
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• 한국신재생에너지학회 2009년도 춘계학술대회 논문집
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• pp.361-364
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• 2009

KEPRI has studied planar type SOFC stacks using anode-supported single cells and kW class co-generation systems for residential power generation. A 1kW class SOFC system consisted of a hot box part, a cold BOP part and a water reservoir. A hot box part contains a SOFC stack made up of 48 cells with $10{\times}10cm^2$ area and ferritic stainless steel interconnectors, a fuel reformer, a catalytic combustor and heat exchangers. Thermal management and insulation system were especially designed for self-sustainable operation. A cold BOP part was composed of blowers, pumps, a water trap and system control units. When a 1kW class SOFC system was operated at $750^{\circ}C$ with hydrogen, the stack power was 1.2kW at 30 A and 1.6kW at 50A. Turning off an electric furnace, the SOFC system was operated using hydrogen and city gas without any external heat source. Under self-sustainable operation conditions, the stack power was about 1.3kW with hydrogen and 1.2kW with city gas respectively. The system also recuperated heat of about 1.1kW by making hot water. Recently KEPRI developed stacks using $15{\times}15cm^2$ cells and tested them. KEPRI will develop a 5 kW class CHP system using $15{\times}15cm^2$ stacks by 2010.

• 한국수소및신에너지학회논문집
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• 제20권5호
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• pp.384-389
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• 2009

KEPRI (Korea Electric Power Research Institute) has studied planar type solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) stacks using anode-supported cells and kW class co-generation systems for residential power generation. In this work, a 1 kW SOFC system consisted of a hot box part, a cold BOP (balance of plant) part, and a hot water reservoir. The hot box part contained a SOFC stack made up of 48 cells, a fuel reformer, a catalytic combustor, and heat exchangers. Thermal management and insulation system were especially designed for self-sustainable operation in that system. A cold BOP part was composed of blowers, pumps, a water trap, and system control units. When the 1 kW SOFC stack was tested using hydrogen at $750^{\circ}C$, the stack power was about $1.2\;kW_e$ at 30 A and $1.6\;kW_e$ at 50 A. Turning off an electric furnace, the SOFC system was operated using hydrogen and city gas without any external heat source. Under self-sustainable operation conditions, the stack power was about $1.3\;kW_e$ with hydrogen and $1.2\;kW_e$ with city gas respectively. The system also recuperated heat of about $1.1\;kW_{th}$ by making hot water.

• 한국수소및신에너지학회논문집
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• 제24권2호
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• pp.113-120
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• 2013

A steam reformer is a chemical reactor to produce high purity hydrogen from fossil fuel. In the steam reformer, since endothermic steam reforming is heated by exothermic combustion of fossil fuel, the heat transfer between two reaction zones dominates conversion of fossil fuel to hydrogen. Steam Reforming is complex chemical reaction, mass and heat transfer due to the exothermic methane/air combustion reaction and the endothermic steam reforming reaction. Typically, a steam reformer employs burner to supply appropriate heat for endothermic steam reforming reaction which reduces system efficiency. In this study, the heat of steam reforming reaction is provided by anode-off gas combustion of stationary fuel cell. This paper presents a optimization of heat transfer effect and average temperature of cross-section using two-dimensional models of a coaxial cylindrical reactor, and analysis three-dimensional models of a coaxial cylindrical steam reformer with chemical reaction. Numerical analysis needs to dominant chemical reaction that are assumed as a Steam Reforming (SR) reaction, a Water-Gas Shift (WGS) reaction, and a Direct Steam Reforming(DSR) reaction. The major parameters of analysis are temperature, fuel conversion and heat flux in the coaxial reactor.

• 한국수소및신에너지학회논문집
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• 제27권1호
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• pp.49-62
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• 2016

In this study, a solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) system model including balance of plant (BOP) for building electric power generation is developed to study the effect of operating conditions on the system efficiency and power output. SOFC system modeled in this study consists of three heat-exchangers, an external reformer, burner, and two blowers. A detailed computational cell model including internal reforming reaction is developed for a planer SOFC stack which is operated at intermediate temperature (IT). The BOP models including an external reformer, heat-exchangers, a burner, blowers, pipes are developed to predict the gas temperature, pressure drops and flow rate at every component in the system. The SOFC stack model and BOP models are integrate to estimate the effect of operating parameters on the performance of the system. In this study, the design of experiment (DOE) is used to compare the effects of fuel flow rate, air flow rate, air temperature, current density, and recycle ratio of anode off gas on the system efficiency and power output.

• 대한기계학회논문집B
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• 제36권4호
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• pp.405-412
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• 2012

MCFC 발전시스템에서 연소기는 연료극의 배가스 중에 포함된 미반응 가스를 연료로 사용하여 공기극에 $H_2O$와 $CO_2$ 농도가 높은 고온의 혼합가스를 공급하는 역할을 한다. 하지만 이러한 배가스는 가연한계 이하로 내려가게 되어 통상적인 연소방식에 의한 완전연소가 어렵기 때문에 이를 해결하기 위하여 촉매연소기를 사용한다. 완전연소 및 이에 다른 공해물질의 저감 특성에 따라 최근 촉매연소는 환경친화적인 연소방식으로 주목받고 있다. 따라서 본 연구에서는 MCFC 발전시스템의 BOP 시스템에 적용되는 촉매연소기에 대한 실험연구를 수행하였다. 본문에서는 실험장치를 설명한 후 촉매연소 시스템의 설계변수, 즉, $H_2$ 연료 첨가에 따른 연료조성, 유입가스의 온도, 과잉 공기비, 촉매의 종류, 그리고 시동 스케줄에 따른 촉매연소 특성을 고찰하였다.

• 대한기계학회논문집B
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• 제35권6호
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• pp.641-648
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• 2011

고온 발전용 연료전지인 MCFC의 연료극에서 방출되는 미반응 가스를 촉매연소의 열원으로 사용하고, 촉매연소 반응에 의해 발생한 열을 개질 반응에 필요한 공급열로 이용하는 통합형 촉매연소-개질 반응기에 있어서 MCFC의 운전 조건 변경에 따른 반응기의 열적 거동과 반응 특성을 실험적으로 연구하였다. 특히, 연료극에서 연료 이용률을 변동될 때 슬립가스의 조성이 바뀌는 것을 고려하여 촉매연소측에 공급해줄 혼합가스의 조성을 실험조건으로 설정하였다. 또한 개질측에서는 S/C(수증기/탄소)의 비를 운전조건의 변동 조건으로 설정하였다. 실험적으로 얻어진 데이터는 보다 현실적인 통합형 촉매연소-개질반응기를 설계하고 제작하는데 필요한 기본 자료로 활용될 수 있을 것이다.

• 전기화학회지
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• 제9권4호
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• pp.170-177
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• 2006

고분자 전해질 연료전지의 분리판의 유동채널 설계는 고전류밀도에서 발생하는 농도분극에 직접적인 영향을 줄 뿐 아니라 생성되는 물의 효과적인 전달을 위하여 매우 중요하다. 평행류 유로와 interdigitated 유로의 성능비교를 위하여 연료극과 공기극이 포함된 완전한 형태의 고분자 전해질 연료전지의 3차원 수치해석모델을 개발하였다. 수치해석모델을 사용하여 평행류 유동장과 interdigitated 유동장의 압력강하, 채널간의 물질전달, $H_2O$와 $O_2$의 농도 분포 그리고 i-V 성능을 비교하였다. 그 결과 물질전달에서 채널간의 대류에 의한 물질전할이 더욱 우수한 interdigitated 유동채널에서 성능이 더 높게 나타났으며 압력강하는 보다 크게 나타나 설계시 두가지 성능에 대한 상호보완이 필요함을 알 수 있었다.

• 한국수소및신에너지학회논문집
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• 제23권4호
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• pp.300-309
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• 2012

Long endurance is a key issue in the application of unmanned aerial vehicles. This study presents feasibility test results when fuel cell system as an alternative to the conventional engine is applied for the power of the UAV after the 150W fuel cell system is developed and packaged to the 1/4 scale super cub airplane. Fuel cell system is operated by dead-end method in the anode part and periodically purged to remove the water droplet in flow field during the operation. Oxygen in the air is supplied to the stack by the two air blowers. And fuel cell stack is water cooled by cooling circuit to dissipate the heat generated during the fuel cell operation. Weight balance is considered to integrate the stack and balance of plant (BOP) in package layout. In flight performance test, we demonstrated 4 times standalone take-off and landing. In the laboratory test simulating the flight condition to quantify the energy flow, the system is analyzed in detail. Sankey diagram shows that electric efficiency of the fuel cell system is 39.2%, heat loss 50.1%, parasitic loss 8.96%, and unreacted purged gas 1.67%, respectively compared to the total hydrogen input energy. Feasibility test results show that fuel cell system is high efficient and appropriate for the power of UAV.