Effect of bipolar-plates design on corrosion,mass and heat transfer in proton-exchange membrane fuel cells and water electrolyzers:A review

Attaining a decarbonized and sustainable energy system,which is the core solution to global energy issues,is accessible through the development of hydrogen energy.Proton-exchange membrane water electrolyzers(PEMWEs)are promising devices for hydrogen production,given their high efficiency,rapid responsiveness,and compactness.Bipolar plates account for a relatively high percentage of the total cost and weight compared with other components of PEMWEs.Thus,optimization of their design may accelerate the promotion of PEMWEs.This paper reviews the advances in materials and flow-field design for bipolar plates.First,the working conditions of proton-exchange membrane fuel cells(PEMFCs)and PEMWEs are compared,including reaction direction,operating temperature,pressure,input/output,and potential.Then,the current research status of bipolar-plate substrates and surface coatings is summarized,and some typical channel-rib flow fields and porous flow fields are presented.Furthermore,the effects of materials on mass and heat transfer and the possibility of reducing corrosion by improving the flow field structure are explored.Finally,this review discusses the potential directions of the development of bipolar-plate design,including material fabrication,flow-field geometry optimization using threedimensional printing,and surface-coating composition optimization based on computational materials science.

Influence of O-O formation pathways and charge transfer mediator on lipid bilayer membrane-like photoanodes for water oxidation

Inspired by the function of crucial components in photosystemⅡ(PSⅡ),electrochemical and dyesensitized photoelectrochemical(DSPEC)water oxidation devices were constructed by the selfassembly of well-designed amphipathic Ru(bda)-based catalysts(bda=2,2'-bipyrdine-6,6'-dicarbonoxyl acid)and aliphatic chain decorated electrode surfaces,forming lipid bilayer membrane(LBM)-like structures.The Ru(bda)catalysts on electrode-supported LBM films demonstrated remarkable water oxidation performance with different O-O formation mechanisms.However,compared to the slow charge transfer process,the O-O formation pathways did not determine the PEC water oxidation efficiency of the dyesensitized photoanodes,and the different reaction rates for similar catalysts with different catalytic paths did not determine the PEC performance of the DSPECs.Instead,charge transfer plays a decisive role in the PEC water oxidation rate.When an indolo[3,2-b]carbazole derivative was introduced between the Ru(bda)catalysts and aliphatic chain-modified photosensitizer in LBM films,serving as a charge transfer mediator for the tyrosine-histidine pair in PSⅡ,the PEC water oxidation performance of the corresponding photoanodes was dramatically enhanced.

From Chooz to the Ling'ao NPP:The Technology Transfer of Pressurized Water Reactor Technology from France to China

The transfer of pressurized water reactor(PWR)technology from France to China is an important event in the history of Sino-French scientific and technological relations.China has gradually achieved self-reliance in the field of PWR technology through the introduction and subsequent absorption of France's 900 MW reactors.Compared with the process of introducing and absorbing similar technology from the United States by France,China's experience has been more complicated.This circumstance reflects the differences in the nuclear power technology systems between the two countries.France's industrial strength and early acquisition of nuclear power technology laid a solid foundation for mastering PWR technology.On the other hand,although China established a weak foundation through the implementation of the"728 Project,"and tried hard to negotiate with France,the substantive content of the technology transfer was very limited.By way of the policy transition from"unhooking of technology and trade"to"integration of technology and trade,"China ultimately accomplished the absorption and innovation of PWR technology through the Ling'ao NPP.

A Review of the Eco-Environmental Impacts of the South-to-North Water Diversion:Implications for Interbasin Water Transfers

Interbasin water-transfer schemes provide an engineering solution for reconciling the conflict between water demand and availability.In the context of climate change,which brings great uncertainties to water resource distribution,interbasin water transfer plays an increasingly important role in the global water–food–energy nexus.However,the transfer of water resources simultaneously changes the hydrological regime and the characteristics of local water bodies,affecting biotic communities accordingly.Compared with high economic and technical inputs water-transfer projects require,the environmental and ecological implications of water-transfer schemes have been inadequately addressed.This work selects the largest water-transfer project in China,the South-to-North Water Diversion(SNWD)Project,to critically review its eco-environmental impacts on donor and recipient basins,as well as on regions along the diversion route.The two operated routes of the SNWD Project represent two typical water diversion approaches:The Middle Route uses an excavated canal,while the East Route connects existent river channels.An overview of the eco-environmental implications of these two routes is valuable for the design and optimization of future water-transfer megaprojects.

Consistency of Tropospheric Water Vapor between Reanalyses and Himawari-8/AHI Measurements over East Asia

High spatiotemporal resolution radiances from the advanced imagers onboard the new generation of geostationary weather satellites provide a unique opportunity to evaluate the abilities of various reanalysis datasets to depict multilayer tropospheric water vapor(WV),thereby enhancing our understanding of the deficiencies of WV in reanalysis datasets.Based on daily measurements from the Advanced Himawari Imager(AHI)onboard the Himawari-8 satellite in 2016,the bias features of multilayer WV from six reanalysis datasets over East Asia are thoroughly evaluated.The assessments show that wet biases exist in the upper troposphere in all six reanalysis datasets;in particular,these biases are much larger in summer.Overall,we find better depictions of WV in the middle troposphere than in the upper troposphere.The accuracy of WV in the ERA5 dataset is the highest,in terms of the bias magnitude,dispersion,and pattern similarity.The characteristics of the WV bias over the Tibetan Plateau are significantly different from those over other parts of East Asia.In addition,the reanalysis datasets all capture the shift of the subtropical high very well,with ERA5 performing better overall.

Modulating charge separation and transfer for high-performance photoelectrodes via built-in electric field

Constructing a built-in electric field has emerged as a key strategy for enhancing charge separation and transfer,thereby improving photoelectrochemical performance.Recently,considerable efforts have been devoted to this endeavor.This review systematically summarizes the impact of built-in electric fields on enhancing charge separation and transfer mechanisms,focusing on the modulation of built-in electric fields in terms of depth and orderliness.First,mechanisms and tuning strategies for built-in electric fields are explored.Then,the state-of-the-art works regarding built-in electric fields for modulating charge separation and transfer are summarized and categorized according to surface and interface depth.Finally,current strategies for constructing bulk built-in electric fields in photoelectrodes are explored,and insights into future developments for enhancing charge separation and transfer in high-performance photoelectrochemical applications are provided.

MASS TRANSFER IN MEMBRANE ABSORPTIONDESORPTION OF AMMONIA FROM AMMONIA WATER

Hydrophobic membrane can provide fast mass transfer for absorption-desorption of gasesform liquid to absorbent.The removal of ammonia from ammonia water and absorption with dilutesulphuric acid was studied in a pilot plant with polypropylene hollow fiber column,The removalrate and influences of operation temperature,flow rate and concentration on mass transferperformances were discussed mathematically.Experimental results and computer calculation show thatthe ammonia removal rate is not affected by the feed concentration for a given system.Both partialand overall mass transfer coefficients vary along the axis of the fiber,and the mass transfer for themembrane process is controlled by membrane resistance.

Gas–liquid mass transfer and flow phenomena in the Peirce–Smith converter: a water model study

A water model with a geometric similarity ratio of 1：5 was developed to investigate the gas-liquid mass transfer and flow charac- teristics in a Peirce-Smith converter. A gas mixture of CO2 and Ar was injected into a NaOH solution bath. The flow field, volumetric mass transfer coefficient per unit volume （Ak/V; where A is the contact area between phases, V is the volume, and k is the mass transfer coeffi- cient）, and gas utilization ratio （t/） were then measured at different gas flow rates and blow angles. The results showed that the flow field could be divided into five regions, i.e., injection, strong loop, weak loop, splashing, and dead zone. Whereas the Ak/V of the bath increased and then decreased with increasing gas flow rate, and n steadily increased. When the converter was rotated clockwise, both Ak/F and t/increased. However, the flow condition deteriorated when the gas flow rate and blow angle were drastically increased. Therefore, these para- meters must be controlled to optimal conditions. In the proposed model, the optimal gas flow rate and blow angle were 7.5 m3.h-1 and 10°, respectively.

Optimal Operation for Baoying Pumping Station in East Route Project of South-to-North Water Transfer

Baoying pumping station is a part of source pumping stations in East Route Project of South-to-North Water Transfer in China. Aiming at the characteristics of head varying, and making use of the function of pump adjustable blade, mathematical models of pumping station optimal operation are established and solved with genetic algorithm. For different total pumping discharge and total pumping volume of water per day, in order to minimize pumping station operation cost, the number and operation duties of running pump units are respectively determined at different periods of time in a day. The results indicate that the saving of electrical cost is significantly effected by the schemes of adjusting blade angles and time-varying electrical price when pumping certain water volume of water per day, and compared with conventional operation schemes （namely, the schemes of pumping station operation at design blade angles based on certain pumping discharge）, the electrical cost is saved by 4.73%-31.27%. Also, compared with the electrical cost of conventional operation schemes, the electrical cost is saved by 2.03%-5.79% by the schemes of adjusting blade angles when pumping certain discharge.

Impact of transferred water on the hydrochemistry and water quality of surface water and groundwater in Baiyangdian Lake,North China

The hydrochemical composition of surface water and groundwater is a key parameter for understanding the evolution of water and its quality.In particular,little is known about the impact of transferred water on surface water and groundwater.In this study,Baiyangdian Lake was selected as a typical area for extensive groundwater exploration and surface water transfer in the North China Plain.Surface water and groundwater samples were sampled in dry/wet seasons and then analyzed before/after the water transfer,respectively.Generally,surface water and groundwater are extensively hydrologically connected based on hydrochemical evidence.It was found that the hydrochemical composition of the shallow groundwater is affected by the surface water and that the water quality of the deep groundwater is stable.However,inter-aquifer recharge processes from the shallow groundwater to the deep groundwater existed in the anthropogenic region impacted with high nitrate-ion concentrations.Also,the hydrochemical composition of the surface water and groundwater was dominated by rock-weathering and evaporation-precipitation processes.Due to the existence of the deep vadose zone in the alluvial fan,Na^(+)was exchanged into soil matrices during the leakage of the surface water.In addition,the transferred water resulted in surface water with good quality,and it also played as an important recharge source to groundwater.As the most important water resource for irrigation and drinking,deep groundwater should be paid more attention in the alluvial fan with frequent water transfer and extensive groundwater exploration.

Critical discharge at Datong for controlling operation of South-to-North Water Transfer Project in dry seasons

Previous research shows that there is a strong correlation between saltwater intrusion in the Yangtze Estuary and discharge at Datong. In the near future, the discharge of the Yangtze River during dry seasons will decrease due to the construction and operation of large water diversion projects, including the South-to-North Water Transfer Project, which will further exacerbate saltwater intrusion in the estuary. In this paper, a nested 1D river network model and a 2D saltwater numerical model are used to associate saltwater intrusion in the Yangtze Estuary with different values of discharge at Datong. It is concluded that 13 000 m3/s is the critical discharge at Datong for preventing saltwater intrusion and controlling the volume of water transferred by the South-to-North Water Transfer Project. Furthermore, based on the analysis of river discharge from Datong to Xuliujing and in consideration of the influence of all of the water diversion projects, operation schemes are proposed for the Eastern Route of the South-to-North Water Transfer Project for different hydrological years.

Transient Heat Transfer Study of Direct Contact Condensation of Steam in Spray Cooling Water

We conducted a transient experimental investigation of steam–water direct contact condensation in the absence of noncondensible gas in a laboratory-scale column with the inner diameter of 325 mm and the height of 1045 mm. We applied a new analysis method for the steam state equation to analyze the molar quantity change in steam over the course of the experiment and determined the transient steam variation. We also investigated the influence of flow rates and temperatures ofcooling water on the efficiency ofsteam condensation. Our experimental results show that appropriate increasing of the cooling water flow rate can significantly accelerate the steam condensation. We achieved a rapid increase in the total volumetric heat transfer coefficient by increasing the flow rate of cooling water, which indicated a higher thermal convection between the steam and the cooling water with higher flow rates. We found that the temperature ofcooling water did not play an important role on steam condensation. This method was confirmed to be effective for rapid recovering ofsteam.

Water transfer characteristics in the vertical direction during methane hydrate formation and dissociation processes inside non-saturated media

In order to study water transfer characteristics inside non-saturated media during methane hydrate formation and dissociation processes,water changes on the top,middle and bottom locations of experimental media during the reaction processes were continuously followed with a novel apparatus with three pF-meter sensors.Coarse sand,fine sand and loess were chosen as experimental media.It was experimentally observed that methane hydrate was easier formed inside coarse sand and fine sand than inside loess.Methane hydrate formation configuration and water transfer characteristics during methane hydrate formation processes were very different among the different non-saturated media,which were important for understanding methane hydrate formation and dissociation mechanism inside sediments in nature.

A comparison of zooplankton assemblages in Nansi Lake and Hongze Lake,potential influences of the East Route of the South-to-North Water Transfer Project,China

Nansi Lake and Hongze Lake are both water storage lakes along the East Route of the South-to-North Water Transfer project(ESNT).Frequent changes in hydrologic properties are responsible factors for controlling the zooplankton community assemblages in both lakes,so we studied the possible influence of water transfer and environmental factors on zooplankton community structure and abundance.Zooplankton assemblages were investigated seasonally for one year in both lakes;a total of 133 and 122 zooplankton taxa were identified in Nansi Lake and Hongze Lake,respectively.The most dominant rotifer species were littoral,e.g.,Keratella tecta,Keratella valga and Lecane lunaris in Nansi Lake and Brachionus angularis,Brachionus forficula and Polyarthra vulgaris in Hongze Lake.Comparatively,Nansi Lake had a higher Shannon-Wiener diversity index value(5.13),while Hongze Lake had a higher species richness index(4.21).The average number of zooplankton across seasons in Nansi Lake(protozoa:774±63 ind./L,rotifers:4817±212 ind./L,cladocerans:896±14 ind./L,copepod:435±42 ind./L)was comparatively lower than Hongze Lake(protozoa:1238±63 ind./L,rotifers:6576±112 ind./L,cladocerans:1013±20 ind./L,copepod:534±25 ind./L).Canonical correspondence analysis identified differing environmental gradients that were most responsible for influencing zooplankton communities in the two lakes(Hongze Lake:NH4-N,total nitrogen,transparency and pH;Nansi:pH,temperature and total phosphorus).Frequent changes related to water transfer in lakes favoured the diversity of rotifers and protozoa communities.Zooplankton habitat preference,changes in community structure and opportunistic peaks and extinction of certain taxa were also observed in the study lakes.

Water transfer characteristics during methane hydrate formation and dissociation processes inside saturated sand

Gas hydrates formation and dissociation processes inside porous media are always accompanied by water transfer behavior, which is similar to the water behavior of ice freezing and thawing processes. These processes have been studied by many researchers, but all the studies are so far on the water transfer characteristics outside porous media and the water transfer characteristics inside porous media have been little known. In this study, in order to study the water transfer characteristics inside porous media during methane hydrate formation and dissociation processes, a novel apparatus with three pF-meter sensors which can detect water content changes inside porous media was applied. It was experimentally observed that methane hydrate formation processes were accompanied by water transfer from bottom to top inside porous media, however, the water behavior during hydrate dissociation processes was abnormal, for which more studies are needed to find out the real reason in our future work.

Research on Expansive Soils Encountered in Middle Route Project of South-to-north Water Transfer Canal

The main canal of the Middle Route Project of South-to-North Water Transfer totals more than 1 240 km in length. In Henan Province and Hebei Province, there will be a section of more than 120 km passing through an expansive soils area. Expansive soils is a special kind of tenacious clay, which swells when meeting with water and shrinks when losing water. With complicated mechanical properties, it changes with the variation of water content. As a result, expansive soils become the key object of study on unsaturated soils mechanics for the project. From the status of study on unsaturated soils at home and abroad, this paper covers an analysis on stability analysis method of expansive soils slope, determination of expansive soils strength, rational design of canal slope ratio and support, and forecast of landslide for the Middle Route Project of South-to-North Water Transfer.

Water-involving transfer hydrogenation and dehydrogenation of N-heterocycles over a bifunctional MoNi_(4)electrode

A room-temperature electrochemical strategy for hydrogenation(deuteration)and reverse dehydrogenation of N-heterocycles over a bifunctional MoNi_(4)electrode is developed,which includes the hydrogenation of quinoxaline using H2O as the hydrogen source with 80%Faradaic efficiency and the reverse dehydrogenation of hydrogen-rich 1,2,3,4-tetrahydroquinoxaline with up to 99%yield and selectivity.The in situ generated active hydrogen atom(H^(*))is plausibly involved in the hydrogenation of quinoxaline,where a consecutive hydrogen radical coupled electron transfer pathway is proposed.Notably,the MoNi_(4)alloy exhibits efficient quinoxaline hydrogenation at an overpotential of only 50 mV,owing to its superior water dissociation ability to provide H^(*)in alkaline media.In situ Raman tests indicate that the Ni^(Ⅱ)/Ni^(Ⅲ)redox couple can promote the dehydrogenation process,representing a promising anodic alternative to low-value oxygen evolution.Impressively,electrocatalytic deuteration is easily achieved with up to 99%deuteration ratios using D2O.This method is capable of producing a series of functionalized hydrogenated and deuterated quinoxalines.

Evolution trend of the water quality in Dongping Lake after South-North Water Transfer Project in China

To investigate the evolution trend of water quality in Dongping Lake after South-North Water Transfer Project operation as well as to ensure the safe usage of the water receiving areas, water samples were collected and determined before and after water delivery in different hydrological seasons. Then, comprehensive pollution index method, comprehensive nutrition state index method and health risk assessment model were utilized to evaluate the quality, nutrition, and health risk of Dongping Lake water. Results showed that the quality of Dongping Lake water still met level Ⅲ (light pollution) no matter before or after water delivery. The nutrition state was improved from light eutropher before water delivery to mesotropher after water delivery. The health risk level was reduced from high-medium before water delivery to medium level after water delivery. In summary, the operation of the eastern route of South-North Water Transfer Project is beneficial for water environment improvement of Dongping Lake.

Coupled Transfer of Water and Heat in Red Soil: Experiment and Numerical Modelling

Coupled transfer of soil water and heat in closed columns of homogeneous red soil was studied under laboratory conditions. A coupled model was constructed using soil physical theory, empirical equations and experimental data to predict the coupled transfer. The results show that transport of soil water was affected by temperature gradient, and the largest net water transport was found in the soil column with initial water content of 0.148 m3 m-3. At the same time, temperature changes with the transport of soil water was in a nonlinear shape as heat parameters were function of water content, and the changes of temperature were positively correlated with the net amount of water transported. Numerical modelling results show that the predicted values of temperature distribution were close to the observed values, while the predicted values of water content exhibited limited deviation at both ends of the soil column due to the slight temperature changes at both ends. It was indicated that the model proposed here was applicable.

Sediment transport following water transfer from Yangtze River to Taihu Basin

To meet the increasing ：need of fresh water and to improve the water quality of Taihu Lake, water transfer from the Yangtze River was initiated in 2002. This study was performed to investigate the sediment distribution along the river course following water transfer. A rainfall-runoff model was first built to calculate the runoff of the Taihu Basin in 2003. Then, the flow patterns of river networks were simulated using a one-dimensional river network hydrodynamic model. Based on the boundary conditions of the flow in tributaries of the Wangyu River and the water level in Taihu Lake, a one-dimensional hydrodynamic and sediment transport numerical model of the Wangyu River was built to analyze the influences of the inflow rate of the water transfer and the suspended sediment concentration （SSC） of inflow on the sediment transport. The results show that the water transfer inflow rate and SSC of inflow have significant effects on the sediment distribution. The higher the inflow rate or SSC of inflow is, the higher the SSC value is at certain cross-sections along the ：river course of water transfer. Higher inflow rate and SSC of inflow contribute to higher sediment deposition per kilometer and sediment thickness. It is also concluded that a sharp decrease of the inflow velocity at the entrance of the Wangyu River on the river course of water transfer induces intense sedimentation at the cross-section near the Changshu hydro-junction. With an increasing distance from the Changshu hydro-junction, the sediment deposition and sedimentation thickness decrease gradually along the river course.