Intelligent Control for Improvements in PEM Fuel Cell Flow Performance

The performance of fuel cells and the vehicle applications they are embedded into depends on a delicate balance of the correct temperature, humidity, reactant pressure, purity and flow rate. This paper successfully investigates the problem related to flow control with implementation on a single cell membrane electrode assembly （MEA）. This paper presents a systematic approach for performing system identification using recursive least squares identification to account for the non-linear parameters of the fuel cell. Then, it presents a fuzzy controller with a simplified rule base validated against real time results with the existing flow controller which calculates the flow required from the stoichiometry value.

Transforming liquid flow fuel cells to controllable reactors for highlyefficient oxidation of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural to 2, 5-furandicarboxylic acid at low temperature

Highly-efficient oxidation of 5-hydroxymethylfurtural(HMF) to 2,5-furandicarboxylic acid(FDCA) at low temperature with air as the oxidant is still challenging.Herein,inspired by the respirato ry electron transport chain(ETC) of living cells mediated by electron carriers,we constructed artificial ETCs and transformed liquid flow fuel cells(LFFCs) to flexible reactors for efficient oxidation of HMF to produce FDCA under mild conditions.This LFFC reactor employed an electrodeposition modified nickel foam as an anode to promote HMF oxidation and(VO_(2))_(2)SO_(4) as a cathode electron carrier to facilitate the electron transfer to air.The reaction rate could be easily controlled by selecting the anode catalyst,adjusting the external loading and changing the cathodic electron carrier or oxidants.A maximal power density of 44.9 mW cm^(-2) at room temperature was achieved,while for FDCA production,short-circuit condition was preferred to achieve quick transfer of electrons.For a single batch operation with 0.1 M initial HMF,FDCA yield reached 97.1%.By fed-batch operation,FDCA concentration reached 144.5 g L^(-1) with a total yield of 96%.Ni^(2+)/Ni^(3+) redox couple was the active species mediating the electron transfer,while both experimental and DFT calculation results indicated that HMFCA pathway was the preferred reaction mechanism.

Two-phase flow distributors for fuel cell flow channels

All existing proton exchange membrane （PEM） fuel cell gas flow fields have been designed on the basis of single-phase gas flow distribution. The presence of liquid water in the flow causes non-uniform gas distribution, leading to poor cell performance. This paper demonstrates that a gas flow restrictor/distributor, as is commonly used in two-phase flow to stabilize multiphase transport lines and multiphase reactors, can improve the gas flow distribution by significantly reducing gas real-distribution caused by either non-uniform water formation in parallel flow channels or flow instability associated with negative-slope pressure drop characteristic of two-phase horizontal flow systems.

Lattice Boltzmann modeling of transport phenomena in fuel cells and flow batteries

Fuel cells and flow batteries are promising technologies to address climate change and air pollution problems. An understanding of the complex multiscale and multiphysics transport phenomena occurring in these electrochemical systems requires powerful numerical tools. Over the past decades, the lattice Boltzmann (LB) method has attracted broad interest in the computational fluid dynamics and the numerical heat transfer communities, primarily due to its kinetic nature making it appropriate for modeling complex multiphase transport phenomena. More importantly, the LB method fits well with parallel computing due to its locality feature, which is required for large-scale engineering applications. In this article, we review the LB method for gas-liquid two-phase flows, coupled fluid flow and mass transport in porous media, and particulate flows. Examples of applications are provided in fuel cells and flow batteries. Further developments of the LB method are also outlined.

Electrooxidative Degradation of an Anthraquinone Dye with in-situ Electrogenerated Active Chlorine in a Divided Flow Cell

The purpose of this paper was to investigate the possibility of treating C. I. Reactive Blue 19 wastewater by electrochemical oxidation via electrogenerated active chlorine, using metallic oxide coatings （dimensional stable anode, DSA） as anode. The electrolysis for the simulated wastewater was conducted at a constant current. Absorbances at 592 nm and 255 nm were measured to follow the decolorization of the dye and the degradatin of its aromatic ring. After 4 h of electrolysis under the experimental conditions： current density of 15 A·m^-2, 0.2 mol·L^-1 NaCl, 0.1 mol·L^-1 Na2SO4, 0.1 mmol·L^-1 dye, initial pH=6.4 and T=30℃, 100% decolorization of the dye and about 45% degradation of its aromatic ring were achieved, while no obvious change of total organic carbon was observed. The experimental results suggest that the decolorization of the dye and degradation of its aromatic ring were directly affected by current density, temperature, concentrations of the dye and sodium chloride, while slightly affected by initial pH and sodium sulfate concentration; the decolorization of the dye and degradation of its aromatic ring followed pseudo-first-order kinetics; and indirect electrooxidation, using electrogenerated active chlorine, predominated in the electrochemical oxidation.

Adhesion behavior of endothelial progenitor cells to endothelial cells in simple shear flow

The adhesion of endothelial progenitor cells（EPCs） on endothelial cells（ECs） is one of the critical physiological processes for the regenesis of vascular vessels and the prevention of serious cardiovascular diseases.Here,the rolling and adhesion behavior of EPCs on ECs was studied numerically.A two-dimensional numerical model was developed based on the immersed boundary method for simulating the rolling and adhesion of cells in a channel flow.The binding force arising from the catch bond of a receptor and ligand pair was modeled with stochastic Monte Carlo method and Hookean spring model.The effect of tumor necrosis factor alpha（TNF-α） on the expression of the number of adhesion molecules in ECs was analyzed experimentally.A flow chamber system with CCD camera was set up to observe the top view of the rolling of EPCs on the substrate cultivated with ECs.Numerical results prove that the adhesion of EPC on ECs is closely related to membrane stiff-ness of the cell and shear rate of the flow.It also suggests that the adhesion force between EPC and EC by P-selectin glycoprotein ligand-1 only is not strong enough to bond the cell onto vessel walls unless contributions of other catch bond are considered.Experimental results demonstrate that TNF-α enhanced the expressions of VCAM,ICAM,P-selectin and E-selectin in ECs,which supports the numerical results that the rolling velocity of EPC on TNF-α treated EC substrate decreases obviously compared with its velocity on the untreated one.It is found that because the adhesion is affected by both the rolling velocity and the deformability of the cell,an optimal stiffness of EPC may exist at a given shear rate of flow for achieving maximum adhesion rates.

Direct numerical simulation of low Reynolds number turbulent air-water transport in fuel cell flow channel

With performance improvement of low-temperature fuel cell(FC), high reactant supply and water generation rates may induce air-water turbulence in the FC flow channel. In this research, an air-water turbulent direct numerical simulation(DNS) model is developed to simulate different droplet sizes,locations and interactions in the air-water transport processes comprehensively. It is found that a larger droplet breaks up more easily in turbulence, and a smaller droplet tends to keep lumped. The droplet at corner does not break up because it is away from channel center. The droplet interaction simulations show that the small droplets merge to form slugs, but still keep lumped in turbulence. It is suggested that two conditions need to be satisfied for droplet break up in FC flow channel, one is turbulent flow, and another is that the droplet needs to be large enough and occupy the center region of flow channel to suffer sufficient turbulence fluctuations. The DNS results illustrate some unique phenomena in turbulent flow, and show that the turbulence has significant effect on the air-water flow behavior in FC flow channel.

Novel Flow Field with Superhydrophobic Gas Channels Prepared by One-step Solvent-induced Crystallization for Micro Direct Methanol Fuel Cell

The CO2-induced capillary blocking in anode flow field is one of the key adverse factors to reduce the performance of a micro-direct methanol fuel cell(l DMFC). In order to solve this problem, new polycarbonate(PC) flow field plates with nested arrangement of hydrophilic fuel channels and superhydrophobic gas channels were designed,fabricated, and tested in this work. The gas channels were treated with solvent-induced crystallization using acetone solution. The superhydrophobicity with 160° water contact angle and 2° tilting angle was obtained on the PC substrates. A dummy cell using hydrogen peroxide decomposition reaction and a test loop were separately set up to evaluate the flow fields' performance. It was found that a 37 % pressure drop decrease can be obtained in the new serpentine flow field compared with that of the conventional one. The benefit of the new flow field to remove gas bubbles was also confirmed by an in situ visualization study on the dummy cell. Results show that the auxiliary superhydrophobic gas channels can speed up the discharge of the gas bubbles from the flow field, which will in turn improve the l DMFC performance.

EXTRACTION KINETICS OF RARE EARTH（Ⅰ） A Constant Interfacial Cell with Laminar Flow

A technique was developed to study mass trans fer process and inter facial reaction in two phases system. This constant inter facial cell with a laminar flow was made into a cubic structure. The two fluids were continuously recycled and mixed. The concentration of each liquid could be monitored by two different methods. This kind of structure made both flows near the inter face flow parallel to the inter face. The inter face was smooth and steady. The mass trans fer rate could be judged by the linear velocity of the flows. The technique can be used for the analyses of the control step in both phases near the inter face in a diffusion control process. A preliminary hydrodynamics and mass trans fer study on the cell was presented, which ensures the distinguishing between a diffusion and a chemical reaction control process. A simplified mass transfer equation,N =0.5303D 1 /2* (Ci- Cb)* (V / B) 1/2, was achieved.

Optimizing the nickel boride layer thickness in a spectroelectrochemical ATR-FTIR thin-film flow cell applied in glycerol oxidation

The influence of the drop-casted nickel boride catalyst loading on glassy carbon electrodes was investigated in a spectroelectrochemical ATR-FTIR thin-film flow cell applied in alkaline glycerol electrooxidation.The continuously operated radial flow cell consisted of a borehole electrode positioned 50μm above an internal reflection element enabling operando FTIR spectroscopy.It is identified as a suitable tool for facile and reproducible screening of electrocatalysts under well-defined conditions,additionally providing access to the selectivities in complex reaction networks such as glycerol oxidation.The fast product identification by ATR-IR spectroscopy was validated by the more time-consuming quantitative HPLC analysis of the pumped electrolyte.High degrees of glycerol conversion were achieved under the applied laminar flow conditions using 0.1 M glycerol and 1 M KOH in water and a flow rate of 5μL min^(–1).Conversion and selectivity were found to depend on the catalyst loading,which determined the catalyst layer thickness and roughness.The highest loading of 210μg cm^(–2)resulted in 73%conversion and a higher formate selectivity of almost 80%,which is ascribed to longer residence times in rougher films favoring readsorption and C–C bond scission.The lowest loading of 13μg cm^(–2)was sufficient to reach 63%conversion,a lower formate selectivity of 60%,and,correspondingly,higher selectivities of C_(2)species such as glycolate amounting to 8%.Thus,only low catalyst loadings resulting in very thin films in the fewμm thickness range are suitable for reliable catalyst screening.

Enhanced electrocatalytic activity of iron amino porphyrins using a flow cell for reduction of CO_(2) to CO

The flexibility of molecular catalysts is highly coveted for the electrochemical reduction of carbon dioxide(CO_(2)) to carbon monoxide(CO) in both homogeneous and heterogeneous systems.While the electrocatalytic activity of molecular catalysts has been widely studied in H-cells;their less studied capabilities in more efficient flow cell reactors have the potential to rival that of heterogeneous catalysts.In this work,a comparative study of amino functionalized iron-tetraphenylporphyrins(amino-Fe-TPPs) immobilized onto carbonaceous materials in both H-cells and flow cells was conducted to selectively reduce CO_(2) to CO.In a flow cell set up operating in alkaline media,the resulting hybrid catalyst exhibits 87% faradaic efficiency(FE) with extraordinary current density(j) of 119 mA/cm^(2) and turnover frequency(TOF) of 14 s^(-1) at-1.0 V vs.RHE.This remarkable catalytic activity was achieved through thoughtful combination of molecular and flow cell design that provides an effective strategy for future immobilized heterogeneous approaches toward CO_(2) reduction reactions(CO_(2) RRs).

Electrical Parameters Determination from Base Thickness Optimization in a Silicon Solar Cell under Influence of the Irradiation Energy Flow of Charged Particles

In this work, we study the characteristics I-V and P-V of a silicon solar cell as well as its fill factor, its electrical power from the optimum thickness obtained in the base under variation of the irradiation energy flow of charged particles. The recombination velocity at the junction corresponding to the maximum power point was also deduced.

Extraction Kinetics of Lanthanum in Chloride Medium by Bifunctional Ionic Liquid [A336][CA-12] Using a Constant Interfacial Cell with Laminar Flow

The extraction kinetics of La(III) from aqueous chloride solutions into n-heptane solutions of bifunctional ionic liquid extractant [A336][CA-12](tricaprylmethylammonium sec-octylphenoxy acetic acid) was investigated using a constant interfacial cell with laminar flow. The effects of stirring speed, temperature and specific interfacial area on the extraction rate were examined. The results indicate that mass transfer kinetics of La(III) is a mixed-controlled process influenced by interfacial reaction. On the basis of mass transfer kinetic results in the extraction of La(III) by [A336][CA-12], the extraction rate equation of La(III) is proposed in terms of pseudo-firstorder constants, which is supported by the measured thermodynamic equations. The mass-transfer kinetic model deduced from the rate controlling step is adequate to interpret the experimental data qualitatively.

Combined modeling of cell aggregation and adhesion mediated by receptor–ligand interactions under shear flow

Blood cell aggregation and adhesion to endothelial cells under shear flow are crucial to many biological processes such as thrombi formation, inflammatory cascade, and tumor metastasis, in which these cellular interactions are mainly mediated by the underlying receptor-ligand bindings. While theoretical modeling of aggregation dynamics and adhesion kinetics of interacting cells have been well studied separately, how to couple these two processes remains unclear. Here we develop a combined model that couples cellular aggregation dynamics and adhesion kinetics under shear flow. The impacts of shear rate （or shear stress） and molecular binding affinity were elucidated. This study provides a unified model where the action of a fluid flow drives cell aggregation and adhesion under the modulations of the mechanical shear flow and receptor-ligand interaction kinetics. It offers an insight into understanding the relevant biological processes and functions.

Microfluidic-based single cell trapping using a combination of stagnation point flow and physical barrier

Single cell trapping in vitro by microfluidic device is an emerging approach for the study of the relationship between single cells and their dynamic biochemical microenvironments. In this paper, a hydrodynamic-based microfluidic device for single cell trapping is designed using a combination of stagnation point flow and physical barrier.The microfluidic device overcomes the weakness of the traditional ones, which have been only based upon either stagnation point flows or physical barriers, and can conveniently load dynamic biochemical signals to the trapped cell. In addition, it can connect with a programmable syringe pump and a microscope to constitute an integrated experimental system.It is experimentally verified that the microfluidic system can trap single cells in vitro even under flow disturbance and conveniently load biochemical signals to the trapped cell. The designed micro-device would provide a simple yet effective experimental platform for further study of the interactions between single cells and their microenvironments.

Air flow control based on optimal oxygen excess ratio in fuel cells for vehicles

Air flow control is one of the most important control methods for maintaining the stability and reliability of a fuel cell system, which can avoid oxygen starvation or oxygen saturation. The oxygen excess ratio （OER） is often used to indicate the air flow condition. Based on a fuel cell system model for vehicles, OER performance was analyzed for different stack currents and temperatures in this paper, and the results show that the optimal OER was affected weakly by the stack temperature. In order to ensure the system working in optimal OER, a control scheme that includes an optimal OER regulator and a fuzzy control was proposed. According to the stack current, a reference value of air flow rate was obtained with the optimal OER regulator and then the air compressor motor voltage was controlled with the fuzzy controller to adjust the air flow rate provided by the air compressor. Simulation results show that the control method has good dynamic and static characteristics.

Analysis of DNA Ploidy, Cell Cycle and Ki67 Antigen in Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma by Flow Cytometry

Summary: The expression of DNA ploidy, the cell cycle and Ki67 antigen in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) were studied and their relationship with the clinical biological behaviors and prognosis of NPC was evaluated. Biopsied specimens of NPC were made into cell suspension. By using cytometric double labeling Ki67 and DNA method, the expression of DNA ploidy, the cell cycle and Ki67 antigen were analyzed. The patients were followed-up for about 3 years and the relationship between the above-mentioned parameters and the clinical biological behavior and prognosis of NPC were evaluated. Of the 62 cases of NPC, the DNA aneuploid accounted for 29.03 %. The S phase cells accounted for 0 to 54 % in the cell cycle and the positive expression of Ki67 ranged from 0 to 52 %. There were 40 cases of LPI (64.5 %) including 15 negative cases and 22 cases of HPI (35 5 %) respectively. The DNA anueploid content was positively related to the S phase cells. The patients having a low expression of Ki67 or DNA aneuploid in tumor cells were not sensitive to chemotherapy, liable to metastasis to distant organs and had a poor prognosis, while Ki67 showed no correlation with DNA ploidy and the cell cycle. It was suggested that DNA ploidy and Ki67 could be used as an independent and objective marker to evaluate the radiosensitivity and prognosis of NPC.

Design and Characterization of a Horizontal Double Impinging Jet Cell: Determination of Flow Modes at the Surface of a Flat Electrode

An electrochemical cell consisting of a double horizontal Impinging Jet Cell (IJC) has been conceived and characterized. The purpose of this system is the simultaneous electrodeposition of a composite metal/particle coating on both surfaces of a metal sheet. The silica particles imprint in the nickel matrix has allowed to distinguish four different flow areas onto the electrode namely the stagnation area, the radial flow area characterized by a higher flow speed, the return flow area that involves gravity effect, and the drainage area with a constant draining speed. Based on the limiting current evolution as a function of the Reynolds number, three flow modes were extracted: the Laminar Low Flow (LLF), the Laminar High Flow (LHF) and the Disturbance. The IJC investigated ensures a laminar flow for a large range of flow rate from a nozzle-to-sample distance of 19 mm and creates an laminar flow ovoid plan merged with the sample for the high flows.

CFD simulation of effect of anode configuration on gas–liquid flow and alumina transport process in an aluminum reduction cell

Numerical simulations of gas–liquid two-phase flow and alumina transport process in an aluminum reduction cell were conducted to investigate the effects of anode configurations on the bath flow, gas volume fraction and alumina content distributions. An Euler–Euler two-fluid model was employed coupled with a species transport equation for alumina content. Three different anode configurations such as anode without a slot, anode with a longitudinal slot and anode with a transversal slot were studied in the simulation. The simulation results clearly show that the slots can reduce the bath velocity and promote the releasing of the anode gas, but can not contribute to the uniformity of the alumina content. Comparisons of the effects between the longitudinal and transversal slots indicate that the longitudinal slot is better in terms of gas–liquid flow but is disadvantageous for alumina mixing and transport process due to a decrease of anode gas under the anode bottom surface. It is demonstrated from the simulations that the mixing and transfer characteristics of alumina are controlled to great extent by the anode gas forces while the electromagnetic forces(EMFs) play the second role.

Sputtered Stainless Steel on Silicon Photoanode for Stable Seawater Splitting in Photoelectrochemical Flow Cell

Photoelectrochemical(PEC)seawater splitting is a promising method for the direct utilization of solar energy and abundant seawater resources for hydrogen production.Photoelectrodes are susceptible to various ions in seawater and complicated competitive reactions,resulting in the failure of photoelectrodes.This paper proposes the design and fabrication of diff erent sputtered stainless steel(SS)fi lms deposited on silicon photoanodes,completely isolating the electrolytes and semiconductor substrate.Upon coupling with the PEC flow cell,the back-illuminated photoanode coated with 316 SS cocatalyst achieves stable operation for 70 h in natural seawater with a highly alkaline KOH(30 wt.%,7.64 mol/L)electrolyte due to the remarkable protection eff ect of the substrate from stainless steel,while the PEC seawater splitting system achieves a record hydrogen production rate of 600μmol/(h·cm^(2)).An appropriate Ni/Fe ratio in the SS ensures remarkable oxygen evolution activity,while chromic oxide ensures the effective anticorrosion effect by adjusting the microenvironment of the photoanodes.Moreover,fabricating PEC flow cells with photoanodes coated with SS cocatalysts are a viable strategy for PEC seawater splitting.