Enhancement of Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell Performance Using a Novel Tapered Gas Channel

Based on use of multi-dimensional models,this investigation simulates the performance of a proton exchange membrane fuel cell by varying the channel pattern.In the one-dimensional model,the porosity of the gas diffusion layer is 0.3.The model reveals the water vapor distribution of the fuel cell and demonstrates that the amount of water vapor increases linearly with the reduction reaction adjacent to the gas channel and the gas diffusion layer.Secondly,four novel tapered gas channels are simulated by a two-dimensional model.The model considers the distributions of oxygen,the pressure drop,the amount of water vapor distribution and the polarization curves.The results indicate that as the channel depth decreases,the oxygen in the tapered gas channel can be accel-erated and forced into the gas diffusion layer to improve the cell performance.The three-dimensional model is employed to simulate the phenomenon associated with four novel tapered gas channels.The results also show that the best performance is realized in the least tapered gas channel.Finally,an experimentally determined mechanism is found to be consistent with the results of the simulation.

Combustion and emission characteristics of diesel/n-butanol blends with split-injection and exhaust gas recirculation stratification

Oxygen fuels have broad application prospects and great potential for realizing efficient and clean combustion,and hence this study applies diesel/n-butanol blends to explore the influence of split-injection strategy on combustion and emission characteristics.Simultaneously,changing the way of exhaust gas recirculation(EGR)gas introduction forms uneven in-cylinder components distribution,and utilizing EGR stratification optimizes the combustion process and allows better emission results.The results show that the split-injection strategy can reduce the NO_(x)emissions and keep smoke opacity low compared with the single injection,but the rise in accumulation mode particles is noticeable.NO_(x)emissions show an upward trend as the injection interval expands,while soot emissions are significantly reduced.The increase in pre-injection proportion causes the apparent low-temperature heat release,and the two-stage heat release can be observed during the process of main combustion heat release.More pre-injection mass makes NO_(x)gradually increase,but smoke opacity reaches the lowest point at 15%pre-injection proportion.EGR stratification can optimize the emission results under the split injection strategy,especially the considerable suppression of accumulation mode particulate emissions.Above all,fuel stratification coupled with EGR stratification is beneficial for further realizing the in-cylinder purification of pollutants.

氧气/煤油发动机燃气热物理参数及输运系数计算

为了给氧气/煤油发动机设计和热防护设计提供必要的设计参数,针对氧气/煤油燃气进行热力学计算。运用吉布斯最小自由焓计算模型得到燃气平衡组成,通过拟合公式的方法得到燃气的热物理参数及输运系数。通过计算,得到氧气/煤油燃气的组分及比焓、密度、比熵、粘性系数等热物理参数和输运系数随温度和压力的变化特性。分析结果表明:水离解对氧气/煤油燃气组分变化存在显著影响,压力增大会导致水离解起始温度升高;氧气/煤油燃气比焓、比熵、定压比热、粘性系数、热传导系数变化在温度较低时受压力影响较小,当水开始离解后,压力的影响显著增强;组分在燃气中的扩散系数同时受到了温度和组分摩尔分数的影响;燃气普朗特数变化受热传导系数变化的影响较大,水离解后,热传导系数的迅速增大使燃气的普朗特数迅速减小。

Janus electrode with simultaneous management on gas and liquid transport for boosting oxygen reduction reaction

Oxygen reduction efficiency holds the key for renewable energy technologies including fuel cells and metal-air batteries,which involves coupling diffusion-reaction-conduction processes at the interface of catalyst/electrolyte,and thus rational electrode design facilitating mass transportation stands as a key issue for fast oxygen reduction reaction(ORR).Herein,we report a Janus electrode with asymmetric wettability prepared by partly modifying aerophobic nitrogen doped carbon nanotube arrays with polytetrafluoroethylene(PTFE)as a high performance catalytic electrode for ORR.The Janus electrode with opposite wettability on adjacent sides maintains stable gas reservoir in the aerophilic side while shortening O2 pathway to catalysts in the aerophobic side,resulting in superior ORR performance(22.5 mA/cm^2@0.5 V)than merely aerophilic or aerophilic electrodes.The Janus electrode endows catalytic performance even comparable to commercial,Pt/C in the alkali ne electrolyte,exploiting a previously unrecognized opport unity that guides electrode design for the gas-consumption electrocatalysis.

不同增压方式对火箭燃料贮箱冷氦增压效果的影响

针对液氧/煤油火箭燃料贮箱采用的冷氦增压方案,搭建试验系统并进行地面模拟试验.探究不同增压方式,包括增压位置、扩散器形式和增压气体流量对增压排液过程的控压稳定性、贮箱气枕区温度分布、氦气消耗率、气液混合以及液体结冰状态的影响.结果表明:与气枕区增压相比,气体在液体区增压时换热充分,同等条件下气体消耗率降低33.1%,但控压稳定性较差;扩散器形式对气体消耗率和贮箱气枕区温度分布影响不大;小流量增压更加节约氦气,与40 L/s排液相比,10 L/s排液可以节约20%氦气;各工况中均未发现液体介质局部过冷结冰现象,且无气泡随液体进入排液管路.试验结果验证了煤油贮箱采用冷氦增压方案的可行性,并为箭上冷氦增压系统的结构设计和工况调节提供参考.

Experimental comparison between aircraft fuel tank inerting processes using NEA and MIG

Fuel tank inerting technologies are able to reduce the fire risk by injection of inert gas into the ullage or fuel, the former called ullage washing and the latter fuel scrubbing. The Green On-Board Inert Gas Generation System（GOBIGGS） is a novel technology based on flameless catalytic combustion, and owning to its simple structure and high inerting efficiency, it has received a lot of attentions. The inert gas in the GOBIGGS is mainly comprised of CO2, N2, and O2（hereinafter, Mixed Inert Gas（MIG））, while that in the On-Board Inert Gas Generation System（OBIGGS）, which is one of the most widely used fuel tank inerting technologies, is NitrogenEnriched Air（NEA）. The solubility of CO2 is nearly 20 times higher than that of N2 in jet fuels,so the inerting capability and performance are definitely disparate if the inert gas is selected as NEA or MIG. An inerting test bench was constructed to compare the inerting capabilities between NEA and MIG. Experimental results reveal that, if ullage washing is adopted, the variations of oxygen concentrations on the ullage and in the fuel are nearly identical no matter the inert gas is NEA or MIG. However, the ullage and dissolved oxygen concentrations of MIG scrubbing are always higher than those of NEA scrubbing.

A perspective on influences of cathode material degradation on oxygen transport resistance in low Pt PEMFC

A large-scale industrial application of proton exchange membrane fuel cells(PEMFCs)greatly depends on both substantial cost reduction and continuous durability enhancement.However,compared to effects of material degradation on apparent activity loss,little attention has been paid to influences on the phenomena of mass transport.In this review,influences of the degradation of key materials in membrane electrode assemblies(MEAs)on oxygen transport resistance in both cathode catalyst layers(CCLs)and gas diffusion layers(GDLs)are comprehensively explored,including carbon support,electrocatalyst,ionomer in CCLs as well as carbon material and hydrophobic polytetrafluoroethylene(PTFE)in GDLs.It is analyzed that carbon corrosion in CCLs will result in pore structure destruction and impact ionomer distribution,thus affecting both the bulk and local oxygen transport behavior.Considering the catalyst degradation,an eventual decrease in electrochemical active surface area(ECSA)definitely increases the local oxygen transport resistance since a decrease in active sites will lead to a longer oxygen transport path.It is also noted that problems concerning oxygen transport caused by the degradation of ionomer chemical structure in CCLs should not be ignored.Both cation contamination and chemical decomposition will change the structure of ionomer,thus worsening the local oxygen transport.Finally,it is found that the loss of carbon and PTFE in GDLs lead to a higher hydrophilicity,which is related to an occurrence of water flooding and increase in the oxygen transport resistance.