scholarly journals Hydrogen Recovery from Waste Gas Streams to Feed (High-Temperature PEM) Fuel Cells: Environmental Performance under a Life-Cycle Thinking Approach

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (21) ◽  
pp. 7461
Author(s):  
Ricardo Abejón ◽  
Ana Fernández-Ríos ◽  
Antonio Domínguez-Ramos ◽  
Jara Laso ◽  
Israel Ruiz-Salmón ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Fuel Cells ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
High Temperature ◽  
Environmental Performance ◽  
Pem Fuel Cells ◽  
Proton Exchange ◽  
Waste Gas ◽  
Gas Streams ◽  
Operation Conditions ◽  
Waste Gas Streams

Fossil fuels are being progressively substituted by a cleaner and more environmentally friendly form of energy, where hydrogen fuel cells stand out. However, the implementation of a competitive hydrogen economy still presents several challenges related to economic costs, required infrastructures, and environmental performance. In this context, the objective of this work is to determine the environmental performance of the recovery of hydrogen from industrial waste gas streams to feed high-temperature proton exchange membrane fuel cells for stationary applications. The life-cycle assessment (LCA) analyzed alternative scenarios with different process configurations, considering as functional unit 1 kg of hydrogen produced, 1 kWh of energy obtained, and 1 kg of inlet flow. The results make the recovery of hydrogen from waste streams environmentally preferable over alternative processes like methane reforming or coal gasification. The production of the fuel cell device resulted in high contributions in the abiotic depletion potential and acidification potential, mainly due to the presence of platinum metal in the anode and cathode. The design and operation conditions that defined a more favorable scenario are the availability of a pressurized waste gas stream, the use of photovoltaic electricity, and the implementation of an energy recovery system for the residual methane stream.

Design and Experimental Characterization of a High-Temperature Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell Stack

2011 ◽  
Vol 8 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert Radu ◽  
Nicola Zuliani ◽  
Rodolfo Taccani
Keyword(s):  
Fuel Cells ◽  
High Temperature ◽  
Fuel Cell ◽  
Proton Exchange Membrane ◽  
Single Cells ◽  
Pem Fuel Cells ◽  
Proton Exchange ◽  
Pure Hydrogen ◽  
Exchange Membrane

Proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cells based on polybenzimidazole (PBI) polymers and phosphoric acid can be operated at temperature between 120 °C and 180 °C. Reactant humidification is not required and CO content up to 1% in the fuel can be tolerated, only marginally affecting performance. This is what makes high-temperature PEM (HTPEM) fuel cells very attractive, as low quality reformed hydrogen can be used and water management problems are avoided. From an experimental point of view, the major research effort up to now was dedicated to the development and study of high-temperature membranes, especially to development of acid-doped PBI type membranes. Some studies were dedicated to the experimental analysis of single cells and only very few to the development and characterization of high-temperature stacks. This work aims to provide more experimental data regarding high-temperature fuel cell stacks, operated with hydrogen but also with different types of reformates. The main design features and the performance curves obtained with a three-cell air-cooled stack are presented. The stack was tested on a broad temperature range, between 120 and 180 °C, with pure hydrogen and gas mixtures containing up to 2% of CO, simulating the output of a typical methanol reformer. With pure hydrogen, at 180 °C, the considered stack is able to deliver electrical power of 31 W at 1.8 V. With a mixture containing 2% of carbon monoxide, in the same conditions, the performance drops to 24 W. The tests demonstrated that the performance loss caused by operation with reformates, can be partially compensated by a higher stack temperature.

scholarly journals High temperature PEM fuel cell steady-state transport modeling

2013 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
pp. 55-60 ◽  
Author(s):  
Viorel Ionescu
Keyword(s):  
Fuel Cells ◽  
High Temperature ◽  
Fuel Cell ◽  
Proton Exchange Membrane ◽  
Waste Heat ◽  
Water Concentration ◽  
Pem Fuel Cell ◽  
Pem Fuel Cells ◽  
Proton Exchange ◽  
Electrochemical Kinetics

AbstractA fuel cell is a device that can directly transfer chemical energy to electric and thermal energy. Proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFC) are highly efficient power generators, achieving up to 50-60% conversion efficiency, even at sizes of a few kilowatts. There are several compelling technological and commercial reasons for operating H2/air PEM fuel cells at temperatures above 100 °C; rates of electrochemical kinetics are enhanced, water management and cooling is simplified, useful waste heat can be recovered, and lower quality reformed hydrogen may be used as the fuel. All of the High Temperature PEMFC model equations are solved with finite element method using commercial software package COMSOL Multiphysics. The results from PEM fuel cell modeling were presented in terms of reactant (oxygen and hydrogen) concentrations and water concentration in the anode and cathode gases; the polarization curve of the cell was also displayed.

Performance of a High Temperature Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell (HT-PEMFC) Operating on Simulated Reformate

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael G. Waller ◽  
Mark R. Walluk ◽  
Thomas A. Trabold
Keyword(s):  
Fuel Cells ◽  
High Temperature ◽  
Fuel Cell ◽  
System Design ◽  
Proton Exchange Membrane ◽  
Pem Fuel Cells ◽  
Proton Exchange ◽  
Fuel Reforming ◽  
Exchange Membrane ◽  
High Temperature Pem

Conventional proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cell systems suffer from requiring high purity hydrogen, necessitating a costly on-board hydrogen storage tank to be incorporated into the overall system design. One method to overcome this barrier is to use an on-board reforming system fueled by some sort of hydrocarbon. Unfortunately though, most fuel reforming processes generate significant amounts of impurities, such as CO and CO2, requiring a costly and complex upfront reforming system that is unwieldy for a practical system. High temperature PEM fuel cells based on acid doped polybenzimidazole (PBI), are capable of operating on lower quality reformed hydrogen, allowing for a simplified on-board fuel reforming system design to be envisioned. Advances in high temperature PEM fuel cells have progressed to the point where they are now a commercially viable technology. However, there remains a lack of published literature on the performance of HT-PEMFCs operating on common reformate effluent compositions consisting primarily of H2, CO, CO2, and N2. In this work, the performance of PBI-based HT-PEMFCs are evaluated under simulated reformate compositions.

scholarly journals Impact of Membrane Phosphoric Acid Doping Level on Transport Phenomena and Performance in High Temperature PEM Fuel Cells

Membranes ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (11) ◽  
pp. 817
Author(s):  
Shian Li ◽  
Chengdong Peng ◽  
Qiuwan Shen ◽  
Chongyang Wang ◽  
Yuanzhe Cheng ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Fuel Cells ◽  
High Temperature ◽  
Phosphoric Acid ◽  
Doping Level ◽  
Mass Fraction ◽  
Proton Exchange Membrane ◽  
Transport Phenomena ◽  
Pem Fuel Cells ◽  
Proton Exchange ◽  
And Performance

In this work, a three-dimensional mathematical model including the fluid flow, heat transfer, mass transfer, and charge transfer incorporating electrochemical reactions was developed and applied to investigate the transport phenomena and performance in high-temperature proton exchange membrane fuel cells (HT-PEMFCs) with a membrane phosphoric acid doping level of 5, 7, 9, 11. The cell performance is evaluated and compared in terms of the polarization curve. The distributions of temperature, oxygen mass fraction, water mass fraction, proton conductivity, and local current density of four cases are given and compared in detail. Results show that the overall performance and local transport characteristics are significantly affected by the membrane phosphoric acid doping level.

scholarly journals Recent Progress in the Development of Composite Membranes Based on Polybenzimidazole for High Temperature Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) Fuel Cell Applications

Polymers ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (9) ◽  
pp. 1861 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jorge Escorihuela ◽  
Jessica Olvera-Mancilla ◽  
Larissa Alexandrova ◽  
L. Felipe del Castillo ◽  
Vicente Compañ
Keyword(s):  
Fuel Cells ◽  
High Temperature ◽  
Fuel Cell ◽  
Alternative Energy ◽  
Proton Exchange Membrane ◽  
Composite Membranes ◽  
Pem Fuel Cell ◽  
Pem Fuel Cells ◽  
Proton Exchange ◽  
Exchange Membrane

The rapid increasing of the population in combination with the emergence of new energy-consuming technologies has risen worldwide total energy consumption towards unprecedent values. Furthermore, fossil fuel reserves are running out very quickly and the polluting greenhouse gases emitted during their utilization need to be reduced. In this scenario, a few alternative energy sources have been proposed and, among these, proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cells are promising. Recently, polybenzimidazole-based polymers, featuring high chemical and thermal stability, in combination with fillers that can regulate the proton mobility, have attracted tremendous attention for their roles as PEMs in fuel cells. Recent advances in composite membranes based on polybenzimidazole (PBI) for high temperature PEM fuel cell applications are summarized and highlighted in this review. In addition, the challenges, future trends, and prospects of composite membranes based on PBI for solid electrolytes are also discussed.

Development of a Flexible Pilot High Temperature MEA Manufacturing Line

2004 ◽  
Author(s):  
Raymond H. Puffer ◽  
Glen H. Hoppes
Keyword(s):  
Fuel Cells ◽  
High Temperature ◽  
Fuel Cell ◽  
Value Added ◽  
Pem Fuel Cells ◽  
Proton Exchange ◽  
Membrane Electrode ◽  
Membrane Material ◽  
Cell Systems ◽  
Manufacturing Line

Despite the fact that the invention of the fuel cell is more than 160 years old, the fuel cell industry today is still in its infancy. While there are many large companies active in the industry, it is, for the most part, dominated by many small and startup companies focused on the design and development of fuel cell systems. Relatively little attention has been given to the cost effective high-volume (i.e., automated) manufacture of the resulting systems and components. If the wide spread commercial use of fuel cells is to become a reality, and we are to realize the potential benefits to our environment and mankind it is essential that we also put the appropriate level of attention on the enabling manufacturing technologies. Celanese Ventures GmbH is a “new venture” arm of Celanese AG, located in Frankfurt, Germany. They are focused on developing the market for their high temperature polybenzimidazole (PBI®)-based membrane material for use in Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) fuel cells. Several years ago Celanese realized that the best way to ensure the market for their membrane material is to develop the capability to produce complete membrane electrode assemblies (MEAs) that can be incorporated into fuel cell systems being developed by other companies. Furthermore, such value-added processing can be economically advantageous. This paper will describe the multi-phased collaboration between Celanese, the Flexible Manufacturing Center (FMC) located at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI), and Progressive Machine and Design (PMD) to develop a fully automated high temperature MEA pilot manufacturing line that began operation in September, 2002. The FMC has and continues to serve in a unique role for a university research center. The FMC has been involved in the concept development, laboratory proof of principle, acquisition management, technical representation during the design, build and implementation phases, and the ongoing optimization of and improvements to the operational pilot line. We will describe the unique properties of the high temperature PBI® membrane and the benefits of this form of membrane in PEM fuel cell operations. The specific role of the FMC during each phase of the project will be highlighted, and a description of the resulting pilot line will be provided. Finally, we will discuss the important role that effective technology transfer plays in a project with the magnitude and complexity described herein.

Numerical Simulation of Transient Response of Inlet Relative Humidity for High Temperature PEM Fuel Cells with Material Properties

2012 ◽  
Vol 625 ◽  
pp. 226-229 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xing Long Chen ◽  
Bin Jia ◽  
Yan Yin ◽  
Qing Du
Keyword(s):  
Fuel Cells ◽  
High Temperature ◽  
Relative Humidity ◽  
Transient Response ◽  
Proton Exchange Membrane ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Pem Fuel Cells ◽  
Proton Exchange ◽  
Transient Model ◽  
Membrane Conductivity

High temperature proton exchange membrane fuel cells (HT-PEMFCs) have been drawing much attention due to their easy water management and other advantages. A three-dimensional non-isothermal transient model of HT-PEMFCs with phosphoric acid doped polybenzimidazole (PBI) membrane is developed in this study. The inlet relative humidity (RH) is considered for the membrane conductivity in the model. The effect of inlet RH on the transient response of the cell is discussed and the results show that the increase of inlet RH had positive effect on cell performance but negative effect on transient response.

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