Energy Storage Science and Technology ›› 2020, Vol. 9 ›› Issue (1): 40-56.doi: 10.19799/j.cnki.2095-4239.2019.0163

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  • Received:2019-07-16 Revised:2019-10-07 Online:2020-01-05 Published:2020-01-10

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Abstract:

of progress in heat and mass transfer analysis of

fuel cells

GE Ruitong, ZHENG Yihua

(College of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Qingdao University, Qingdao 266071, Shandong, China)

This study examines the research methods and progress with respect to the heat and mass transfer of fuel cells at home and abroad. Fuel cells are highly efficient and clean power generation devices. However, thermal management and mass transfer are unavailable, which hinder the practical application of this technology. It is important to completely understand the heat and mass transfer law for improving the cell efficiency. This study focuses on solid oxide fuel cells, molten carbonate fuel cells (MCFCs), direct methanol fuel cells (DMFCs), and proton exchange membrane fuel cells and systematically summarizes the existing research on the heat and mass transfer of fuel cells, including the methods of temperature measurement and thermal mass analysis, heat generation and heat transfer modes, temperature distribution, mass transfer, and effective methods for improving the cell performance, in technical and research progress contexts. The analysis reveals that the existing research on DMFC heat transfer and MCFC mass transfer is inadequate, and more related research should be performed. The experimental methods are mostly applied to the fuel cell temperature measurement; different methods exhibit unique application backgrounds with specific advantages and disadvantages. The finite volume method is the most commonly used method for conducting a numerical simulation; it involves significant calculations and requires the usage of a specific software. Various types of software are available for analyzing different working conditions. By combining numerical simulation with the optimization algorithm to process experimental data (combining the simulation and experiment), this approach could be expected to become a more efficient and accurate research method with respect to the heat and mass transfer of fuel cells.

Key words: fuel cells, heat transfer, mass transfer, temperature

CLC Number: