Combined Two-phase Co-flow and Counter-flow in a Gas Channel/Porous Transport Layer Assembly. (8th September 2020)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Beale, Steven B.; Andersson, Martin; Weber, Norbert; Marschall, Holger; Lehnert, Werner
• Is Part Of: ECS transactions. Volume 98:Number 9(2020)
• Page Start: 305
• Page End: 315
• Publication Date: 2020-09-08
• Subjects: Electrochemistry -- Periodicals; Electrochemistry; Periodicals; Electronic journals; Electronic journal; 541.37
• DOI: 10.1149/09809.0305ecst
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1938-5862

Abstract

Abstract : This paper considers a detailed numerical analysis of combined liquid-gas co-flow in a gas channel, with liquid-gas counter-flow in a porous transport layer, as is typically found on the cathode side of a polymer electrolyte fuel cell. The geometry is obtained by digital reconstruction of nano-computer tomography images. From this, the domain is tessellated with an unstructured castellated or octree mesh, upon which the equations of mass and momentum are solved by means of a volume of fluid method. Liquid water is produced from an electrode where gaseous oxygen is simultaneously consumed by electrochemical reduction; Liquid-gas counter flow in the porous transport layer results in liquid drops being entrained in co-flow in the gas channels and convected by the gas downstream.