Article
Engineering, Electrical & Electronic
Yousif Eldigair, Cristian Kunusch, Carlos Ocampo-Martinez
Summary: This research discusses a thermal management concept for auxiliary components in fuel cell vehicles. A control-oriented model (COM) is developed and used for controller development. Two control strategies, a PI-controller strategy and an optimization-based controller (OBC) strategy, are implemented and compared to demonstrate the OBC's capabilities in overcoming common problems associated with the PI-control strategy.
IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON TRANSPORTATION ELECTRIFICATION
(2023)
Article
Thermodynamics
Qiming Cao, Haitao Min, Honghui Zhao, Weiyi Sun, Yuanbin Yu, Zhaopu Zhang, Junyu Jiang
Summary: This study introduces a low-temperature thermal management system for proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) that combines a phase-change material (PCM) with liquid cooling. The system effectively utilizes waste heat generated during fuel cell operation to heat the PCM, which is then transferred to the stack after shutdown to maintain the stack temperature above the minimum startup threshold. A thermal model of the system is established and validated using numerical simulations. The results demonstrate that the proposed system can sustain the stack temperature above 0 degrees C for 63.36 hours in an environment at -20 degrees C. The system also has better temperature uniformity and a reduced stack startup time compared to passive thermal management. This study provides innovative solutions to address the challenges of cold starts and is a valuable reference for future thermal management system designs.
APPLIED THERMAL ENGINEERING
(2024)
Article
Energy & Fuels
R. Ram Kumar, S. Suresh, T. Suthakar, Solaimalai R. Raja, L. Srinivasan
Summary: This research proposes a novel method for a fuel cell thermal management system by integrating phase change material in the cavities of the cooling plate. Experimental results show that the system can handle higher thermal loads and achieve better thermal management performance with the use of the phase change material.
ENERGY SOURCES PART A-RECOVERY UTILIZATION AND ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS
(2023)
Article
Thermodynamics
I. A. Zakaria, W. A. N. W. Mohamed, N. H. A. Azid, M. A. Suhaimi, W. H. Azmi
Summary: This study experimentally obtained the correlation between heat transfer and electrical discharge rates of nanofluid coolants, and found that hybrid nanofluid coolants can improve cooling performance in fuel cell systems. The research results provide a more accurate assessment of nanofluid coolants for future applications.
APPLIED THERMAL ENGINEERING
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Aimen Zeiny, Maher A. R. Al-Baghdadi, Ward F. Arear, Mohammed S. Ismail
Summary: Polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) fuel cells are a promising eco-friendly and sustainable power generation technology. This study investigates the hydrothermal performance of alumina nanofluids in PEM fuel cells and reveals the negative impact of using nanofluids on thermal effectiveness and pumping power. Furthermore, it highlights the incorrectness of analyzing nanofluid performance solely based on Reynolds number.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF HYDROGEN ENERGY
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Michael Obermaier, Krzysztof Jozwiak, Markus Rauber, Andreas Bauer, Christina Scheu
Summary: The knowledge gained from fuel cell degradation analysis is critical for achieving durability targets and commercializing polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells, depending on the dominant degradation mode. This study systematically investigates four potential methods for detecting pinholes in the polymer membrane. Detection limits, material system impacts, and other relevant factors are discussed to optimize defect detection and make recommendations for practical application.
JOURNAL OF POWER SOURCES
(2021)
Review
Construction & Building Technology
Chaoen Li, Xiaodong Wen, Wei Cai, Hang Yu, Dongjing Liu
Summary: This paper summarizes the main characteristics of phase change materials (PCMs) in building envelopes and comprehensively discusses the design and shape stabilization methods of composite PCMs. The methods to address season adaptable problems and the test and heat transfer mechanisms are also overviewed. It was found that using biomass-derived carbon as supporting material is a low cost, environmentally friendly way to fabricate outstanding performance composite PCMs, and adopting multi-PCMs is an important way to solve season adaptable problem. Finally, crucial conclusions and future recommendations are provided to guide scholars on research for further improvements.
JOURNAL OF BUILDING ENGINEERING
(2023)
Article
Electrochemistry
T. E. O'Brien, S. Herrera, D. A. Langlois, N. N. Kariuki, H. Yu, M. J. Zachman, D. J. Myers, D. A. Cullen, R. L. Borup, R. Mukundan
Summary: In this study, various low-PtCo MEAs were fabricated and tested using an accelerated stress test, which revealed that porous supports retain more electrochemically-active surface area, leading to higher performance post-AST. However, porous supports also exhibit greater increases in transport resistance, possibly associated with enhanced Co leaching under the AST conditions.
JOURNAL OF THE ELECTROCHEMICAL SOCIETY
(2021)
Review
Energy & Fuels
J. Aubry, N. Yousfi Steiner, S. Morando, N. Zerhouni, D. Hissel
Summary: Fuel cell durability is crucial for the technology industrialization in the automotive sector, and fault tolerant control process can improve the durability by detecting and correcting fuel cell faults in real time. This article focuses on the diagnosis part of fault tolerant control in vehicle application, including real time measurements, useful information extraction, and classification. Vehicle applications have various constraints such as cost reduction, hydrogen usage, computation limitations, and safety regulations.
Review
Energy & Fuels
Rupinder Singh, Amandeep Singh Oberoi, Talwinder Singh
Summary: This paper discusses the critical parameters affecting the performance and lifespan of PEM fuel cells, focusing on the control of excess water content and dehydration. It summarizes the effects of these factors on various components of the fuel cell and presents active cooling strategies to remove waste heat from the stack. Additionally, it highlights the role of heat pipes, working fluid, and nanofluid in cooling PEM fuel cells.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENERGY RESEARCH
(2022)
Review
Chemistry, Physical
Javid Hussain, Dae-Kyeom Kim, Sangmin Park, Muhammad-Waqas Khalid, Sayed-Sajid Hussain, Bin Lee, Myungsuk Song, Taek-Soo Kim
Summary: Proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) is a promising renewable energy source with high potential for commercial use. The gas diffusion layer (GDL) plays a crucial role in facilitating the transfer of fluid, charges, and heat within the fuel cell. The material and fabrication method used for GDL greatly impact its performance, and titanium is considered a suitable alternative due to its strength-to-weight ratio and corrosion resistance. Various fabrication methods, such as tape casting and 3D printing, along with control parameters like partial sintering and ice structure, are being studied to optimize the properties of GDL.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Dana Schonvogel, Julian Buesselmann, Peter Wagner, Holger Kraus, Ulrich Misz, Hendrik Langnickel, Alexander Dyck
Summary: High temperature PEM fuel cells (HT-PEMFCs) have enhanced tolerances against impurities like carbon monoxide and are attractive for applications from mobile to stationary fields. In this study, consequences of SO2-contaminated air were systematically investigated during 500 hours of operation, showing that components were exposed to more corrosive conditions and maintaining voltage became more challenging.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF HYDROGEN ENERGY
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Aida Farsi, Marc A. Rosen
Summary: A novel integration of a proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cell with lithium ion batteries is proposed for a hydrogen electric vehicle. Preheating the input air for the PEM fuel cell improves its performance, and an air-cooled battery thermal management system effectively removes the heat generated by the lithium ion battery.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF HYDROGEN ENERGY
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Longfei Li, Song Gao, Baolong Wang, Chengyu Li, Youtang Wang, Binbin Sun, Yanbo Wang
Summary: This work focuses on the importance of the vehicle thermal management system (VTMS) for the safe operation of fuel cell vehicles (FCVs). An integrated thermal management system for a fuel cell bus is proposed, and liquid cooling is adopted for the fuel cell, battery, and motor. Simulation results show that the VTMS can meet the temperature requirements in both cooling and heating modes under different ambient conditions. The investigation of equivalent hydrogen consumption (EHC) reveals that reducing the target heating temperature of the fuel cell consumes less hydrogen compared to reducing the target heating temperature of the battery. These findings can contribute to extending the driving range of FCVs.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF HYDROGEN ENERGY
(2023)
Article
Electrochemistry
Siddharth Komini Babu, Thomas O'Brien, Michael J. Workman, Mahlon Wilson, Rangachary Mukundan, Rod Borup
Summary: The corrosion of fuel cell components introduces contaminants that accelerate ionomer degradation, decreasing fuel cell durability. Altering gas diffusion layer wettability can affect cation contaminant transport, with the addition of a hydrophobic layer significantly suppressing contaminant transport and improving fuel cell performance.
JOURNAL OF THE ELECTROCHEMICAL SOCIETY
(2021)
Article
Thermodynamics
X. G. Yang, Y. Wang, C. Y. Wang
Summary: The study proposed and experimentally verified a high fuel utilization approach for polymer electrolyte fuel cells using ultra-low hydrogen stoichiometry supply. The approach was found to be feasible under different pressures and humidification conditions, providing stable cell performance. However, unstable operation regimes were observed under low power conditions, mainly influenced by air stoichiometry.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF GREEN ENERGY
(2022)
Article
Thermodynamics
Yun Wang, Xiaoguang Yang, Chao-Yang Wang
Summary: The numerical study showed that under ultrahigh fuel utilization, the anode flow slowed down significantly when using pure hydrogen fuel, but remained high in hydrogen concentration, alleviating concerns of fuel starvation and increased anode overpotential. Experimental instability in fuel cell operation at low current density may be due to water removal relying mostly on cathode channel flow.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF GREEN ENERGY
(2022)
Article
Energy & Fuels
Bo Zheng, Zhe Wang, Yun Wang
Summary: This study investigates the application of porous media flow fields in polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells and finds that porous media can effectively enhance thermal removal, electron conduction, and two-phase flow control, while reducing GDL intrusion and deformation and mitigating the risk of GDL/MPL delamination.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENERGY RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Jingtian Wu, Huiyuan Liu, Yujiang Song, Yun Wang
Summary: This study investigates the reaction rate and distribution of oxygen and liquid water in polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells with catalyst layers using three-dimensional modeling. The results show that the catalyst layers have a low effective exchange current density due to a low electrochemical surface area (ECSA) and operate with low oxygen content at low voltages. This leads to significant in-plane variation of the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) rate, particularly with air cathode reactant flow. The through-plane ORR variations are smaller due to the thin catalyst layer thickness. To improve the performance of the low Pt loading novel catalyst layers, it is necessary to increase the ECSA and the gas diffusion layer (GDL) oxygen diffusivity considerably.
JOURNAL OF MATERIALS CHEMISTRY A
(2022)
Article
Electrochemistry
Hao Yuan, Bongjin Seo, Yun Wang
Summary: In this study, the spatial variations of discharge precipitate and cathode reaction rate in lithium-air battery were investigated theoretically and experimentally. The results provide insights for designing and optimizing air cathode materials for Li-air batteries.
JOURNAL OF THE ELECTROCHEMICAL SOCIETY
(2022)
Article
Energy & Fuels
Daniela Fernanda Ruiz Diaz, Edgar Valenzuela, Yun Wang
Summary: This paper develops a component-level PEMEC model that incorporates various key factors of a PEMEC electrolysis cell. The model is validated and shown to accurately predict the performance of PEMEC. It can be used for the design and optimization of PEMEC components.
Article
Energy & Fuels
Yiheng Pang, Liang Hao, Yun Wang
Summary: This study presents a machine learning approach using convolutional neural networks to analyze neutron radiography images and quantify liquid water content in polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells. The results show that using low relative humidity inlet flow can significantly reduce water content, while counter-flow configuration increases water content compared to co-flow configuration.
Article
Thermodynamics
Guobin Zhang, Zhiguo Qu, Yun Wang
Summary: This study conducted a full-scale stack three-dimensional simulation for proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cell and investigated the temperature distribution, cell/stack performance, and impact of air cooling. The research found that there are significant temperature differences between the fuel cells on the two sides and in the middle, and that higher temperature sites have lower oxygen content due to increased water vapor concentration. It was also found that increasing the cooling air flow rate decreases stack temperature and reduces temperature variation, thus benefiting the uniform distribution of gases in the stack.
ENERGY CONVERSION AND MANAGEMENT
(2022)
Review
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Linhao Fan, Hao Deng, Yingguang Zhang, Qing Du, Dennis Y. C. Leung, Yun Wang, Kui Jiao
Summary: With the global commercialization of PEMFCs approaching, the challenges of cost, performance, and durability need to be addressed. Developing ultralow Pt loading PEMFCs is crucial for improving their cost competitiveness. This perspective discusses the motivation for ultralow Pt loading and presents important technical development routes. The latest advancements in catalyst layer design under low Pt loading, as well as approaches for accelerating catalyst layer development, are proposed for next-generation PEMFCs.
ENERGY & ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Ning Wang, Zhiguo Qu, Guobin Zhang, Zetian Tang, Yun Wang
Summary: Ultrahigh power density is crucial for the commercialization of next-generation PEMFCs, particularly in large-size PEMFCs for automobile applications. This study uses a three-dimensional two-phase model to investigate the performance of an automobile fuel cell with various distribution zones. The results show that the dot matrix distribution zone can effectively promote cross flow between adjacent channels, mitigating oxygen starvation and water flooding and improving PEMFC performance at high current density. The counter-flow configuration also leads to higher cell performance and more uniform current density due to internal humidification.
JOURNAL OF POWER SOURCES
(2023)
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Cong Feng, Jin Zheng, Yun Wang, Cunman Zhang, Pingwen Ming
Summary: The viscosity characteristics and mechanical behavior of perfluorosulfonic acid (PFSA) ionomers were investigated in this study. A cross-scale model was developed to describe the shear thinning phenomenon, and a modified generalised Maxwell model was proposed to analyze the visco-elastoplastic behavior. The study provides insights into the mechanical response of PFSA ionomers under different strain rates.
APPLIED MATERIALS TODAY
(2023)
Article
Energy & Fuels
Guobin Zhang, Zhiguo Qu, Yun Wang
Summary: This study investigated an innovative proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cell design called the integrated porous bipolar plate (BP)-gas diffusion layer (GDL) structure. A three-dimensional (3D) fuel cell model was used to mimic the morphology of the integrated structure and validated using experimental polarization data. The novel design, which used metal foam as both the BP/flow field and GDL, significantly increased cell power density by reducing mass transfer and electron conduction resistances, and by decreasing overall cell thickness through GDL elimination. Smaller pore size (e.g., 60 to 80 PPI) was also found to improve power output and uniform distributions of oxygen and current density.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Rui Gao, Zhongyu Qiu, Kun Xu, Zihui Zhai, Yuanyuan Cong, Qike Jiang, Guanghui Zhang, Yang Lv, Yizheng Guo, Yongpeng Li, Qingchuan Xu, Yi Xiao, Yiheng Pang, Yun Wang, Yujiang Song
Summary: In this study, F-decorated Fe-N-C was synthesized by pyrolysis of trifluoromethyl imidazole decorated zeolitic imidazolate framework-8 with hemin as Fe precursor. F-Fe-N-C exhibits exceptional activity with high half-wave potential and single cell power density. The enhancement in performance is attributed to the high activity of F-Fe-N-C, abundant pore volume, and scattered distribution of ionomer.
JOURNAL OF MATERIALS CHEMISTRY A
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Linhao Fan, Yun Wang, Kui Jiao
Summary: This study found that adding an ionic liquid can effectively improve the structure of the ultrathin sublayer on the ionomer film, enhancing the O-2 transport efficiency and reducing the O-2 transport loss in the catalyst layer of the proton exchange membrane fuel cell.
FUNDAMENTAL RESEARCH
(2022)
Review
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Yun Wang, Yiheng Pang, Hui Xu, Andrew Martinez, Ken S. Chen
Summary: PEM fuel cells and PEM electrolysis cells are closely related electrochemical devices that operate at low temperatures and have the potential for wide applications. However, cost and the lack of hydrogen infrastructure are major challenges for their widespread deployment.
ENERGY & ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Energy & Fuels
Shitong Fang, Houfan Du, Tao Yan, Keyu Chen, Zhiyuan Li, Xiaoqing Ma, Zhihui Lai, Shengxi Zhou
Summary: This paper proposes a new type of nonlinear VIV energy harvester (ANVEH) that compensates for the decrease in peak energy output at low wind speeds by introducing an auxiliary structure. Theoretical and experimental results show that ANVEH performs better than traditional nonlinear VIV energy harvesters under various system parameter variations.
Article
Energy & Fuels
Wei Jiang, Shuo Zhang, Teng Wang, Yufei Zhang, Aimin Sha, Jingjing Xiao, Dongdong Yuan
Summary: A standardized method was developed to evaluate the availability of solar energy resources in road areas, which combined the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) and the Geographic Information System (GIS). By analyzing critical factors and using a multi-indicator evaluation method, the method accurately evaluated the utilization of solar energy resources and guided the optimal location selection for road photovoltaic (PV) projects. The results provided guidance for the application of road PV projects and site selection for route corridors worldwide, promoting the integration of transportation and energy.
Article
Energy & Fuels
Chang Liu, Jacob A. Wrubel, Elliot Padgett, Guido Bender
Summary: The study investigates the effects of coating defects on the performance of the anode porous transport layer (PTL) in water electrolyzers. The results show that an increasing fraction of uncoated regions on the PTL leads to decreased cell performance, with continuous uncoated regions having a more severe impact compared to multiple thin uncoated strips.
Article
Energy & Fuels
Marcos Tostado-Veliz, Xiaolong Jin, Rohit Bhakar, Francisco Jurado
Summary: In this paper, a coordinated charging price mechanism for clusters of parking lots is proposed. The research shows that enabling vehicle-to-grid characteristics can bring significant economic benefits for users and the cluster coordinator, and vehicle-to-grid impacts noticeably on the risk-averse character of the uncertainty-aware strategies. The developed pricing mechanism can reduce the cost for users, avoiding to directly translate the energy cost to charging points.
Article
Energy & Fuels
Duan Kang
Summary: Building an energy superpower is a key strategy for China and a long-term goal for other countries. This study proposes an evaluation system and index for measuring energy superpower, and finds that China has significantly improved its ranking over the past 21 years, surpassing other countries.
Article
Energy & Fuels
Fucheng Deng, Yifei Wang, Xiaosen Li, Gang Li, Yi Wang, Bin Huang
Summary: This study investigated the synergistic blockage mechanism of sand and hydrate in gravel filling layer and the evolution of permeability in the layer. Experimental models and modified permeability models were established to analyze the effects of sand particles and hydrate formation on permeability. The study provided valuable insights for the safe and efficient exploitation of hydrate reservoirs.
Article
Energy & Fuels
Hao Wang, Xiwen Chen, Natan Vital, Edward Duffy, Abolfazl Razi
Summary: This study proposes a HVAC energy optimization model based on deep reinforcement learning algorithm. It achieves 37% energy savings and ensures thermal comfort for open office buildings. The model has a low complexity, uses a few controllable factors, and has a short training time with good generalizability.
Article
Energy & Fuels
Moyue Cong, Yongzhuo Gao, Weidong Wang, Long He, Xiwang Mao, Yi Long, Wei Dong
Summary: This study introduces a multi-strategy ultra-wideband energy harvesting device that achieves high power output without the need for external power input. By utilizing asymmetry, stagger array, magnetic coupling, and nonlinearity strategies, the device maintains a stable output voltage and high power density output at non-resonant frequencies. Temperature and humidity monitoring are performed using Bluetooth sensors to adaptively assess the device.
Article
Energy & Fuels
Tianshu Dong, Xiudong Duan, Yuanyuan Huang, Danji Huang, Yingdong Luo, Ziyu Liu, Xiaomeng Ai, Jiakun Fang, Chaolong Song
Summary: Electrochemical water splitting is crucial for hydrogen production, and improving the hydrogen separation rate from the electrode is essential for enhancing water electrolyzer performance. However, issues such as air bubble adhesion to the electrode plate hinder the process. Therefore, a methodology to investigate the two-phase flow within the electrolyzer is in high demand. This study proposes using a microfluidic system as a simulator for the electrolyzer and optimizing the two-phase flow by manipulating the micro-structure of the flow.
Article
Energy & Fuels
Shuo Han, Yifan Yuan, Mengjiao He, Ziwen Zhao, Beibei Xu, Diyi Chen, Jakub Jurasz
Summary: Giving full play to the flexibility of hydropower and integrating more variable renewable energy is of great significance for accelerating the transformation of China's power energy system. This study proposes a novel day-ahead scheduling model that considers the flexibility limited by irregular vibration zones (VZs) and the probability of flexibility shortage in a hydropower-variable renewable energy hybrid generation system. The model is applied to a real hydropower station and effectively improves the flexibility supply capacity of hydropower, especially during heavy load demand in flood season.
Article
Energy & Fuels
Zhen Wang, Kangqi Fan, Shizhong Zhao, Shuxin Wu, Xuan Zhang, Kangjia Zhai, Zhiqi Li, Hua He
Summary: This study developed a high-performance rotary energy harvester (AI-REH) inspired by archery, which efficiently accumulates and releases ultralow-frequency vibration energy. By utilizing a magnetic coupling strategy and an accumulator spring, the AI-REH achieves significantly accelerated rotor speeds and enhanced electric outputs.
Article
Energy & Fuels
Yi Yang, Qianyi Xing, Kang Wang, Caihong Li, Jianzhou Wang, Xiaojia Huang
Summary: In this study, a novel hybrid Quantile Regression (QR) model is proposed for Probabilistic Load Forecasting (PLF). The model integrates causal dilated convolution, residual connection, and Bidirectional Long Short-Term Memory (BiLSTM) for multi-scale feature extraction. In addition, a Combined Probabilistic Load Forecasting System (CPLFS) is proposed to overcome the inherent flaws of relying on a single model. Simulation results show that the hybrid QR outperforms traditional models and CPLFS exceeds the best benchmarks in terms of prediction accuracy and stability.
Article
Energy & Fuels
Wen-Jiang Zou, Young-Bae Kim, Seunghun Jung
Summary: This paper proposes a dynamic prediction model for capacity fade in vanadium redox flow batteries (VRFBs). The model accurately predicts changes in electrolyte volume and capacity fade, enhancing the competitiveness of VRFBs in energy storage applications.
Article
Energy & Fuels
Yuechao Ma, Shengtie Wang, Guangchen Liu, Guizhen Tian, Jianwei Zhang, Ruiming Liu
Summary: This paper focuses on the balance of state of charge (SOC) among multiple battery energy storage units (MBESUs) and bus voltage balance in an islanded bipolar DC microgrid. A SOC automatic balancing strategy is proposed considering the energy flow relationship and utilizing the adaptive virtual resistance algorithm. The simulation results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed strategy in achieving SOC balancing and decreasing bus voltage unbalance.
Article
Energy & Fuels
Raad Z. Homod, Basil Sh. Munahi, Hayder Ibrahim Mohammed, Musatafa Abbas Abbood Albadr, Aissa Abderrahmane, Jasim M. Mahdi, Mohamed Bechir Ben Hamida, Bilal Naji Alhasnawi, A. S. Albahri, Hussein Togun, Umar F. Alqsair, Zaher Mundher Yaseen
Summary: In this study, the control problem of the multiple-boiler system (MBS) is formulated as a dynamic Markov decision process and a deep clustering reinforcement learning approach is applied to obtain the optimal control policy. The proposed strategy, based on bang-bang action, shows superior response and achieves more than 32% energy saving compared to conventional fixed parameter controllers under dynamic indoor/outdoor actual conditions.
