Insights into the rapid two-phase transport dynamics in different structured porous transport layers of water electrolyzers through high-speed visualization

Wang, Weitian; Yu, Shule; Li, Kui; Ding, Lei; Xie, Zhiqiang; Li, Yifan; Yang, Gaoqiang; Cullen, David A.; Yu, Haoran; Kang, Zhenye; Wrubel, Jacob A.; Ma, Zhiwen; Bender, Guido; Capuano, Christopher B.; Keane, Alex; Zhang, Feng-Yuan

doi:10.1016/j.jpowsour.2021.230641

Insights into the rapid two-phase transport dynamics in different structured porous transport layers of water electrolyzers through high-speed visualization

Journal Article · Mon Oct 25 00:00:00 EDT 2021 · Journal of Power Sources

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpowsour.2021.230641· OSTI ID:1831603

^[1]; ^[1]; ^[1]; Ding, Lei ^[1]; Xie, Zhiqiang ^[1]; Li, Yifan ^[1]; Yang, Gaoqiang ^[1]; ^[2]; ^[2]; ^[3]; ^[3]; Ma, Zhiwen ^[3]; Bender, Guido ^[3]; Capuano, Christopher B. ^[4]; Keane, Alex ^[4]; ^[1]

Univ. of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN (United States)
Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)
Nel Hydrogen, Wallingford, CT (United States)

In proton exchange membrane electrolyzer cells (PEMECs), maintaining efficient two-phase transport is one of the most important functions of porous transport layers (PTLs). To enhance the two-phase transport in PTLs, thin/titanium liquid/gas diffusion layers (TT-LGDLs) are introduced in PEMECs, and their difference from the conventional Ti felt PTLs are analyzed in-situ through high-speed and microscale visualization and electrochemical characterizations. The visualization results show that unfavorable large slugs can be greatly reduced in the PEMEC with a TT-LGDL compared to the PEMEC with a Ti felt PTL. More importantly, the recovery capability of water starvation with different PTLs is studied. After water starvation, the PEMEC with the TT-LGDL can recover the water starvation much more rapidly than the Ti felt cell, benefiting from its short and straight-through flow paths. Furthermore, the TT-LGDL tends to generate oxygen bubbles that are almost six times smaller and 236 times more frequently than the Ti felt PTL, indicating significantly boosted removal efficiency of produced oxygen and PEMEC performance. Finally, this study offers new insights into the dynamic processes of two-phase transport and the recovery capability of water starvation for different PTLs, which will provide valuable guidance for further optimization of PTLs and performance enhancement of PEMECs.

View Accepted Manuscript (DOE)

Research Organization:: National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)

Sponsoring Organization:: USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), Transportation Office. Fuel Cell Technologies Office; USDOE Office of Nuclear Energy (NE), Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Supply Chain. Fuel Cycle Research and Development Program

Grant/Contract Number:: AC05-00OR22725; AC36-08GO28308; EE0008423; EE0008426

OSTI ID:: 1831603

Alternate ID(s):: OSTI ID: 1867591

Report Number(s):: NREL/JA-5900-82895

Journal Information:: Journal of Power Sources, Journal Name: Journal of Power Sources Vol. 516; ISSN 0378-7753

Publisher:: ElsevierCopyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

References (44)

Visualisation and modelling studies of churn flow in a vertical pipe Barbosa, J. R.; Govan, A. H.; Hewitt, G. F. International Journal of Multiphase Flow, Vol. 27, Issue 12 https://doi.org/10.1016/S0301-9322(01)00048-9	journal	December 2001
A review of polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells: Technology, applications, and needs on fundamental research Wang, Yun; Chen, Ken S.; Mishler, Jeffrey Applied Energy, Vol. 88, Issue 4 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apenergy.2010.09.030	journal	April 2011
Thin liquid/gas diffusion layers for high-efficiency hydrogen production from water splitting Mo, Jingke; Kang, Zhenye; Yang, Gaoqiang Applied Energy, Vol. 177 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apenergy.2016.05.154	journal	September 2016
Additive manufacturing for energy: A review Sun, Cheng; Wang, Yun; McMurtrey, Michael D. Applied Energy, Vol. 282 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apenergy.2020.116041	journal	January 2021
Condensation heat transfer enhancement in a horizontal non-circular microchannel El Mghari, Hicham; Asbik, Mohamed; Louahlia-Gualous, Hasna Applied Thermal Engineering, Vol. 64, Issue 1-2 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.applthermaleng.2013.12.003	journal	March 2014
Ultrathin platinum nanowire based electrodes for high-efficiency hydrogen generation in practical electrolyzer cells Xie, Zhiqiang; Yu, Shule; Yang, Gaoqiang Chemical Engineering Journal, Vol. 410 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cej.2020.128333	journal	April 2021
Operando X-ray tomography and sub-second radiography for characterizing transport in polymer electrolyte membrane electrolyzer Leonard, Emily; Shum, Andrew D.; Normile, Stanley Electrochimica Acta, Vol. 276 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.electacta.2018.04.144	journal	June 2018
Wettability effects of thin titanium liquid/gas diffusion layers in proton exchange membrane electrolyzer cells Li, Yifan; Kang, Zhenye; Deng, Xuanli Electrochimica Acta, Vol. 298 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.electacta.2018.12.162	journal	March 2019
Performance improvement of proton exchange membrane electrolyzer cells by introducing in-plane transport enhancement layers Kang, Zhenye; Yu, Shule; Yang, Gaoqiang Electrochimica Acta, Vol. 316 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.electacta.2019.05.096	journal	September 2019
High-speed characterization of two-phase flow and bubble dynamics in titanium felt porous media for hydrogen production Li, Yifan; Yang, Gaoqiang; Yu, Shule Electrochimica Acta, Vol. 370 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.electacta.2021.137751	journal	February 2021
Direct thermal visualization of micro-scale hydrogen evolution reactions in proton exchange membrane electrolyzer cells Li, Yifan; Yang, Gaoqiang; Yu, Shule Energy Conversion and Management, Vol. 199 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enconman.2019.111935	journal	November 2019
Dynamic modelling of a proton exchange membrane (PEM) electrolyzer Gorgun, H. International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, Vol. 31, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhydene.2005.04.001	journal	January 2006
Optimization of solar powered hydrogen production using photovoltaic electrolysis devices Gibson, T.; Kelly, N. International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, Vol. 33, Issue 21 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhydene.2008.05.106	journal	November 2008
Effect of flow regime of circulating water on a proton exchange membrane electrolyzer Ito, H.; Maeda, T.; Nakano, A. International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, Vol. 35, Issue 18 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhydene.2010.06.103	journal	September 2010
Experimental study on porous current collectors of PEM electrolyzers Ito, Hiroshi; Maeda, Tetsuhiko; Nakano, Akihiro International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, Vol. 37, Issue 9 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhydene.2012.01.095	journal	May 2012
Study of hydrogen production system by using PV solar energy and PEM electrolyser in Algeria Ghribi, Djamila; Khelifa, Abdellah; Diaf, Said International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, Vol. 38, Issue 20 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhydene.2012.09.175	journal	July 2013
A comprehensive review on PEM water electrolysis Carmo, Marcelo; Fritz, David L.; Mergel, Jürgen International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, Vol. 38, Issue 12, p. 4901-4934 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhydene.2013.01.151	journal	April 2013
Two-phase flow in a proton exchange membrane electrolyzer visualized in situ by simultaneous neutron radiography and optical imaging Selamet, O. F.; Pasaogullari, U.; Spernjak, D. International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, Vol. 38, Issue 14 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhydene.2013.02.087	journal	May 2013
Influence of limiting throat and flow regime on oxygen bubble saturation of polymer electrolyte membrane electrolyzer porous transport layers Lee, ChungHyuk; Hinebaugh, James; Banerjee, Rupak International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, Vol. 42, Issue 5 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhydene.2016.09.114	journal	February 2017
Modeling of two-phase transport in proton exchange membrane electrolyzer cells for hydrogen energy Han, Bo; Mo, Jingke; Kang, Zhenye International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, Vol. 42, Issue 7 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhydene.2016.12.103	journal	February 2017
Additive manufactured bipolar plate for high-efficiency hydrogen production in proton exchange membrane electrolyzer cells Yang, Gaoqiang; Mo, Jingke; Kang, Zhenye International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, Vol. 42, Issue 21 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhydene.2017.04.100	journal	May 2017
Effect of operating parameters on hydrogen production by electrolysis of water Chakik, Fatima ezzahra; Kaddami, Mohammed; Mikou, Mohammed International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, Vol. 42, Issue 40 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhydene.2017.07.015	journal	October 2017
Control and energy efficiency of PEM water electrolyzers in renewable energy systems Koponen, Joonas; Kosonen, Antti; Ruuskanen, Vesa International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, Vol. 42, Issue 50 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhydene.2017.10.056	journal	December 2017
In-situ investigation of bubble dynamics and two-phase flow in proton exchange membrane electrolyzer cells Li, Yifan; Kang, Zhenye; Mo, Jingke International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, Vol. 43, Issue 24 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhydene.2018.05.006	journal	June 2018
In-situ investigation and modeling of electrochemical reactions with simultaneous oxygen and hydrogen microbubble evolutions in water electrolysis Li, Yifan; Yang, Gaoqiang; Yu, Shule International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, Vol. 44, Issue 52 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhydene.2019.09.044	journal	October 2019
Effect of gas diffusion layer compression on PEM fuel cell performance Ge, Jiabin; Higier, Andrew; Liu, Hongtan Journal of Power Sources, Vol. 159, Issue 2 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpowsour.2005.11.069	journal	September 2006
Effects of the electrical resistances of the GDL in a PEM fuel cell Zhou, Tianhong; Liu, Hongtan Journal of Power Sources, Vol. 161, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpowsour.2006.04.106	journal	October 2006
Electrochemical hydrogen production from water electrolysis using ionic liquid as electrolytes: Towards the best device de Souza, Roberto F.; Padilha, Janine C.; Gonçalves, Reinaldo S. Journal of Power Sources, Vol. 164, Issue 2 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpowsour.2006.11.049	journal	February 2007
Feasibility study of using microfluidic platforms for visualizing bubble flows in electrolyzer gas diffusion layers Arbabi, F.; Kalantarian, A.; Abouatallah, R. Journal of Power Sources, Vol. 258 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpowsour.2014.02.042	journal	July 2014
In-situ two-phase flow investigation of different porous transport layer for a polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) electrolyzer with neutron spectroscopy Panchenko, Olha; Borgardt, Elena; Zwaygardt, Walter Journal of Power Sources, Vol. 390 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpowsour.2018.04.044	journal	June 2018
Accelerating Bubble Detachment in Porous Transport Layers with Patterned Through-Pores Lee, Jason K.; Lee, ChungHyuk; Fahy, Kieran F. ACS Applied Energy Materials, Vol. 3, Issue 10 https://doi.org/10.1021/acsaem.0c01239	journal	September 2020
Investigation of thin/well-tunable liquid/gas diffusion layers exhibiting superior multifunctional performance in low-temperature electrolytic water splitting Kang, Zhenye; Mo, Jingke; Yang, Gaoqiang Energy & Environmental Science, Vol. 10, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.1039/C6EE02368A	journal	January 2017
In situ investigation on ultrafast oxygen evolution reactions of water splitting in proton exchange membrane electrolyzer cells Mo, Jingke; Kang, Zhenye; Yang, Gaoqiang Journal of Materials Chemistry A, Vol. 5, Issue 35 https://doi.org/10.1039/C7TA05681H	journal	January 2017
Enhanced electrocatalytic performance for the hydrogen evolution reaction through surface enrichment of platinum nanoclusters alloying with ruthenium in situ embedded in carbon Li, Kui; Li, Yang; Wang, Yuemin Energy & Environmental Science, Vol. 11, Issue 5 https://doi.org/10.1039/C8EE00402A	journal	January 2018
Visualization on rapid and micro-scale dynamics of oxygen bubble evolution in PEMECs Mo, Jingke; Kang, Zhenye; Yang, Gaoqiang 2017 IEEE 12th International Conference on Nano/Micro Engineered and Molecular Systems (NEMS) https://doi.org/10.1109/NEMS.2017.8016983	conference	April 2017
Discovery of true electrochemical reactions for ultrahigh catalyst mass activity in water splitting Mo, Jingke; Kang, Zhenye; Retterer, Scott T. Science Advances, Vol. 2, Issue 11 https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.1600690	journal	November 2016
Future CO ₂ Emissions and Climate Change from Existing Energy Infrastructure Davis, Steven J.; Caldeira, Ken; Matthews, H. Damon Science, Vol. 329, Issue 5997 https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1188566	journal	September 2010
Perspectives on Low-Temperature Electrolysis and Potential for Renewable Hydrogen at Scale Ayers, Katherine; Danilovic, Nemanja; Ouimet, Ryan Annual Review of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Vol. 10, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-chembioeng-060718-030241	journal	June 2019
Mask-Patterned Wet Etching of Thin Titanium Liquid/Gas Diffusion Layers for a PEMEC Mo, J.; Steen, S. M.; Retterer, S. ECS Transactions, Vol. 66, Issue 24 https://doi.org/10.1149/06624.0003ecst	journal	August 2015
Transient Gas Distribution in Porous Transport Layers of Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Electrolyzers Lee, Ch.; Lee, J. K.; Zhao, B. Journal of The Electrochemical Society, Vol. 167, Issue 2 https://doi.org/10.1149/1945-7111/ab68c8	journal	January 2020
Transient and Steady State Two-Phase Flow in Anodic Porous Transport Layer of Proton Exchange Membrane Water Electrolyzer Zlobinski, Mateusz; Schuler, Tobias; Büchi, Felix N. Journal of The Electrochemical Society, Vol. 167, Issue 8 https://doi.org/10.1149/1945-7111/ab8c89	journal	May 2020
Communication—Neutron Radiography of the Water/Gas Distribution in the Porous Layers of an Operating Electrolyser Seweryn, Jakub; Biesdorf, Johannes; Schmidt, Thomas J. Journal of The Electrochemical Society, Vol. 163, Issue 11 https://doi.org/10.1149/2.0641607jes	journal	January 2016
Hydrogen at Scale (H ₂ @Scale): Key to a Clean, Economic, and Sustainable Energy System Pivovar, Bryan; Rustagi, Neha; Satyapal, Sunita The Electrochemical Society Interface, Vol. 27, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.1149/2.F04181if	journal	January 2018
Hydrodynamics of Taylor flow in small channels: A Review Angeli, P.; Gavriilidis, A. Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part C: Journal of Mechanical Engineering Science, Vol. 222, Issue 5 https://doi.org/10.1243/09544062JMES776	journal	May 2008

Similar Records

Performance improvement of proton exchange membrane electrolyzer cells by introducing in-plane transport enhancement layers

Journal Article · Tue May 21 20:00:00 EDT 2019 · Electrochimica Acta · OSTI ID:1524323

Related Subjects

08 HYDROGEN
37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
PEM electrolyzer
bubble removal
hydrogen energy
porous transport layer
two-phase flow
visualization

Insights into the rapid two-phase transport dynamics in different structured porous transport layers of water electrolyzers through high-speed visualization

Citation Formats

References (44)

Similar Records

Related Subjects