Mathematical modeling of novel porous transport layer architectures for proton exchange membrane electrolysis cells
Abstract
Thin foil based porous transport layers (PTLs) that contain highly structured pore arrays have shown promise as anode PTLs in proton exchange membrane electrolysis cells. These novel PTLs, fabricated with advanced manufacturing techniques, produce thin, tunable, multifunctional layers with reduced flow and interfacial resistances and high thermal and electric conductivities. To further optimize their design, it is important to understand their fundamental impact on the transport of protons, electrons, and liquid/vapor mixtures in the electrode. In this work, we develop a two-dimensional multiphysics model to simulate the coupled electrochemistry and multiphase transport in an electrolysis cell operated with the novel PTL architecture. The results show that larger pores improve access of water to the anode catalyst layer, which is beneficial for both the oxygen evolution reaction and membrane hydration. Larger pore sizes also improve oxygen gas transport from the catalyst layer, because generated oxygen gas is forced to travel in-plane through the anode catalyst layer until it reaches a pore opening that is connected to a channel. The discussed results confirm that the proposed thin foil based PTLs are fundamentally different from conventional PTLs, such as felts or layered meshes. The model developed in this work also provides generalizable insightmore »
- Authors:
-
- National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)
- Univ. of Tennessee Space Inst. (UTSI), Tullahoma, TN (United States)
- Publication Date:
- Research Org.:
- National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)
- Sponsoring Org.:
- USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE)
- OSTI Identifier:
- 1805196
- Alternate Identifier(s):
- OSTI ID: 1806339
- Report Number(s):
- NREL/JA-5700-77128
Journal ID: ISSN 0360-3199; MainId:26074;UUID:2728801f-b5ce-4132-aa68-c88721430e32;MainAdminID:25709
- Grant/Contract Number:
- AC36-08GO28308
- Resource Type:
- Accepted Manuscript
- Journal Name:
- International Journal of Hydrogen Energy
- Additional Journal Information:
- Journal Volume: 46; Journal Issue: 50; Journal ID: ISSN 0360-3199
- Publisher:
- Elsevier
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
- Subject:
- 25 ENERGY STORAGE; electrochemical; electrochemical modeling; electrolysis; H2New; hydrogen; multiphase transport; porous transport layer
Citation Formats
Wrubel, Jacob A., Kang, Zhenye, Witteman, Liam, Zhang, Feng-Yuan, Ma, Zhiwen, and Bender, Guido. Mathematical modeling of novel porous transport layer architectures for proton exchange membrane electrolysis cells. United States: N. p., 2021.
Web. doi:10.1016/j.ijhydene.2021.05.070.
Wrubel, Jacob A., Kang, Zhenye, Witteman, Liam, Zhang, Feng-Yuan, Ma, Zhiwen, & Bender, Guido. Mathematical modeling of novel porous transport layer architectures for proton exchange membrane electrolysis cells. United States. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhydene.2021.05.070
Wrubel, Jacob A., Kang, Zhenye, Witteman, Liam, Zhang, Feng-Yuan, Ma, Zhiwen, and Bender, Guido. Fri .
"Mathematical modeling of novel porous transport layer architectures for proton exchange membrane electrolysis cells". United States. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhydene.2021.05.070. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1805196.
@article{osti_1805196,
title = {Mathematical modeling of novel porous transport layer architectures for proton exchange membrane electrolysis cells},
author = {Wrubel, Jacob A. and Kang, Zhenye and Witteman, Liam and Zhang, Feng-Yuan and Ma, Zhiwen and Bender, Guido},
abstractNote = {Thin foil based porous transport layers (PTLs) that contain highly structured pore arrays have shown promise as anode PTLs in proton exchange membrane electrolysis cells. These novel PTLs, fabricated with advanced manufacturing techniques, produce thin, tunable, multifunctional layers with reduced flow and interfacial resistances and high thermal and electric conductivities. To further optimize their design, it is important to understand their fundamental impact on the transport of protons, electrons, and liquid/vapor mixtures in the electrode. In this work, we develop a two-dimensional multiphysics model to simulate the coupled electrochemistry and multiphase transport in an electrolysis cell operated with the novel PTL architecture. The results show that larger pores improve access of water to the anode catalyst layer, which is beneficial for both the oxygen evolution reaction and membrane hydration. Larger pore sizes also improve oxygen gas transport from the catalyst layer, because generated oxygen gas is forced to travel in-plane through the anode catalyst layer until it reaches a pore opening that is connected to a channel. The discussed results confirm that the proposed thin foil based PTLs are fundamentally different from conventional PTLs, such as felts or layered meshes. The model developed in this work also provides generalizable insight into fundamental PEMEC phenomena, such as the competition between liquid and gas phase transport, membrane hydration and water management, and nonuniform electrochemical reactions, which are processes relevant to all PEMEC designs.},
doi = {10.1016/j.ijhydene.2021.05.070},
journal = {International Journal of Hydrogen Energy},
number = 50,
volume = 46,
place = {United States},
year = {Fri Jun 11 00:00:00 EDT 2021},
month = {Fri Jun 11 00:00:00 EDT 2021}
}
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