Direct thermal visualization of micro-scale hydrogen evolution reactions in proton exchange membrane electrolyzer cells
Abstract
The heat generated from electrochemical reactions has been considered one of the most significant issues in terms of the reliability of energy conversion devices. So far, no systematic study on the relation between heat generation and electrochemical reaction exists, especially in the form of experiments. In this study, changes of the temperature distribution and hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) on the catalyst coated membrane (CCM) in proton exchange membrane electrolyzer cells (PEMECs) are in-situ visualized with the help of a novel PEMEC design, thermal spectroscopy and high-speed visualization system. At the channel-scale, the temperature increases rapidly for most of the active areas, and finally reaches the equilibrium state at 27 °C. The temperature distribution is non-uniform throughout the process. In addition, a series of pore-scale analyses are provided to clarify the relation between the temperature distribution and electrochemical reaction area. More interestingly, the rapid heat generation areas are found to be in a good agreement with the electrochemical reaction areas, which confirms that the heat is released during the reaction processes. Finally, the temperature evolution phenomena on the LGDL surface have also been recorded. These findings could help better understand the correlation between the cathode side electrochemical reaction and heat generation.
- Publication Date:
- Research Org.:
- Univ. of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN (United States)
- Sponsoring Org.:
- USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE); USDOE Office of Fossil Energy (FE)
- OSTI Identifier:
- 1799496
- Alternate Identifier(s):
- OSTI ID: 1558115
- Grant/Contract Number:
- EE0008426; FE0011585; AC36-08GO28308
- Resource Type:
- Accepted Manuscript
- Journal Name:
- Energy Conversion and Management
- Additional Journal Information:
- Journal Volume: 199; Journal ID: ISSN 0196-8904
- Publisher:
- Elsevier
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
- Subject:
- 30 DIRECT ENERGY CONVERSION; electrochemical reaction; proton exchange membrane electrolyzer cell; hydrogen evolution reaction; temperature distribution; thermal imaging; visualization
Citation Formats
Li, Yifan, Yang, Gaoqiang, Yu, Shule, Kang, Zhenye, Talley, Derrick A., and Zhang, Feng-Yuan. Direct thermal visualization of micro-scale hydrogen evolution reactions in proton exchange membrane electrolyzer cells. United States: N. p., 2019.
Web. doi:10.1016/j.enconman.2019.111935.
Li, Yifan, Yang, Gaoqiang, Yu, Shule, Kang, Zhenye, Talley, Derrick A., & Zhang, Feng-Yuan. Direct thermal visualization of micro-scale hydrogen evolution reactions in proton exchange membrane electrolyzer cells. United States. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enconman.2019.111935
Li, Yifan, Yang, Gaoqiang, Yu, Shule, Kang, Zhenye, Talley, Derrick A., and Zhang, Feng-Yuan. Tue .
"Direct thermal visualization of micro-scale hydrogen evolution reactions in proton exchange membrane electrolyzer cells". United States. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enconman.2019.111935. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1799496.
@article{osti_1799496,
title = {Direct thermal visualization of micro-scale hydrogen evolution reactions in proton exchange membrane electrolyzer cells},
author = {Li, Yifan and Yang, Gaoqiang and Yu, Shule and Kang, Zhenye and Talley, Derrick A. and Zhang, Feng-Yuan},
abstractNote = {The heat generated from electrochemical reactions has been considered one of the most significant issues in terms of the reliability of energy conversion devices. So far, no systematic study on the relation between heat generation and electrochemical reaction exists, especially in the form of experiments. In this study, changes of the temperature distribution and hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) on the catalyst coated membrane (CCM) in proton exchange membrane electrolyzer cells (PEMECs) are in-situ visualized with the help of a novel PEMEC design, thermal spectroscopy and high-speed visualization system. At the channel-scale, the temperature increases rapidly for most of the active areas, and finally reaches the equilibrium state at 27 °C. The temperature distribution is non-uniform throughout the process. In addition, a series of pore-scale analyses are provided to clarify the relation between the temperature distribution and electrochemical reaction area. More interestingly, the rapid heat generation areas are found to be in a good agreement with the electrochemical reaction areas, which confirms that the heat is released during the reaction processes. Finally, the temperature evolution phenomena on the LGDL surface have also been recorded. These findings could help better understand the correlation between the cathode side electrochemical reaction and heat generation.},
doi = {10.1016/j.enconman.2019.111935},
journal = {Energy Conversion and Management},
number = ,
volume = 199,
place = {United States},
year = {Tue Aug 20 00:00:00 EDT 2019},
month = {Tue Aug 20 00:00:00 EDT 2019}
}
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