TY - JOUR
T1 - Insights into the Rapid Two-Phase Transport Dynamics in Different Structured Porous Transport Layers of Water Electrolyzers through High-Speed Visualization
AU - Wang, Weitian
AU - Yu, Shule
AU - Li, Kui
AU - Ding, Lei
AU - Xie, Zhiqiang
AU - Li, Yifan
AU - Yang, Gaoqiang
AU - Cullen, David
AU - Yu, Haoran
AU - Kang, Zhenye
AU - Wrubel, Jacob
AU - Ma, Zhiwen
AU - Bender, Guido
AU - Capuano, Christopher
AU - Keane, Alex
AU - Zhang, Feng-Yuan
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2021 Elsevier B.V.
PY - 2021/12/31
Y1 - 2021/12/31
N2 - 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. 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.
AB - 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. 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.
KW - Bubble removal
KW - Hydrogen energy
KW - PEM electrolyzer
KW - Porous transport layer
KW - Two-phase flow
KW - Visualization
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85117861997&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.jpowsour.2021.230641
DO - 10.1016/j.jpowsour.2021.230641
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85117861997
SN - 0378-7753
VL - 516
JO - Journal of Power Sources
JF - Journal of Power Sources
M1 - 230641
ER -
