Type of Document	Thesis
Author	Badaru, Akintunde Adeoye
Author's Email Address	aab07e@fsu.edu
URN	etd-01272010-133631
Title	Flooding Mitigation in a Microjet Based PEM Fuel Cell
Degree	Master of Science
Department	Mechanical Engineering, Department of
Advisory Committee	Advisor Name Title Anjaneyulu Krothapalli Committee Chair Brenton Greska Committee Member Juan Ordonez Committee Member William Oates Committee Member
Keywords	Fuel cell Proton Exchange Membrane Flooding Mitigation Microjet Water management Impedance Spectroscopy Stacking
Date of Defense	2010-01-14
Availability	unrestricted
Abstract An earlier work on reactant delivery in a Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell using supersonic microjet impingement showed enhanced distribution of reactant and active cooling effect during operation. By comparative analysis with a commercial single cell unit, the microjet fuel cell offered significant cooling effect without sacrificing performance. Nonetheless, the microjet fuel cell was limited by its water management ability as it was susceptible to flooding and consequent degradation in performance. By using a combination of independent microjets and serpentine flow channels, flooding of the fuel cell was significantly reduced. Electrode Impedance Spectroscopy, a non invasive and in-situ method, was utilized as a diagnostic tool to detect the onset of flooding as well as provide a qualitative assessment on the extent of flooding within the fuel cell. Polarization and Impedance spectroscopy measurements are used to characterize the performance of the fuel cell. To obtain useful power for most domestic applications, unit cells are stacked together. A prototype two-cell microjet based fuel cell has been designed and built. As the conventional bipolar configuration cannot be used in a microjet based fuel cell, connection between the cells is achieved externally. The characterization is done for different flow rates and relative humidity and temperature
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