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Abstract
A non-isothermal, two-dimensional, two-phase fuel cell agglomerate model is used, and studies are done on how platinum loading and catalyst layer thickness affect heat transfer in fuel cells. Results indicate that as the cathode platinum content and catalyst layer (CL) thickness rise, the electrical property is improved. The maximum power density corresponding to the platinum loading of 0.40 mg/cm2 increases by 8.92% compared with 0.20 mg/cm2, and the maximum power density corresponding to the CL thickness of 17.5 µm increases by 4.63% compared with 10.0 µm. Temperature variation trends in CLs from entry to exit and inside the cell along the thickness direction do not change. Furthermore, with the CL thickness as well as platinum content increasing, the temperature increment inside cathode gas diffusion layer as well as CL is more obvious, and temperature distribution uniformity within the cell deteriorates. The impact of platinum loading on the temperature in the cell is more obvious than that of CL thickness. In the selection about platinum content and thickness of CL, temperature distribution uniformity and electrical property should be weighed.
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Yitong Li
Yitong Li is a Ph.D. student at Beijing University of Technology, China. She received her M.S. in Power Engineering and Engineering Thermophysics in 2022 from Beijing University of Technology, where she investigated the performance enhancement of proton exchange membrane fuel cells.
Hang Guo
Hang Guo is a Professor at Beijing University of Technology, Beijing, China. He received his Ph.D. in 2003 from Xi’an Jiaotong University. His main research interests are clean energy applications and advanced power technology, including hydrogen and fuel cells.
Fang Ye
Fang Ye is an Associate Professor at Beijing University of Technology, China. She received her Ph.D. (2008) from Beijing University of Technology, China. Her research areas include heat and mass transfer, two-phase flow, boiling, proton exchange membrane fuel cell, direct methanol fuel cell, energy storage and conversion.
Hao Chen
Hao Chen received the Ph.D. degree at Beijing University of Technology in 2019. He researched the thermal fluid issues of proton exchange membrane fuel cells for more than 10 years. He presides over a project of national natural science foundation of China (Youth Scientific Fund).