BRIGE: Understanding Mechanisms that Impact the Power Density of an Economical Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cell Stack

Georgia Tech Research Corporation, Atlanta GA

Investigators

Abstract

The research objective of this BRIGE award is to understand the permeability of gases through a non-traditional woven structure subjected to non-uniform porosity. This research will provide a fundamental understanding of the mechanisms required to develop a functional graduated material with controlled dimensionality, for use in renewable energy devices. A successful result of this investigation will be a methodology to develop functional materials with unique dimensionality, such that the resistance of a gas to flow may be controlled. Numerical modeling will be conducted to predict how the gases will flow through the graduated medium and to aid with defining the optimal design. Performance analysis will be conducted to evaluate the properties of the woven structure in a functional system. If successful, the results of this research will lead to a fundamental understanding of gas permeability through a controlled graduated woven structure with non-uniform porosity, which is not well understood. Nontraditional porous media for varying applications have emerged, and such an understanding may impact the design of these systems according to the resulting properties that are desired. The proposed work will contribute to this objective by studying the dimensionality of a woven carbon cloth, which is commonly used in polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs). This work will identify key parameters that influence the performance of such systems, leading to innovative stack designs that fundamentally challenge conventional fuel cell configurations and their effectiveness. Coordinated with the technical objective, the outreach goal of implementing a collaborative program coined ELECTRoDE (Educators Leading Energy Conservation and Training Researchers of Diverse Ethnicities) will be employed.