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US 2020/0403249 A1Published application
Locally engineered pem cells components with optimized operation for improved durability
AssigneePolitecnico Di Milano
InventorsAndrea CASALEGNO, Claudio RABISSI, Laila GRAHL-MADSEN
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Abstract
A PEM fuel or electrolysis cell with an extended lifetime, improved performance and uniform and stable operation is disclosed wherein a membrane electrode assembly is provided with a gradient of one or more properties in combination with a modification of one or more control parameters of the cell during its operation.
Claims17
A PEM fuel or electrolysis cell comprising:
- at least a reactant supply circuit comprising:
- a reactant inlet and a reactant outlet, an oxidant supply circuit having an oxidant inlet and an oxidant outlet, a cooling circuit comprising a coolant inlet and a coolant outlet and a membrane electrode assembly, said membrane electrode assembly comprising an electrolyte membrane coated with an anode side and a cathode side catalyst layer, and anode side and cathode side gas diffusion layer each coating the respective catalyst layer, wherein said membrane electrode assembly comprises:
- a gradient of at least one property of at least a component thereof, and
- a tuner modifying at least one control parameter of the cell during operation of the cell.
1 more element
A method of optimization of a PEM fuel or electrolysis cell, wherein it comprises following steps:
- characterization of current density distribution and local electrochemical impedance analysis of the cell to be optimized accordingly to the invention, performed during reference condition operation, over a testing period long enough to appreciate the degradation mechanisms hindering local performance and identifying the most limited areas of the cell;
- characterization of current density distribution and local electrochemical impedance analysis of the cell to be optimized accordingly to the invention, performed during steady state analysis varying a selection of the most influencing operation control parameters, in order to evaluate the influence of such variations on local operation;
- development of improved components having gradients in properties, basing the development on the former investigations, developing altogether a draft operating strategy for the optimized component, said development being based on modelling of the improvements to simulate their impact on local performance, optimizing local material properties and operating conditions;
- and
- characterization of current density distribution and local electrochemical impedance analysis of the cell including the optimized components with properties gradient and definition of the corresponding optimized operating protocol aiming to the maximum uniformity in current density distribution over the cell active area during cell operation.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.