Design, Fabrication and Prototype testing of a Chip Integrated Micro PEM Fuel Cell Accumulator combined On-Board Range Extender

14th International Conference on Micro and Nanotechnology for Power Generation and Energy Conversion Applications

物理学;能源学

Balakrishnan, A.^1 ; Mueller, C.^1 ; Reinecke, H.^1

Laboratory for Process Technology, IMTEK-Department of Microsystem Engineering, University of Freiburg, Georges-Koehler-Allee 103, Freiburg

79110, Germany^1

关键词: Catalytic hydrolysis;    Gas liquid separator;    Gas-liquid phase separation;    High-temperature annealing;    Micromilling process;    Palladium (Pd) membranes;    PEM fuel cell system;    Traditional techniques;   

Others  :  https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1742-6596/557/1/012049/pdf
DOI  :  10.1088/1742-6596/557/1/012049

来源: IOP

【 摘 要 】

In this work we present the design, fabrication and prototype testing of Chip Integrated Micro PEM Fuel Cell Accumulator (CIμ-PFCA) combined On-Board Range Extender (O-BRE). CIμ-PFCA is silicon based micro-PEM fuel cell system with an integrated hydrogen storage feature (palladium metal hydride), the run time of CIμ-PFCA is dependent on the stored hydrogen, and in order to extend its run time an O-BRE is realized (catalytic hydrolysis of chemical hydride, NaBH4. Combining the CIμ-PFCA and O-BRE on a system level have few important design requirements to be considered; hydrogen regulation, gas -liquid separator between the CIμ-PFCA and the O-RE. The usage of traditional techniques to regulate hydrogen (tubes), gas-liquid phase membranes (porous membrane separators) are less desirable in the micro domain, due to its space constraint. Our approach is to use a passive hydrogen regulation and gas-liquid phase separation concept; to use palladium membrane. Palladium regulates hydrogen by concentration diffusion, and its property to selectively adsorb only hydrogen is used as a passive gas-liquid phase separator. Proof of concept is shown by realizing a prototype system. The system is an assembly of CIμ-PFCA, palladium membrane and the O-BRE. The CIμ-PFCA consist of 2 individually processed silicon chips, copper supported palladium membrane realized by electroplating followed by high temperature annealing process under inter atmosphere and the O-BRE is realized out of a polymer substrate by micromilling process with platinum coated structures, which functions as a catalyst for the hydrolysis of NaBH4. The functionality of the assembled prototype system is demonstrated by the measuring a unit cell (area 1 mm2) when driven by the catalytic hydrolysis of chemical hydride (NaBH4and the prototype system shows run time more than 15 hours.