Modeling of  Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells


Fuel cells are continuous batteries that run on hydrogen or conventional hydrocarbons. They produce electricity more efficiently and quietly than conventional fossil fuel burners and have high power densities (in units of W/cm3). For improved design and control of fuel cells,  better understanding is necessary of  fuel cell systems and components by means of experimentally-validated accurate models of the transport phenomena, structural and thermal behavior of fuel cells. We have two and three dimensional transient and steady-state models of PEM fuel cells.


Hydrogen mass fraction in anode channels and gas diffusion layersOxygen mass fraction in cathode channel and gas diffusion layer

Hydrogen (left) and Oxygen (right) mass fractions in anode (left) and cathode (right) flow channels and gas diffusion layers obtained by 3D modeling of a U-section of PEM fuel cell by COMSOL.

Projects:

  • Sabanci University Internal Grant: IACF04-00221 (June 0-June05)
  • TUBITAK 104M136. (June 05-June 08)


Publications

  1. Yesilyurt, S. "Simulations of transient response for a 3D PEM ful cell piece that contains a U-section of serpentine fuel channels", submitted to IMECE2007. (pdf
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  2. Serincan M.F. Yesilyurt, S., “Transient analysis of Proton Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cells (PEMFC) at Startup and Failure”, Fuel Cells, 7(2), 118-127, 2007.
  3. Serincan M.F., Yesilyurt S., “Modeling Transients of a Proton Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cell (PEMFC),” Proceedings International Hydrogen Energy Congress and Exhibition IHEC 2005 , Istanbul, Turkey, 13-15 July 2005.
  4. Serincan M.F., Yesilyurt S., “Modeling Transient Water Transport in a Proton Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cells (PEMFC) with Interdigitated Flow Fields,” Proceedings International Hydrogen Energy Congress and Exhibition IHEC 2005 , Istanbul, Turkey, 13-15 July 2005.
  5. Serincan M.F., Yesilyurt S.,”An Analysis of a Proton Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cell (PEMFC) at Start-ups and Failures” Lucerne Fuel Cell Forum 2005, 4-8 July 2005.

 

Design and Demonstration of Propulsion Mechanisms for Autonomous Microswimmers


Projects:


Open positions: 2 (MS/PhD) students

Microscopic devices that can be used in diagnostic tasks and minimally invasive surgical applications are the subject of an extremely popular research and development activities which attract attention from researchers, policy makers, investors and the public. The success of these devices relies on a multidisciplinary approach that must bring together biology, mechanics, electronics and materials research.

We aim to design and demonstrate a biologically-inspired propulsion mechanism that uses a traveling planar-wave actuator, which does not cause excessive waste, heat, and mechanical stress within the human body.  We  have  two and three dimensional models of  micropumps that use traveling-plane waves as a pumping mechanism, and three-dimensional transient model of an autonomous swimmer that propels itself with the traveling-plane waves on its tail.


3D swimming capsule and the pressure distribution in the flow at the symmetry plane (grid-plot)Flow field created by a traveling-plane wave actuator in a 3D rectangular channel.

3D swimming capsule and the pressure field created near the tail (left); pressure (color shade) and flow field (velocity arrows) created by traveling-plane waves on a thin-film strip in a 3D rectangular channel (right).

 

Publications

  1. A.F. Tabak, S. Yesilyurt, "Numerical Analysis of a planar wave propagatıon based mıcro propulsıon system",  submitted to IMECE2007.(pdf)
  2. A.F. Tabak, S. Yesilyurt, “Simulation-based analysis of flow due to traveling-plane-wave deformations on elastic thin-film actuators in micropumps”, Microfluidcs and Nanofluidics (accepted).
  3. A.F. Tabak, S. Yesilyurt, "Numerical Analysis of the 3D Flow Induced by Propagationon of Plane-Wave Deformations on Thin MembraneS Inside Microchannels", Proceedings of the 5th International Conference on Nanochannels, Microchannels & Minichannels, ICNMM2007, Puebla, Mexico, June 18-20, 2007.

 

  1. A.F. Tabak, S. Yesilyurt, “Numerical simulations and analysis of a micropump actuated by traveling plane waves” SPIE-Photonics West, MOEMS-MEMS, San Jose, 20-25 Jan. 2007.
  2. A.F. Tabak, S. Yesilyurt, “Numerical Simulations of a Traveling Plane-Wave Actuator for Microfluidic Applications, Proceedings of the COMSOL Users Conference, Boston, October 22-24, 2006, ed. Jeri’Ann Hiller, ISBN 0-9766792-2-1.