Unitized regenerative polymeric fuel cell modeling

Abstract

The research's objective is to have a single machine to function as fuel cell and electrolyser based and needs, that is to say, unitized regenerative fuel cell (when fed to the machine with electric power and water flows will be obtained and H2 and O2 and conversely when the machine is fuelled with H2 and O2 will get water, heat and electricity) The study focuses on polymeric fuel cells and polymeric electrolysers. The development of this machine will make a very significant cost reduction (currently to use hydrogen as an energy store needed the electrolyser and fuel cell) as a single machine may replace the fuel cell and electrolyser. The achievement of the objective mentioned above, have been going by completing a series of stages. The stages addressed in this work are:
¿ A first stage, which will be studied in detail the polymeric fuel cells and polymeric electrolysers, in order to see the similarities between the machines and to design the unitized regenerative fuel cell.
¿ A second stage of simulation, which will develop models to show the behaviour of the unitized regenerative fuel cell and compare results with those obtained from the theoretical.
¿ A third stage of model verification generated polymer fuel cells and electrolyzers polymer on the market.