INCREASING EFFICIENCY BY INTEGRATING THERMOLECTRIC MATERIALS INTO FUEL CELL

MURAT AVCI¹ , Adem YILMAZ²

PEM (Polymer Membrane Fuel Cell) is a technology that emits electricity from the chemical reaction of hydrogen and oxygen gases. The material is also capable of generating electricity due to the temperature difference applied to both surfaces. In this study, it is aimed to establish a mechanism to evaluate the waste heat produced by the fuel cell by using peltier. The fuel cell is designed to facilitate heat transfer to the Thermoelectric Coolant. One side of the Thermoelectric Coolant was mounted on the heat exit surface of the fuel cell and a fan was used to remove heat from the other surface. As a result of the experiments, it was seen that the most efficient working range of PEM fuel cell was limited to 70-80oC, thus the surface temperature difference required for the efficient operation of the peltier was not fully formed. However, it has been determined that the energy obtained from the PEM fuel cell can be increased by 10% in these conditions.

Keywords
Thermoelectric Coolant, Fuel Cell, Cooling Fan, Polymer Electrolyte Membrane, Peltier,