Atul Verma

Research Project

Investigations on Dynamics of Fuel Cells and Fuel Cell Hybrid Systems

PEFCs (Polymer Electrolyte Fuel Cells) have gained much attention in recent years for mobile applications due to dramatic reduction in the catalyst loading and development of perfluorosulfonic acid membranes. Performance of PEFC is critical to membrane hydration as is effects the transport of hydrogen ions across membrane to the reacting site. Water management in PEFC technology is critical for enhanced performance as low humidity operation and electro-osmotic drag may cause membrane dryout whereas high excess water may lead to flooding of the reaction sites inhibiting the reactant gases from reaching the catalyst. For use in automotive applications where the load is varying it is important to map dynamic response and the time scales associated. Focus is to develop transient multi-scale continuum models to predict the PEFC dynamic behavior subject to change in control parameters.

Publications

1. A. Verma and R. Pitchumani, “Transient Response of Polymer Electrolyte Fuel Cell to Variations in Operating Parameters,” Paper No. ES-FuelCell 2013-18210, 11th Fuel Cell Science, Engineering and Technology Conference, July 14—19, 2013, Minneapolis, MN.
2. A. Verma and R. Pitchumani, “Effect of Membrane Properties on the Dynamic Behavior of Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cells,” Paper No. ES-FuelCell 2013-18209, 11th Fuel Cell Science, Engineering and Technology Conference, July 14—19, 2013, Minneapolis, MN.
3. A. Verma and R. Pitchumani, “Investigation of Mechanical Behavior of Membrane in Polymer Electrolyte Fuel Cells Subject to Dynamic Changes in Load,” Paper No. ES-FuelCell 2013-18197, 11th Fuel Cell Science, Engineering and Technology Conference, July 14—19, 2013, Minneapolis, MN.
4. A. Verma and R. Pitchumani, “Investigation of Mechanical Behavior of Membrane in Polymer Electrolyte Fuel Cells Subject to Dynamic Load Changes," ASME Journal of Fuel Cell Science and Technology, 11(3), 031009, 9 pp., 2014.
5. A. Verma and R. Pitchumani, “Influence of Membrane Properties on the Transient Behavior of Polymer Electrolyte Fuel Cells,” Journal of Power Sources, 268, 733–743, 2014.
6. A. Verma and R. Pitchumani, “Effects of Operating Parameters on the Transient Response of Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel cells Subject to Load Change,” International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, In Press, 2014.
7. A. Verma and R. Pitchumani, “Analysis and Optimization of Transient Response of Polymer Electrolyte Fuel Cells," Journal of Fuel Cell Science and Technology, In Press, 2014.