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Development of a semi–empirical reaction kinetic model for PEM fuel cells

In the drive to more sustainable energy production, polymer electrolyte fuel cells (PEFC) have been at the pinnacle of global research. One of the major drawbacks of PEFCs is therequirement for expensive noble metal catalysts (platinum and ruthenium). Furthermore 75% of the overpotential losses at t...

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Main Author: Fortuin, Adrian Charles
Other Authors: Conrad, Olaf
Format: Thesis
Language:English
Published: Department of Chemical Engineering 2014
Subjects:
Chemical Engineering
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access_status_str Open Access
author Fortuin, Adrian Charles
author2 Conrad, Olaf
author_browse Conrad, Olaf
Fortuin, Adrian Charles
author_facet Conrad, Olaf
Fortuin, Adrian Charles
author_sort Fortuin, Adrian Charles
collection Thesis
description In the drive to more sustainable energy production, polymer electrolyte fuel cells (PEFC) have been at the pinnacle of global research. One of the major drawbacks of PEFCs is therequirement for expensive noble metal catalysts (platinum and ruthenium). Furthermore 75% of the overpotential losses at the cathode are due to the activation of the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). To reduce the platinum content requirements and understand the cause of the large overpotential of the ORR, a fundamental understanding of the reaction mechanism and the manner in which it proceeds under different operatingconditions is required. Presently, there still remains a large debate in literature around the mechanism followed by the ORR.This study developed a kinetic model from conventional kinetic isotherms and it is proposed that an associative adsorption mechanism occurs at a low overpotential resulting in the dissociation of the hydroperoxyl species determining the rate of the ORR at the cathode of the PEFC. In order to explain the above phenomena a kinetic model was developed, based on the Eley-Rideal mechanism. Furthermore, experiments were conducted at different oxygen partial pressures and low potentials whereby the associative mechanism is believed to dominate. Under these conditions linear sweep voltammograms were recorded. Regression of the derived kinetic model, by using the values for oxygen partial pressure, applied overpotential and kinetic current allowed for the determination of the kinetic constant of a polycrystalline platinum catalyst for ORR.
format Thesis
id oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/5334
institution University of Cape Town (South Africa)
language eng
last_indexed 2026-06-10T12:43:26.589Z
license_str Not specified — see source repository
provenance_str_mv Harvested via OAI-PMH from UCTD — University of Cape Town Open Access Repository
publishDate 2014
publishDateRange 2014
publishDateSort 2014
publisher Department of Chemical Engineering
publisherStr Department of Chemical Engineering
record_format dspace
source_str UCTD — University of Cape Town Open Access Repository
spelling oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/5334 Development of a semi–empirical reaction kinetic model for PEM fuel cells Fortuin, Adrian Charles Conrad, Olaf Levecque, Pieter B J Chemical Engineering In the drive to more sustainable energy production, polymer electrolyte fuel cells (PEFC) have been at the pinnacle of global research. One of the major drawbacks of PEFCs is therequirement for expensive noble metal catalysts (platinum and ruthenium). Furthermore 75% of the overpotential losses at the cathode are due to the activation of the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). To reduce the platinum content requirements and understand the cause of the large overpotential of the ORR, a fundamental understanding of the reaction mechanism and the manner in which it proceeds under different operatingconditions is required. Presently, there still remains a large debate in literature around the mechanism followed by the ORR.This study developed a kinetic model from conventional kinetic isotherms and it is proposed that an associative adsorption mechanism occurs at a low overpotential resulting in the dissociation of the hydroperoxyl species determining the rate of the ORR at the cathode of the PEFC. In order to explain the above phenomena a kinetic model was developed, based on the Eley-Rideal mechanism. Furthermore, experiments were conducted at different oxygen partial pressures and low potentials whereby the associative mechanism is believed to dominate. Under these conditions linear sweep voltammograms were recorded. Regression of the derived kinetic model, by using the values for oxygen partial pressure, applied overpotential and kinetic current allowed for the determination of the kinetic constant of a polycrystalline platinum catalyst for ORR. 2014-07-31T11:12:07Z 2014-07-31T11:12:07Z 2013 Master Thesis Masters MSc(Eng) Chem http://hdl.handle.net/11427/5334 eng application/pdf Department of Chemical Engineering Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment University of Cape Town
spellingShingle Chemical Engineering
Fortuin, Adrian Charles
Development of a semi–empirical reaction kinetic model for PEM fuel cells
thesis_degree_str Master's
title Development of a semi–empirical reaction kinetic model for PEM fuel cells
title_full Development of a semi–empirical reaction kinetic model for PEM fuel cells
title_fullStr Development of a semi–empirical reaction kinetic model for PEM fuel cells
title_full_unstemmed Development of a semi–empirical reaction kinetic model for PEM fuel cells
title_short Development of a semi–empirical reaction kinetic model for PEM fuel cells
title_sort development of a semi empirical reaction kinetic model for pem fuel cells
topic Chemical Engineering
url http://hdl.handle.net/11427/5334
work_keys_str_mv AT fortuinadriancharles developmentofasemiempiricalreactionkineticmodelforpemfuelcells

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