Thermal design of a combined hydrogen and oxygen supply system for a fuel cell in low-oxygen environments

Abstract

In low-oxygen environments such as submarines or unmanned underwater vehicles, the utilization of metal hydride and hydrogen peroxide reformers has become prevalent for generating hydrogen and oxygen for fuel cell power systems. However, these systems necessitate additional thermal sources to function properly. This study presents a novel thermal management module designed to enhance the operational efficiency of fuel cell power systems in such environments. Our proposed thermal management module addresses the dual requirements of supplying heat to the metal hydride and dissipating heat from the high-temperature oxygen produced by the reformer. By strategically diverting the high-temperature wet oxygen outside the metal hydride container, heat is absorbed effectively. To accomplish this, an extensive parametric study was conducted, analyzing the phase-change heat transfer of wet oxygen, enabling us to design and manufacture a prototype of the thermal management module. The accuracy of our design was verified through experimental analysis, confirming the validity of our predictions regarding heat absorption by the metal hydride based on oxygen temperature. Notably, the implementation of our thermal management module resulted in a remarkable 2.6-fold increase in the average dehydrogenation rate of the metal hydride. In summary, this research demonstrates the excellent performance of the proposed thermal management module, offering substantial improvements to fuel cell power systems operating in low-oxygen environments.