Advancement of Segmented Cell Technology in Low Temperature Hydrogen Technologies
Indro Biswas,
Daniel G. Sánchez,
Mathias Schulze,
Jens Mitzel,
Benjamin Kimmel,
Aldo Saul Gago,
Pawel Gazdzicki,
K. Andreas Friedrich
Affiliations
Indro Biswas
Electrochemical Energy Technology, Institute of Engineering Thermodynamics, German Aerospace Center (DLR), Pfaffenwaldring 38-40, 70569 Stuttgart, Germany
Daniel G. Sánchez
Electrochemical Energy Technology, Institute of Engineering Thermodynamics, German Aerospace Center (DLR), Pfaffenwaldring 38-40, 70569 Stuttgart, Germany
Mathias Schulze
Electrochemical Energy Technology, Institute of Engineering Thermodynamics, German Aerospace Center (DLR), Pfaffenwaldring 38-40, 70569 Stuttgart, Germany
Jens Mitzel
Electrochemical Energy Technology, Institute of Engineering Thermodynamics, German Aerospace Center (DLR), Pfaffenwaldring 38-40, 70569 Stuttgart, Germany
Benjamin Kimmel
Electrochemical Energy Technology, Institute of Engineering Thermodynamics, German Aerospace Center (DLR), Pfaffenwaldring 38-40, 70569 Stuttgart, Germany
Aldo Saul Gago
Electrochemical Energy Technology, Institute of Engineering Thermodynamics, German Aerospace Center (DLR), Pfaffenwaldring 38-40, 70569 Stuttgart, Germany
Pawel Gazdzicki
Electrochemical Energy Technology, Institute of Engineering Thermodynamics, German Aerospace Center (DLR), Pfaffenwaldring 38-40, 70569 Stuttgart, Germany
K. Andreas Friedrich
Electrochemical Energy Technology, Institute of Engineering Thermodynamics, German Aerospace Center (DLR), Pfaffenwaldring 38-40, 70569 Stuttgart, Germany
The durability and performance of electrochemical energy converters, such as fuel cells and electrolysers, are not only dependent on the properties and the quality of the used materials. They strongly depend on the operational conditions. Variations in external parameters, such as flow, pressure, temperature and, obviously, load, can lead to significant local changes in current density, even local transients. Segmented cell technology was developed with the purpose to gain insight into the local operational conditions in electrochemical cells during operation. The operando measurement of the local current density and temperature distribution allows effective improvement of operation conditions, mitigation of potentially critical events and assessment of the performance of new materials. The segmented cell, which can replace a regular bipolar plate in the current state of the technology, can be used as a monitoring tool and for targeted developments. This article gives an overview of the development and applications of this technology, such as for water management or fault recognition. Recent advancements towards locally resolved monitoring of humidity and to current distributions in electrolysers are outlined.
