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Overview of porous media/metal foam application in fuel cells and solar power systems
journal contribution
posted on 2018-09-24, 15:17 authored by Weng C. Tan, Lip H. Saw, Hui S. Thiam, Jin Xuan, Zuansi Cai, Ming C. YewFuel cells and solar energy are promising candidates for electricity generation. It is forecast that fuel cells and solar power systems will play an important role in reducing the greenhouse gas footprint and replacing fossil fuels. Therefore, the limitations of fuel cells and solar power systems, such as low efficiency, high cost, and low reliability, must be addressed appropriately to enable their full potentials. Metal foam is a new class of material that has gained immense attention due to its excellent properties suitable for a wide range of applications. Its unique characteristics distinguish it from typical solid metals. The properties of metal foam can be modified during the fabrication stage by manipulating its physical structure. The goal of this paper is to review the application of metal foam in fuel cells and solar power systems. Besides, the performance of metal foam in fuel cells and solar systems is also discussed. Metal foam has been applied to the electrodes, gas diffusion layer and flow field of fuel cells to enhance performance, especially in regard to current density and flow distribution. Furthermore, metal foam is a heat exchanger for the solar energy harvesting system to improve its efficiency. Superior performances in experimental testing allows the possibility of commercialization of metal foam products in the renewable energy field.
Funding
This work is supported by UTARRF Grant No. IPSR/RMC/UTARRF/2016-C1/T8 and Science fund Grant No. 03-02-11-SF0216 from the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation, Malaysia.
History
School
- Aeronautical, Automotive, Chemical and Materials Engineering
Department
- Chemical Engineering
Published in
Renewable and Sustainable Energy ReviewsVolume
96Pages
181 - 197Citation
TAN, W.C. ... et al, 2018. Overview of porous media/metal foam application in fuel cells and solar power systems. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 96, pp.181-197.Publisher
© ElsevierVersion
- AM (Accepted Manuscript)
Publisher statement
This paper was accepted for publication in the journal Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews and the definitive published version is available at https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2018.07.032Acceptance date
2018-07-20Publication date
2018-08-07ISSN
1364-0321Publisher version
Language
- en