Semester
Summer
Date of Graduation
2005
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Type
MS
College
Statler College of Engineering and Mineral Resources
Department
Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
Committee Chair
Ismail B. Celik.
Abstract
Fuel cell systems have garnered much attention recently as a possible source of clean, efficient energy. These systems are presently being designed in various arrangements to combine the use of fuel cells with other efficient power producing devices such as gas turbines, producing a system which is more efficient than either the fuel cell or gas turbine alone. The accurate modeling of these types of systems is an important contribution to the increasing development of such technologies. Of particular interest is the transient behavior of these systems, including the flow and thermal behavior of the air and fuel used. The contribution of this work is the development of a numerical, one-dimensional, variable-area duct model to predict the transient flow and thermal behavior of gasses moving through the system. Additional transient models for plenum, tee, and elbow components are created, and these parts are connected with the duct model to perform simulations of simple flow systems. Some thermal and flow characteristics of these systems are analyzed and discussed. As a verification of the models created, a portion of an actual fuel cell system is modeled and the results are compared with experimental data.
Recommended Citation
Shaffer, Christian Edward, "Flow system modeling with applications to fuel cell systems" (2005). Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports. 1645.
https://researchrepository.wvu.edu/etd/1645