FLOODED FLOW FUEL-CELLS - A DIFFERENT APPROACH TO FUEL-CELL DESIGN

Flooded flow fuel cells provide a different approach to fuel cell desi gn where gas phases are eliminated from the fuel cell structure by sat urating the electrolyte with the reactant gases in separate vessels. T he reactants are delivered to the electrode surface by passing the sat urated liquid electrolyte across the electrode structure. This concept offers operational advantages over conventional porous-gas-diffusion electrodes, particularly for mobile applications where resistance to s hock and vibration is desirable. The technical feasibility of the conc ept was evaluated by designing, constructing and operating an alkaline (KOH), H-2-O-2 fuel cell with hooded flow electrodes. Future work is focused on addressing important scale-up issues to increase current de nsities to commercially acceptable levels.