Experimental investigation of a thermocell with proton exchange membrane and hydrogen electrodes

The limited use of low temperature waste heat turns thermocells into attractive devices for micropower generation. In this work, a thermocell based on a proton exchange membrane with hydrogen electrodes was experimentally investigated. The dependence of the Open Circuit Voltage on the water vapor content in hydrogen as indicated by the humidifier temperature and on the applied temperature difference between anode and cathode were studied. A maximum OCV is reported at a humidifier temperature of 300 K, whereas the maximum power density of 45.3 mu W/cm(2) was obtained at a humidification temperature of 323 K. For the same case and a temperature difference of 35 K a Seebeck coefficient of 1.75 mV/K was obtained. The experimental values were then compared to a thermocell model, which has already been published, based on Non-Equilibrium Thermodynamics and classical coefficients from literature. (C) 2020 Hydrogen Energy Publications LLC. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.