| 1. |
- Birgersson, Erik, et al.
(författare)
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A quantitative study of the effect of flow-distributor geometry in the cathode of a PEM fuel cell
- 2006
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Ingår i: Journal of Power Sources. - : Elsevier BV. - 0378-7753 .- 1873-2755. ; 153:1, s. 76-88
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- An isothermal three-dimensional model describing mass, momentum and species transfer in the cathode of a proton exchange membrane fuel cell has been used to study four different flow-distributors: interdigitated, coflow and counterflow channels, and a foam. A quantitative comparison of the results shows; that the interdigitated channels can sustain the highest current densities, followed in descending order by the foam, the counterflow and the coflow channels. The foam yields the most uniform current density distribution at higher currents, but care should be taken as to its permeability to avoid unreasonably high-pressure drops.
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| 2. |
- Birgersson, Erik, et al.
(författare)
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Analysis of a two-phase non-isothermal model for a PEFC
- 2005
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Ingår i: Journal of the Electrochemical Society. - : The Electrochemical Society. - 0013-4651 .- 1945-7111. ; 152:5, s. A1021-A1034
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- A non-isothermal, two-phase model for a polymer electrolyte fuel cell (PEFC) is presented, analyzed, and solved numerically under three different thermal, and two hydrodynamic, modeling assumptions; the consequences of these are then discussed in terms of thermal and water management and cell performance. The study is motivated by recent experimental results that suggest the presence of previously unreported, and thus unmodeled, thermal contact resistances between the components of PEFCs and the discrepancy in the value for the capillary pressure that is used by different authors when modeling the two-phase flow in PEFCs. For the three different thermal assumptions (assuming effective heat conductivities, isothermal flow, and interfacial and bulk conductivites), liquid saturations of around 10% are obtained at the cathode active layer for 1000 mA cm(-2) and a cell voltage of 0.6 V. When lowering the capillary pressure (hydrodynamic assumption), liquid saturations of almost 30% and locally up to 100% are observed at the active layer of the cathode. At this current density and voltage, temperature differences across the cell of around 9 degrees C are predicted. In addition, the effect of varying clamping pressure within the framework of the model is touched upon. The benefits of the scaling analysis conducted here, to predict correctly, prior to numerical computations, important characteristic cell performance quantities such as current density and temperature drop are also highlighted.
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| 3. |
- Birgersson, Erik, 1972-
(författare)
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Mathematical Modeling of Transport Phenomena in Polymer Electrolyte and Direct Methanol Fuel Cells
- 2004
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- This thesis deals with modeling of two types of fuel cells:the polymer electrolyte fuel cell (PEFC) and the directmethanol fuel cell (DMFC), for which we address four majorissues: a) mass transport limitations; b) water management(PEFC); c) gas management (DMFC); d) thermal management. Four models have been derived and studied for the PEFC,focusing on the cathode. The first exploits the slenderness ofthe cathode for a two-dimensional geometry, leading to areduced model, where several nondimensional parameters capturethe behavior of the cathode. The model was extended to threedimensions, where four di.erent flow distributors were studiedfor the cathode. A quantitative comparison shows that theinterdigitated channels can sustain the highest currentdensities. These two models, comprising isothermal gasphaseflow, limit the studies to (a). Returning to a two-dimensionalgeometry of the PEFC, the liquid phase was introduced via aseparate flow model approach for the cathode. In addition toconservation of mass, momentum and species, the model wasextended to consider simultaneous charge and heat transfer forthe whole cell. Di.erent thermal, flow fields, and hydrodynamicconditions were studied, addressing (a), (b) and (d). A scaleanalysis allowed for predictions of the cell performance priorto any computations. Good agreement between experiments with asegmented cell and the model was obtained. A liquid-phase model, comprising conservation of mass,momentum and species, was derived and analyzed for the anode ofthe DMFC. The impact of hydrodynamic, electrochemical andgeometrical features on the fuel cell performance were studied,mainly focusing on (a). The slenderness of the anode allows theuse of a narrow-gap approximation, leading to a reduced model,with benefits such as reduced computational cost andunderstanding of the physical trends prior to any numericalcomputations. Adding the gas-phase via a multiphase mixtureapproach, the gas management (c) could also be studied.Experiments with a cell, equipped with a transparent end plate,allowed for visualization of the flow in the anode, as well asvalidation of the two-phase model. Good agreement betweenexperiments and the model was achieved. Keywords:Fuel cell; DMFC; PEFC; one-phase; two-phase;model; visual cell; segmented cell; scale analysis; asymptoticanalysis.
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| 4. |
- Birgersson, Erik, et al.
(författare)
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Reduced two-phase model for analysis of the anode of a DMFC
- 2004
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Ingår i: Journal of the Electrochemical Society. - : The Electrochemical Society. - 0013-4651 .- 1945-7111. ; 151:12, s. A2157-A2172
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- An isothermal two-phase ternary mixture model that takes into account conservation of momentum, mass, and species in the anode of a direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC) is presented and analyzed. The slenderness of the anode allows a considerable reduction of the mathematical formulation, without sacrificing the essential physics. The reduced model is then verified and validated against data obtained from an experimental DMFC outfitted with a transparent end plate. Good agreement is achieved. The effect of mass-transfer resistances in the flow field and porous backing are highlighted. The presence of a gas phase is shown to improve the mass transfer of methanol at higher temperatures (>30 degreesC). It is also found that at a temperature of around 30 degreesC, a one-phase model predicts the same current density distribution as a more sophisticated two-phase model. Analysis of the results from the two-phase model, in combination with the experiments, results in a suggestion for an optimal flow field for the liquid-fed DMFC.
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| 5. |
- Birgersson, Tobias, 1973, et al.
(författare)
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LOD 20 ÅR : Cinnober 1-5
- 2019
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Ingår i: VIDA MUSEUM & KONSTHALL, BORGHOLM, SWEDEN.
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Konstnärligt arbete (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Gallery LOD 20 Years Exhibition at VIDA MUSEUM&ARTHALL Borgholm, Sweden. Gallery LOD’s anniversary exhibition included a timeline of work from twenty years ago leading up to current work created by LODs’ seven makers. Tobias Birgersson’s contribution to the exhibition was curation of the group exhibition and a new collaboratorive series with Gilding master Wolfgang Bremer “Cinnober 1-5”, first shown at the VIDA exhibition.
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| 6. |
- Boddum, Tina, et al.
(författare)
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Host Attraction and Selection in the Swede Midge (Contarinia nasturtii)
- 2018
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Ingår i: Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution. - : Frontiers Media SA. - 2296-701X. ; 6
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Gall midges (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae) are a speciose family that, as adults, are short lived (lasting only a few days), they use olfactory cues for host and mate localization, and their host plant specificity is a key characteristic of the family. These traits make them good models with which to study the role of olfaction in speciation. The overall objective of this study was to analyze the host selection behavior of the gall midge, Contarinia nasturtii, a crucifer specialist that also is a crucifer pest. Here, we demonstrate that the host specificity of gravid C. nasturtii females was initiated by the olfactory-driven host plant choice during oviposition. Olfactory preference of the female, while narrow, encompassed more plants than were accepted for egg-laying, indicating that other factors following the initial olfactory attraction are involved in ultimate host choice. Similarly, C. nasturtii showed flexibility in host plant choice depending on which plants were available for oviposition. Larvae developed on host plants selected by females for oviposition. This slightly broader range of olfactory preference over acceptance, and the flexibility in host choice, might be the basis for the rapid speciation reported in the gall midge family. Furthermore, we assessed whether ubiquitous and/or family-specific plant odors are involved in the attraction of gravid C. nasturtii to their hosts. For that, we used the crucifer Arabidopsis thaliana, which has a broad range of defined ecotypes and large number of mutants. The attraction of C. nasturtii to two A. thaliana-types were tested; one that does not produce the ubiquitous green leaf volatiles (Columbia, Col-0), and a knock-out mutant which does not produce the crucifer-specific glucosinolates. Surprisingly, C. nasturtii was attracted to both types, indicating that neither of these compounds, nor their breakdown products (e.g., isothiocyanates), are essential for C. nasturtii host attraction.
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| 7. |
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| 8. |
- Lebreton, Sebastien, et al.
(författare)
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A Drosophila female pheromone elicits species-specific long-range attraction via an olfactory channel with dual specificity for sex and food
- 2017
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Ingår i: BMC Biology. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1741-7007. ; 15:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: Mate finding and recognition in animals evolves during niche adaptation and involves social signals and habitat cues. Drosophila melanogaster and related species are known to be attracted to fermenting fruit for feeding and egg-laying, which poses the question of whether species-specific fly odours contribute to long-range premating communication. Results: We have discovered an olfactory channel in D. melanogaster with a dual affinity to sex and food odorants. Female flies release a pheromone, (Z)-4-undecenal (Z4-11Al), that elicits flight attraction in both sexes. Its biosynthetic precursor is the cuticular hydrocarbon (Z,Z)-7,11-heptacosadiene (7,11-HD), which is known to afford reproductive isolation between the sibling species D. melanogaster and D. simulans during courtship. Twin olfactory receptors, Or69aB and Or69aA, are tuned to Z4-11Al and food odorants, respectively. They are co-expressed in the same olfactory sensory neurons, and feed into a neural circuit mediating species-specific, long-range communication; however, the close relative D. simulans, which shares food resources with D. melanogaster, does not respond to Z4-11Al. Conclusion: The Or69aA and Or69aB isoforms have adopted dual olfactory traits. The underlying gene yields a collaboration between natural and sexual selection, which has the potential to drive speciation.
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| 9. |
- Luna, Fabio, et al.
(författare)
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Diffusion equation applied to isothermal drying of a multicomponent liquid film
- 2005
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Ingår i: Drying Technology. - : Informa UK Limited. - 0737-3937 .- 1532-2300. ; 23:11-sep, s. 1953-1975
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Liquid-side-controlled drying by convection of a multicomponent liquid film is studied. Interactive diffusion in liquid phase is considered the main mechanism for mass transfer. Assuming an isothermal drying process and a constant matrix of multicomponent diffusion coefficients, an analytical solution of the diffusion equation is developed. The equations are decoupled by a similarity transformation and solved by the method of variable separation. The solution is applied to the drying of ternary mixtures, one of them containing a component of negligible volatility. The variation of diffusion coefficients along the process trajectory was taken into account by a piecewise application of the solution in time intervals with averaged coefficients from previous time steps. Despite the simplifications made, the analytical solution gives a god insight into the selectivity of the drying process and is computationally fast. The limitations of the analytical solution and the prospect of applying the solution to the description of a nonisothermal process are discussed. It would introduce an important computational economy since the rigorous treatment of multicomponent drying leads to partial differential equations with variable coefficients, which can only be solved by time-consuming iterative procedures.
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| 10. |
- Noponen, Matti, et al.
(författare)
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A two-phase non-isothermal PEFC model : Theory and validation
- 2004
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Ingår i: Fuel Cells. - : Wiley. - 1615-6846 .- 1615-6854. ; 4:4, s. 365-377
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- A two-dimensional, non-isothermal, two-phase model of a polymer electrolyte fuel cell (PEFC) is presented. The model is developed for conditions where variations in the stream-wise direction are negligible. In addition, experiments were conducted with a segmented cell comprised of net flow fields. The, experimentally obtained, current distributions were used to validate the PEFC model developed. The PEFC model includes species transport and the phase change of water, coupled with conservation of momentum and mass, in the porous backing of the cathode, and conservation of charge and heat throughout the fuel cell. The current density in the active layer at the cathode is modelled with an agglomerate model, and the contact resistance for heat transfer over the material boundaries is taken into account. Good agreement was obtained between the modelled and experimental polarization curves. A temperature difference of 6°C between the bipolar plate and active layer on the cathode, and a liquid saturation of 6% at the active layer in the cathode were observed at 1 A cm-2.
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