The simulation of novel annular shape on the Performance in Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell

Abstract

In this article, one-phase and three dimensional computational fluid dynamics analysis was utilized to investigate the effect of annular field pattern of proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFC) with different geometry on the performances and species distribution. This computational fluid dynamics code is used for solving the equation in single domain namely the flow field, the mass conservation, the energy conservation, the species transport, and the electric/ionic fields under the assumptions of steady state and non-isothermal. The introduced cell consist of different novelties, such as the way in which reactant gases are supplied to the flow field, the design of the flow field geometry for both anode and cathode and the membrane electrode assembly design and the length and occupied volume decreases up to 40%. Obtained results showed that generation of fuel cells with annular shaped geometry with the same active area and inlet area gave intensively higher current density compared with conventional model. Oxygen, hydrogen and water mass fraction distributions, current density and temperature distribution has been studied. The main factors that affect the behavior of each of the curves are discussed comprehensively. Intorduced configuration allows for better flow distribution and uses of the maximum active area and diffusion from two side in each channels. Furthermore, the effect of changing the GDL thickness is presented in order to understand the effect of different parameters. Simulation results were compared with the experimental data and confirm the accuracy of model.