Numerical Study Of High Temperature Proton Exchange Membrane(HT-PEM) Fuel Cell

In this study three-dimensional models of high temperature polymer electrolyte membrane(HTPEM)fuel cell with a single and serpentine flow channels were modeled and simulated using the commercially available finite volume software.COMSOL Multiphysics and Fluent software were used.The simulation included the conservation equations of mass,momentum,species,charge,and energy,which were solved in their respective subdomains,most boundary conditions and material parameters were based on the latest publications in the field and from data sheets.After meshing the model geometry and solving the model with a dedicated solution procedure,the simulation results were shown the polarization curve for selected voltage which compared to the experimental data,and it showed a good agreement.The computational fluid dynamic(CFD)results supported the observed trends in terms of fluid-flow distribution,reactants(hydrogen and oxygen)concentrations and water production on the anode and cathode sides were presented and discussed.Also the effect of the operating temperature,operating pressure,electrode porosity and GDL permeation rate,in the performance of the HTPEM fuel cell were explained.In addition,the temperature distribution was recorded,evaluated,and discussed for different load operating conditions,the highest temperature was observed in the area of the highest current density,which was typically close to the membrane.This work helps to provide a better understanding of the internal behavior of HTPEM fuel cell.For large fuel cells and complete fuel cell stacks,in particular,well-designed anode and cathode inlet and outlet sections are expected to aid in achieving better quantities distributions and in preventing hot spots over the membrane electrode assembly area.