PEM fuel cell geometry optimisation using mathematical modeling

Abstract

There have been extensive efforts devoted to proton exchangemembrane (PEM) fuel cell modeling and simulations to study fuel cellperformance. Although fuel cells have been successfully demonstrated inboth automotive and stationary power applications, there are numeroustechnical and logistic issues that still have to be solved, such asperformance, cost, and system issues. A model based on steady,isothermal, electrochemical, three-dimensional computational fluiddynamics using the FLUENT CFD software package has been developedto predict the fluid flow pattern within a PEMFC. Three types of flow field areinvestigated with serpentine, parallel or spiral channels in order todetermine the best configuration for the fuel cell performance. In thiscontext, the paper presents the results that we have obtained and, as aconclusion of the simulations, we have achieved the best configurationregarding the performance for the fuel cell with serpentine channels. Weconsider the mathematical and computational modeling as an importantalternative for fuel cell optimization and for the exploitation/experimentationin cost reduction.