Polymer Electrolyte Fuel Cell Design Based on Three-Dimensional Computational Fluid Dynamics Modeling

Abstract

An entirely numerical design procedure, based on computational fluid dynamics, is introduced to evaluate the performance of different polymer electrolyte fuel cell layouts and sets of operating conditions for assigned target parameters in terms of performance. The design procedure has been applied to a coflow design, characterized by large active area (500 cm2), moderate temperature (70°C), liquid cooling, and metal supporting. The role of heat transfer between the cell and the cooling system is analyzed to properly address the influence of operating conditions on power density and flooding via a comprehensive parametric analysis.