Transient Thermal Model for Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells

Abstract

This paper presents one-dimensional transient thermal model for the membrane electrode assembly (MEA) of a proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC). This model accounts for various heat generating mechanisms, including irreversible heat due to electrochemical reactions, entropic heat, and Joule heating arising from the electrolyte ionic resistance. Numerical results show the effects of many important factors on the transient phenomena in the PEMFC system.