Speaker
Description
Gas Channels are essential components of proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cells and must be carefully designed to ensure efficient water removal and gas transport. While computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations can be used to study the PEM fuel cell with high accuracy, they are computationally expensive and impractical for rapid design evaluation. To address this challenge, a discrete particle model (DPM) is employed in this study as a computationally efficient alternative to screen and optimise gas channel designs prior to expensive fabrication and experimental testing. The DPM approach is first validated against lattice Boltzmann method (LBM) results, showing good agreement. The model is then applied to investigate the effects of key parameters, including air Reynolds number, gas diffusion layer (GDL) hydrophobicity, pore size, pore density, stoichiometry ratio and current density, on water saturation, GDL water coverage ratio (WCR), and air pressure drop in short and long channels. The model is capable of analysing both temporal and spatial two-phase behaviour in the channel. The results highlight that higher air Re number or stoichiometry ratio enhances water removal, while larger pore size or pore density increases water accumulation. Increased GDL hydrophobicity significantly reduces WCR, maintaining a clear GDL for better gas transport to other porous layers, but has negligible impact on overall water saturation.
| Country | United Kingdom |
|---|---|
| Student Awards | I would like to submit this presentation into the Earth Energy Science (EES) and Capillarity Student Poster Awards. |
| Acceptance of the Terms & Conditions | Click here to agree |
