Numerical Simulation on Impacts of Thickness of Nafion Series Membranes and Relative Humidity on PEMFC Operated at 363 K and 373 K

Akira Nishimura, Kyohei Toyoda, Yuya Kojima, Syogo Ito and Eric Hu
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Akira Nishimura: Division of Mechanical Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering, Mie University, 1577 Kurimamachiya-cho, Tsu 514-8507, Mie, Japan
Kyohei Toyoda: Division of Mechanical Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering, Mie University, 1577 Kurimamachiya-cho, Tsu 514-8507, Mie, Japan
Yuya Kojima: Division of Mechanical Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering, Mie University, 1577 Kurimamachiya-cho, Tsu 514-8507, Mie, Japan
Syogo Ito: Division of Mechanical Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering, Mie University, 1577 Kurimamachiya-cho, Tsu 514-8507, Mie, Japan
Eric Hu: School of Mechanical Engineering, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA 5005, Australia

Energies, 2021, vol. 14, issue 24, 1-24

Abstract: The purpose of this study is to understand the impact of the thickness of Nafion membrane, which is a typical polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) in Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cells (PEMFCs), and relative humidity of supply gas on the distributions of H 2 , O 2 , H 2 O concentration and current density on the interface between a Nafion membrane and anode catalyst layer or the interface between a Nafion membrane and cathode catalyst layer. The effect of the initial temperature of the cell ( T ini ) is also investigated by the numerical simulation using the 3D model by COMSOL Multiphysics. As a result, the current density decreases along with the gas flow through the gas channel irrespective of the Nafion membrane thickness and T ini , which can be explained by the concentration distribution of H 2 and O 2 consumed by electrochemical reaction. The molar concentration of H 2 O decreases when the thickness of Nafion membrane increases, irrespective of T ini and the relative humidity of the supply gas. The current density increases with the increase in relative humidity of the supply gas, irrespective of the Nafion membrane thickness and T ini . This study recommends that a thinner Nafion membrane with well-humidified supply gas would promote high power generation at the target temperature of 363 K and 373 K.

Keywords: PEMFC; higher temperature operation than usual; numerical simulation; thickness of Nafion membrane; relative humidity of supply gas; mass and current density distribution (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (4)

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