Variation Characteristic Analysis of Water Content at the Flow Channel of Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell

Lu Zhang, Yongfeng Liu, Pucheng Pei, Xintong Liu, Long Wang and Yuan Wan
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Lu Zhang: School of Mechanical-Electronic and Vehicle Engineering, Beijing University of Civil Engineering and Architecture, Beijing 100044, China
Yongfeng Liu: School of Mechanical-Electronic and Vehicle Engineering, Beijing University of Civil Engineering and Architecture, Beijing 100044, China
Pucheng Pei: State Key Laboratory of Automotive Safety and Energy, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
Xintong Liu: School of Mechanical-Electronic and Vehicle Engineering, Beijing University of Civil Engineering and Architecture, Beijing 100044, China
Long Wang: School of Mechanical-Electronic and Vehicle Engineering, Beijing University of Civil Engineering and Architecture, Beijing 100044, China
Yuan Wan: School of Mechanical-Electronic and Vehicle Engineering, Beijing University of Civil Engineering and Architecture, Beijing 100044, China

Energies, 2022, vol. 15, issue 9, 1-20

Abstract: The performance of proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) is directly affected by the nonlinear variations in water content. To study the variation in water content and its effect on PEMFC performance, the water condensation rate (WCR) model is established, which determines the proportional relationship between evaporation and condensation rates in terms of the switch function, and the two-phase flow evolution and pressure drop are considered as well. The WCR model is imported into Fluent software through a user-defined function for simulation, and the test system is established under different operating conditions. Then, the contours of H 2 O molar concentrations and polarization curves are analyzed and compared. The results show that the condensation rate value of the cathode channel is from 1.05 to 1.55 times higher than that of the anode channel. The WCR model can predict the variation in water content and improve the accuracy of the performance calculation by from 9% to 31%. The accuracy of the WCR model is especially improved, by 31%, at high current densities compared with the Fluent model when the inlet pressure is 30 kPa.

Keywords: PEM fuel cells; WCR model; flow channel; water content; accuracy (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: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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