Three Dimensional Simulations of Transport Phenomena in a Single Phase Isothermal Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell

The proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cell is a promising candidate as zero emission alternative power source for transport and stationary applications due to its high efficiency, low-temperature operation, high power density, quick-start up and system robustness. However, before this class of energy becomes competitive with traditional fossil fuel powered combustion engines, its performance and cost must be optimized. This study shows a three dimensional optimization study for a PEM fuel cell under different operating conditions and channel geometries. The continuity, momentum, energy and species conservation equations describing the flow and species transport of the gas mixture in the coupled gas channels and the electrodes were numerically solved using a computational fluid dynamics code. The effect of various operating parameters and channel geometries on the performance of the fuel cell was analyzed. Results were validated by comparing the predicted results with experimental results published in the literature and were found to be in good agreement. The result obtained would lead to improvements in the design of fuel cells.