CFD MODELLING OF NON-ISOTHERMAL PROTON EXCHANGE MEMBRANE FUEL CELL (PEMFC): ROLE OF BAFFLES

Abstract

Through oxidation (H₂) and reduction (O₂ ) reactions, the chemical energy of the fuel is converted by proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) into electricity and is therefore considered an energy converter. In this work, performance of a PEMFC is numerically investigated using computational fluid dynamics (CFD). To characterize the non-isothermal behavior of PEMFC, 3D transient CFD simulations are performed. The distribution of H₂ and O₂ mass fractions, temperature, and current density profiles are analyzed for various operational conditions. The optimum condition (voltage = 0.1 V; thickness of gas diffusion layer (GDL) = 0.0127mm; thickness of catalyst layer (CL) = 0.014mm) for an operation of PEMFC is identified Trapezoidal and rectangular baffles are proposed into the flow channels to enhance the performance of PEMFC. The rectangular baffle configuration supports maximum conversion of reactant gases (H₂ = 24.16 %, O₂ = 41.72 %) in comparison with the trapezoidal baffle. A significant increase in conversion is reported when the number of baffles in the gas flow channel is increases. Thus, PEMFC performance is enhanced with baffle configuration.