Nonisothermal modeling of polymer electrolyte fuel cells. II. Parametric study of low-humidity operation

Hyunchul Ju, Chao Yang Wang, Simon Cleghorn, Uwe Beuscher

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

32 Scopus citations

Abstract

A parametric study is carried out using the nonisothermal polymer electrolyte fuel cell (PEFC) model presented in Part I, which was experimentally validated against the current distribution data. The focus is placed on exploring the characteristics of low-humidity operation, including the effects of gas diffusion media tortuosity and thermal conductivity and membrane electrode assembly properties, such as ionomer fraction of the catalyst layer, the cathode kinetic parameter, and the membrane thickness. In addition, the effect of contact resistance is studied and co- and counterflow configurations between the anode and cathode streams are contrasted. The present work elucidates detailed effects of these important design and operating parameters on the current density distribution and assists in identifying optimal water and thermal management strategies for the low-humidity operation of PEFCs.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)A249-A254
JournalJournal of the Electrochemical Society
Volume153
Issue number2
DOIs
StatePublished - 2006

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • Electronic, Optical and Magnetic Materials
  • Renewable Energy, Sustainability and the Environment
  • Surfaces, Coatings and Films
  • Electrochemistry
  • Materials Chemistry

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