Effects of Gas Channel Geometry on the Performance in the PEM Fuel Cell

• Main Authors: Chun-Wei Chi, 紀俊偉
• Other Authors: Yur-Tsai Lin
• Format: Others
• Language: zh-TW
• Published: 2004
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/73984038817075169544

碩士 === 元智大學 === 機械工程學系 === 92 === The effects of geometry of flow channel, flow rate, and temperature in the Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell (PEMFC) are analyzed with numerical simulations. The primary geometrical parameters considered are the channel depth and the channel width. Under different operating conditions, these effects in different flow channel types (parallel and serpentine) are investigated. Three channel depths are considered: 1.0, 1.5 and 2.0mm. The results show that the fuel cell with 1.5mm depth has better performance for parallel type fuel cell. However, the effect is not obvious for serpentine type fuel cell. It is also shown that the larger flow rate on the cathode, the better the performance of the cell for both types of channels. As for the channel width, three ratios of the channel/rib are studied: 1.2/2.0, 1.6/1.6, and 2.0/1.2. The results show that the increase of the channel width does not improve the fuel cell performance, and the corresponding current density decreases slightly.