Parametric Study on the Performanceof the Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cellswith Interdigitated Flow Fields

• Main Authors: Kai-Hsin Chang, 張凱欣
• Other Authors: Chin-Shan Tsai
• Format: Others
• Language: zh-TW
• Published: 2011
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/69050084320564966512

碩士 === 南榮技術學院 === 工程科技研究所碩士班 === 99 === Both the numerical simulation and experimental test are used to investigate the performance and reactants distribution in a proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) with interdigitated flow fields. A two-dimensional numerical model of multi-component mixture transport is presented and the modeled section of the PEMFC consists of an anode, a proton exchange membrane, and a cathode. The model contains the conservation of mass, momentum, species, and charge with electrochemical reactions. The simulation results show that the PEMFC with altered channel and rib width decreasing the size of both for fuel cell polarization curve was advantageous. The convection transport mechanism dominates the mass distribution in the interdigitated flow fields. The hydrogen mass fraction in the anode increases and the oxygen mass fraction in the cathode decreases along the flow direction, respectively. The minimum water mass fraction in the anode turns up in the upper corner of the membrane on the anode side, and the maximum water mass fraction in the cathode occurs in the lower corner to the membrane. Increasing the porous material conductivity and reactants pressure at the inlets, reducing the fuel cell operation temperature, and decreasing the tortuosity, electroosmotic drag coefficient of the porous media can improve the PEMFC performance. The bipolar plates with interdigitated flow fields are made of high strength and toughness stainless steel plate, JIS SUS 304 in the study. The widths of the channel and rib, the thickness of the channel are 1mm×1mm×1mm、1mm×1mm×2mm、2mm×2mm× 1mm及2mm×2mm×2mm, respectively. The bipolar plates with interdigitated flow fields are used to study the performance of PEMFC for various flow rates of hydrogen and oxygen. The membrane material is Nafion NRE211 with active area 3.5cm×3.5cm. The calibrated torques wrench is used to assemble the PEMFC, and the suggested torque is 42.5kgf-cm. The experimental results show that the PEMFC have better performance while oxygen flow rates increase. While the dimension values for channel width, rib width and channel depth of interdigitated flow fields are 1mm×1mm×2mm, flow rate of hydrogen is 5cc/min, and oxygen 20cc/min, the PEMFC will get the best performance in the present study.