Predicting Liquid Water Condensation in PEM Fuel Cells by Coupling CFD with 1D Models
Proton exchange membrane fuel cells are a promising technology for future transportation applications. However, start-up procedures that are not optimized for low temperatures can lead to the early failure of the cells. Detailed CFD models can support the optimization of cold start procedures, but t...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2024-03-01
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| Series: | Energies |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/17/5/1259 |
| _version_ | 1797264585832529920 |
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| author | Maximilian Schmitz Fynn Matthiesen Steffen Dirkes Stefan Pischinger |
| author_facet | Maximilian Schmitz Fynn Matthiesen Steffen Dirkes Stefan Pischinger |
| author_sort | Maximilian Schmitz |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Proton exchange membrane fuel cells are a promising technology for future transportation applications. However, start-up procedures that are not optimized for low temperatures can lead to the early failure of the cells. Detailed CFD models can support the optimization of cold start procedures, but they often cannot be solved in a stable way due to their complexity. One-dimensional (1D) models can be calculated quickly but are simplified so that the behavior of the cells can no longer be determined accurately. In this contribution, a coupling between a 2D CFD model of the gas channels and a 1D model of the Membrane Electrode Assembly (MEA) is realized. This method allows not only to determine the location and amount of the condensed water but also to calculate the exact concentration of the reactant gases along the channels. The investigations show that the concentrations of the gases and the relative humidities in the gas channels are strongly influenced by the current density. It has been found that it is not possible to avoid the formation of liquid water at low operating temperatures by controlling the current density. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-25T00:31:15Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-7b90bdb47b904c4aa23672b98464f860 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1996-1073 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-25T00:31:15Z |
| publishDate | 2024-03-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Energies |
| spelling | doaj.art-7b90bdb47b904c4aa23672b98464f8602024-03-12T16:43:55ZengMDPI AGEnergies1996-10732024-03-01175125910.3390/en17051259Predicting Liquid Water Condensation in PEM Fuel Cells by Coupling CFD with 1D ModelsMaximilian Schmitz0Fynn Matthiesen1Steffen Dirkes2Stefan Pischinger3Chair of Thermodynamics of Mobile Energy Conversion Systems (TME), RWTH Aachen University, Forckenbeckstraße 4, 52074 Aachen, GermanyChair of Thermodynamics of Mobile Energy Conversion Systems (TME), RWTH Aachen University, Forckenbeckstraße 4, 52074 Aachen, GermanyChair of Thermodynamics of Mobile Energy Conversion Systems (TME), RWTH Aachen University, Forckenbeckstraße 4, 52074 Aachen, GermanyChair of Thermodynamics of Mobile Energy Conversion Systems (TME), RWTH Aachen University, Forckenbeckstraße 4, 52074 Aachen, GermanyProton exchange membrane fuel cells are a promising technology for future transportation applications. However, start-up procedures that are not optimized for low temperatures can lead to the early failure of the cells. Detailed CFD models can support the optimization of cold start procedures, but they often cannot be solved in a stable way due to their complexity. One-dimensional (1D) models can be calculated quickly but are simplified so that the behavior of the cells can no longer be determined accurately. In this contribution, a coupling between a 2D CFD model of the gas channels and a 1D model of the Membrane Electrode Assembly (MEA) is realized. This method allows not only to determine the location and amount of the condensed water but also to calculate the exact concentration of the reactant gases along the channels. The investigations show that the concentrations of the gases and the relative humidities in the gas channels are strongly influenced by the current density. It has been found that it is not possible to avoid the formation of liquid water at low operating temperatures by controlling the current density.https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/17/5/1259proton exchange membrane fuel cellcold startwater condensationmodel couplingcomputational fluid dynamicslow temperature operation |
| spellingShingle | Maximilian Schmitz Fynn Matthiesen Steffen Dirkes Stefan Pischinger Predicting Liquid Water Condensation in PEM Fuel Cells by Coupling CFD with 1D Models Energies proton exchange membrane fuel cell cold start water condensation model coupling computational fluid dynamics low temperature operation |
| title | Predicting Liquid Water Condensation in PEM Fuel Cells by Coupling CFD with 1D Models |
| title_full | Predicting Liquid Water Condensation in PEM Fuel Cells by Coupling CFD with 1D Models |
| title_fullStr | Predicting Liquid Water Condensation in PEM Fuel Cells by Coupling CFD with 1D Models |
| title_full_unstemmed | Predicting Liquid Water Condensation in PEM Fuel Cells by Coupling CFD with 1D Models |
| title_short | Predicting Liquid Water Condensation in PEM Fuel Cells by Coupling CFD with 1D Models |
| title_sort | predicting liquid water condensation in pem fuel cells by coupling cfd with 1d models |
| topic | proton exchange membrane fuel cell cold start water condensation model coupling computational fluid dynamics low temperature operation |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/17/5/1259 |
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