Effect of Channel Dimensions on Micro PEM Fuel Cell Performance Using 3D Modeling

Abstract

Proton exchange membrane fuel cells are electrochemical devices which are emerging as promising power sources for portable electronic applications. One of the key component of the fuel cell is the flow channel. The flow channel ensures uniform distribution of the fuel and oxygen to the reaction sites. If the distribution is non uniform , it will affect the performance of the fuel cell.The width of the channel and the rib plays a significant role in uniform fuel distribution . Here we build a three dimensional model for a fuel cell using COMSOL Multiphysics. The performance of the cell is studied under varying channel widths and rib widths

Keywords

• PEM Fuel cell, 3-D modeling, Gas Diffusion layer, Membrane Electrode Assembly,Green energy,Hydrogen and Fuel Cells

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