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<p>The relative alignment of anode and cathode channels in a polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) is a critical but underexplored design parameter. This study numerically investigated the comprehensive impact of the anode-to-cathode channel position ratio (RAC) on PEMFC performance by considering the structural deformation of the gas diffusion layer (GDL) and membrane electrode assembly (MEA). A coupled 3D simulation model was developed by integrating the finite element method (FEM) for mechanical deformation under 1&#xa0;MPa compression with computational fluid dynamics (CFD) for multiphysics transport phenomena. The results revealed a critical tradeoff: increasing the RAC enhances the electrical properties by reducing total GDL resistance. However, this simultaneously impedes mass transport by decreasing the effective GDL porosity and increasing liquid saturation, which restricts the oxygen supply to the rib region. Consequently, the optimal RAC is highly dependent on the operating voltage. At high voltages (0.8&#xa0;V), the mass-transport loss is less critical; thus, the superior electrical properties of the GDL become the dominant factor at higher RACs, resulting in the best performance. In contrast, at low voltages (0.4&#xa0;V), the mass transport loss becomes significant, and the enhanced water management associated with lower RACs demonstrates superior efficiency. These findings indicate that optimizing the RAC is a vital strategy for maximizing the PEMFC performance across crucial load conditions and has significant implications for advanced stack design.</p>

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Impact of Anode-Cathode Channel Positioning on Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cell Performance: a 3D Numerical Study

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2026年7月20日

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  • Chunghyun Kim,
  • Jonghyun Son,
  • Sungkeun Park,
  • Juyoung Park,
  • Fritz B. Prinz,
  • Young-Beom Kim

摘要

The relative alignment of anode and cathode channels in a polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) is a critical but underexplored design parameter. This study numerically investigated the comprehensive impact of the anode-to-cathode channel position ratio (RAC) on PEMFC performance by considering the structural deformation of the gas diffusion layer (GDL) and membrane electrode assembly (MEA). A coupled 3D simulation model was developed by integrating the finite element method (FEM) for mechanical deformation under 1 MPa compression with computational fluid dynamics (CFD) for multiphysics transport phenomena. The results revealed a critical tradeoff: increasing the RAC enhances the electrical properties by reducing total GDL resistance. However, this simultaneously impedes mass transport by decreasing the effective GDL porosity and increasing liquid saturation, which restricts the oxygen supply to the rib region. Consequently, the optimal RAC is highly dependent on the operating voltage. At high voltages (0.8 V), the mass-transport loss is less critical; thus, the superior electrical properties of the GDL become the dominant factor at higher RACs, resulting in the best performance. In contrast, at low voltages (0.4 V), the mass transport loss becomes significant, and the enhanced water management associated with lower RACs demonstrates superior efficiency. These findings indicate that optimizing the RAC is a vital strategy for maximizing the PEMFC performance across crucial load conditions and has significant implications for advanced stack design.