A Non-isothermal and Two-Phase Model for Polymer Electrolyte Fuel Cells

A non-isothermal and two-phase electrochemical model of polymer electrolyte (PEM) fuel cells was developed to fully describe the transport reaction phenomena in the PEM fuel cells during operation. The model takes into account the correlations between the transport parameters and the material properties based on computational fluid dynamics. It establishes the mutual transport of water between vapor/liquid/ionized states and the coupling relationship between various transport processes, especially the liquid water and vapor two-phase transport in the porous electrodes. To validate this model, a single-cell experiment was designed. The calculated results from the model are consistent with the experimental results under different working conditions. The detailed transport and distribution information inside the fuel cells with waved and straight channels in the cathode are compared, and the reasons for the better performance of the wave channel are comprehensively analyzed. The present model can provide effective guidance for designing and developing high-performance PEM fuel cells.