EFFECTS OF INLET GAS MIXTURE ON THE PERFORMANCE OF PEMFC WITH REDUCED MEMBRANE THICKNESS: 3D CFD STUDY

In the present study, the influences of inlet gas species concentrations on the performance of PEMFC with reduced membrane thickness (0.027 mm) are explored via ANSYS Fluent PEMFC module at 0.4 V and 0.6 V. Water, oxygen and hydrogen mass fractions are in the range of 0.12-0.20, 0.1-0.24 and 0.1-0.6, respectively. The results reveal that decreasing hydrogen and increasing water at the entrance of the cell with a thin membrane lead to enhancement of power output. The maximum current density of 4.67 A/cm2 is attained by the configuration including water and oxygen mass fractions of 0.2 at the cathode for 0.4 V. Since this configuration provides lower pressure drop in the channels in comparison to the base model, it is determined as the optimal combination of gas mass fractions.