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Segmented PEM fuel cell for verification of the variable temperature flow field concept

Variable temperature flow field has been proposed and investigated in a previous study. It is based on using internally generated water for reactant humidification. Close to 100% relative humidity along the cathode side was achieved by prescribing variable temperature profile extracted from Mollier’sh-x chart. The computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model has been developed using ANSYS Fluent® PEM Fuel Cell Module in a previous study, and the simulation results of the polarization curve and relative humidity profile along the cathode channel length have shown good agreement with the experimentally obtained data. However, the experimental relative humidity profile was only available for the cathode side of the cell. In order to develop a credible CFD model for further investigation of the variable temperature flow field concept, the anode side relative humidity must also be investigated experimentally. The CFD simulation results have shown that the current density distribution along the cell with variable temperature flow field is quite different when compared to the isothermal case, and that the temperature of the reactants inside the channels is higher than the temperature prescribed at the current collector terminals. For this reason, a new segmented PEM fuel cell experimental setup is developed to enable measurements of temperature at the current collector terminals, relative humidity and temperature profiles along the reactant channels for the anode and cathode side, and operating electrical current on each segment. Each segment can be maintained at a different temperature by individually attached Peltier elements, so that a desired temperature profiles are achieved along the anode and cathode channels.

segmented fuel cell, temperature profile, relative humidity, CFD model

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