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http://dx.doi.org/10.3795/KSME-B.2009.33.12.1022

Numerical Study on the Effects of GDL Porosity on the PEMFC Performance  

Kim, Kyoung-Youn (한밭대학교 기계공학과)
Sohn, Young-Jun (서울대학교 기계공학과, 한국에너지기술연구원)
Kim, Min-Jin (한국에너지기술연구원)
Lee, Won-Yong (한국에너지기술연구원)
Publication Information
Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers B / v.33, no.12, 2009 , pp. 1022-1030 More about this Journal
Abstract
Numerical analysis was carried out to investigate the effect of GDL (Gas diffusion layer) porosity on the performance of PEMFC (proton exchange membrane fuel cell). A complete three-dimensional model was chosen for single straight channel geometry including cooling channel. Main emphasis is placed on the heat and mass transfer through the GDL with different porosity. The present numerical results show that at high current densities, the cell voltage is influenced by the GDL porosity while the cell performance is nearly the same at low current densities. At high current densities, low value of GDL porosity results in decrease of the fuel cell performance since the diffusion of reactant gas through GDL becomes slow with decreasing porosity. On the other hand, for high GDL porosity, the effective thermal conductivity becomes low and the heat generated in the cell is not removed rapidly. This causes the temperature of fuel cell to increase and gives rise to dehydration of the membrane, and ultimately increase of the ohmic loss.
Keywords
GDL; PEMFC; Performance; CFD; Porosity; Thermal Conductivity;
Citations & Related Records
Times Cited By KSCI : 1  (Citation Analysis)
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