Numerical Assessment of Heat Transfer on a PEM Fuel Cell Stack with Different Refrigeration Systems: Heat Source Management
Christian Emmanuel HERNANDEZ-HERRERA, J.M. Sierra, L.C. Ordóñez, Sandra Jazmín Figueroa‐Ramírez, Humberto J. Mandujano-Ramírez
Abstract
This paper presents a 3D computational fluid dynamics (CFD) study on a proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) stack. To determine the impact of refrigeration systems on the performance of a PEMFC stack, special attention was given to sources that generate heat. The evaluated models consist of an open cathode hydrogen-air stack to which an active and passive heat dissipation system was incorporated. The general characteristics of both models were based on the designs of a commercial PEMFC. The numerical results demonstrated that the highest temperatures were presented at the cathode outlets showing a displacement towards the anode outlet. The temperature distributions were directly related to the heat sources by ohmic resistance, which mainly came from the membrane, and the entropy heat from the oxygen reduction reaction. The implementation of the heat dissipation systems effectively contributed to heat management in fuel cells. For the model with the passive heat system, ohmic heating was increased in the membrane by water formation. Regarding the model with an active system, it was possible to reduce the global temperature of the cell and reach higher current densities. This paper demonstrates that the use of the proposed cooling systems can increase the performance of a fuel cell.