Investigation of Two-phase Transport in Polymer Electrolyte Fuel Cell Channels Using the Volume of Fraction Method

摘要

Due to the growing concerns on energy depletion and climate change, fuel cell technologies have received much attention in recent years owing to their high efficiencies and low emissions. Fuel cells are electrochemical devices that directly convert chemical energy stored in fuels such as hydrogen to electrical energy, classified according to the electrolyte. PEM fuel cells are constructed based on proton-conducting polymer electrolyte membranes (usually Nafion®) and utilize Platinum (Pt)-based materials as catalyst. Their noteworthy features include low operating temperature, high power density, and easy scale-up, making PEM fuel cells a promising candidate as the next generation portable, transportation, and small-scale stationary power devices.