Numerical Study of Dead-End Micro Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cell

In this paper, 3D full size simulation on single cell dead-end micro PEMFC is carried out using Computational Fuel Cell Dynamics (CFDC) analysis. The active area in this Micro PEMFC is about 10 cm², producing 1A of current under standard condition (25 °C and 1 atm). The dead end anode configuration is achieved by increasing the air flow rate well above stoichometric at the cathode to obtain the complete depletion of hydrogen at anode exit. It is also assumed that the presence of water is only in the vapor phase. Different types (single serpentine and triple serpentine) of gas channel design in dead-end anode are studied and results are compared. The polarization curves for both designs as well as contour plots for the different cell region are presented.