Modeling the effect of rib and channel dimensions on the performance of high temperature fuel cells-parallel configuration

Abstract

This work investigates the effect of rib width, channel width and channel depth on the performance of a high temperature proton exchange membrane (HT-PEM) fuel cell with parallel flow field configuration. Simulation results indicate that the rib width has the maximum impact on the performance of the fuel cell. The lower the rib width, the better is performance of HT-PEM fuel cell. Changing the channel width seems to have a moderate effect, while changing the channel depth seems to have very limited impact on the fuel cell performance. The effect of various rib width and channel dimensions on the pressure drop across the channel is also studied. The concentration profile of the oxygen across the cathode gas channel is modeled as a function of the channel width and depth. Modeling results are found to be in well agreement with experimental data.