Three-dimensional numerical analysis and experimental characterization of a high temperature-PEM fuel cell

Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cells (PEMFCs) operating at temperatures higher than 100C provide several advantages with respect to standard cells, as they greatly enhance CO tolerance and they allow a simplification in cooling and water management and an enhancement in electrochemical kinetics. On the other hand the problems of lower performance, degradation of engineering materials and mechanical failure should be assessed. In order to reduce experimental tests and costs, the development of reliable numerical models is a fundamental step. The aim of this paper is the development of a three-dimensional non-isothermal numerical model of high temperature PEMFCs and its validation through accurate experimental data. The model has been developed in the CFD code ANSYS FLUENT 12 environment, with dedicated libraries specifically developed to solve the charge conservation equation for HT-PEM fuel cells. Experimental tests, performed in the laboratories of the University of Trieste on single HTPEM, are used to update and validate the model at different operating conditions