Single domain PEMFC model based on agglomerate catalyst geometry

Abstract A steady two-dimensional computational model for a proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cell is presented. The model accounts for species transport, electrochemical kinetics, energy transport, current distribution, and water uptake and release in the catalyst layer. The governing differential equations are solved over a single computational domain, which consists of a gas channel, gas diffusion layer, and catalyst layer for both the anode and cathode sides of the cell as well as the solid polymer membrane. The model for the catalyst regions is based on an agglomerate geometry, which requires water species to exist in both dissolved and gaseous forms simultaneously. Data related to catalyst morphology, which was required by the model, was obtained via a microscopic analysis of a commercially available membrane electrode assembly (MEA). The coupled set of differential equations is solved with the commercial computational fluid dynamics (CFD) solver, CFDesign™, and is readily adaptable with respect to geometry and material property definitions. The results show that fuel cell performance is highly dependent on catalyst structure, specifically the relative volume fractions of gas pores and polymer membrane contained within the active region as well as the geometry of the individual agglomerates.