PEMFC-Stack-Model

A reduced dimensional numerical model to simulate the performance of PEM fuel cell stacks developed in Python.

Geometric Layout

Features

• Physical stack domain is discretized into two dimensions:

  • through each cell in the direction of the electrical current (current-direction)
  • along the flow direction of each channel (flow-direction)

• Calculation of the reactant flow distribution into the cells based on the geometry of headers and channels

• Local current distribution along the flow- and current-direction due to:

  • reactant transport within the channels and the porous media
  • temperature distribution
  • reaction kinetics and voltage losses according to Kulikovsky (2013)

• Temperature distribution along the flow- and current-direction with a discretization in the current-direction (through plane) in five nodes at the interfaces of:

  • anodic and cathodic bipolar plates (BPP-BPP)
  • anodic bipolar plate and gas diffusion electrode (BPP-GDE, Ano)
  • anodic gas diffusion electrode and membrane (GDE-Mem, Ano)
  • cathodic gas diffusion electrode and membrane (GDE-Mem, Cat)
  • cathodic bipolar plate and gas diffusion electrode (BPP-GDE, Cat)

Minimum requirements

• NumPy 1.14.3
• SciPy 1.1.0
• Matplotlib 2.2.2

Usage

Download the repository, review settings in the pemfc/settings/settings.json file. Then execute

python pemfc\main_app.py

with your Python interpreter. If not specified otherwise, a folder called "output" will be created at the end of a simulation run, which contains the results in various data files and plots, if specified in the settings file (bottom).

Implementation

Citing the Model

This model is versioned using Zenodo:

If you use this tool as part of a scholarly work, please cite using:

Feierabend, L. (2023). PEM Fuel Cell Stack Model (Version v1.0.0) [Computer software]. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.7611662

A BibTeX entry for LaTeX users is

@software{  
    Feierabend_PEM_Fuel_Cell_2023,  
    author = {Feierabend, Lukas},  
    doi = {10.5281/zenodo.7611662},  
    month = {2},  
    title = {{PEM Fuel Cell Stack Model}},  
    url = {https://github.com/zbt-tools/pemfc-core},  
    version = {v1.0.0},  
    year = {2023}  
}

References

Stack discretization, temperature coupling, reactant transport according to:

Chang, Paul, Gwang-Soo Kim, Keith Promislow, and Brian Wetton. “Reduced Dimensional Computational Models of Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cell Stacks.” Journal of Computational Physics 223, no. 2 (May 2007): 797–821. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcp.2006.10.011.

Membrane models as described in:

Springer, T. E., T. A. Zawodzinski, and S. Gottesfeld. “Polymer Electrolyte FuelCell Model.” Journal of The Electrochemical Society 138, no. 8 (August 1, 1991): 2334–42. https://doi.org/10.1149/1.2085971.

Kamarajugadda, Sai, and Sandip Mazumder. “On the Implementation of Membrane Models in Computational Fluid Dynamics Calculations of Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cells.” Computers & Chemical Engineering 32, no. 7 (July 2008): 1650–60. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compchemeng.2007.08.004.

Nguyen, Trung V., and Ralph E. White. “A Water and Heat Management Model for Proton‐Exchange‐Membrane Fuel Cells.” Journal of The Electrochemical Society 140, no. 8 (August 1, 1993): 2178–86. https://doi.org/10.1149/1.2220792.

Xu, Feina, Sébastien Leclerc, Didier Stemmelen, Jean-Christophe Perrin, Alain Retournard, and Daniel Canet. “Study of Electro-Osmotic Drag Coefficients in Nafion Membrane in Acid, Sodium and Potassium Forms by Electrophoresis NMR.” Journal of Membrane Science 536 (August 2017): 116–22. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.memsci.2017.04.067.

Peng, Zhe, Arnaud Morin, Patrice Huguet, Pascal Schott, and Joël Pauchet. “In-Situ Measurement of Electroosmotic Drag Coefficient in Nafion Membrane for the PEMFC.” The Journal of Physical Chemistry B 115, no. 44 (November 10, 2011): 12835–44. https://doi.org/10.1021/jp205291f.

Manifold model and flow distribution based on:

Variation of the algorithm from this publication:

Koh, Joon-Ho, Hai-Kyung Seo, Choong Gon Lee, Young-Sung Yoo, and Hee Chun Lim. “Pressure and Flow Distribution in Internal Gas Manifolds of a Fuel-Cell Stack.” Journal of Power Sources 115, no. 1 (March 2003): 54–65. https://doi. org/10.1016/S0378-7753(02)00615-8.

Using variable resistances at the T-junctions from these correlations:

Bassett, M. D., D. E. Winterbone, and R. J. Pearson. “Calculation of Steady Flow Pressure Loss Coefficients for Pipe Junctions.” Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part C: Journal of Mechanical Engineering Science, August 1, 2001. https://doi.org/10.1177/095440620121500801.

Rennels, Donald C., and Hobart M. Hudson. Pipe Flow: A Practical and Comprehensive Guide. Hoboken, NJ, USA: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 2012. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781118275276.

Idelchik, Isaak E. „Handbook of hydraulic resistance“. Washington, 1986.

Electrochemical reaction kinetics and transport losses according to:

Kulikovsky, A. A. “A Physically–Based Analytical Polarization Curve of a PEM Fuel Cell.” Journal of the Electrochemical Society 161, no. 3 (December 28, 2013): F263–70. https://doi.org/10.1149/2.028403jes.