Numerical Simulation of the Interfacial Oxygen Transport Resistance for a PEMFC Cathode Incorporating Water Droplet Coverage
نویسندگان
چکیده
The transport resistance of oxygen in a PEMFC flow field and gas diffusion layer interface was numerically investigated in a 3D model. This model solved for the convection of air and the diffusion of oxygen in the air in a single flow field channel. The interfacial oxygen transport resistance was expressed with the Sherwood number. For a dry channel, the numerically obtained Sherwood number was validated by the relationship between Nusselt and Sherwood numbers through the Lewis number. Following the validation, the model simulated conditions of a single water droplet that remained adhered on the flow field and gas diffusion layer interface. The effects of droplet size, flow velocity, and variations in vapor content in air due to changes in temperature were analyzed and discussed. For the selected range of droplet sizes and flow velocities, numerically obtained drag forces were compared against experimentally obtained adhesion forces.
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