Abstract
In a PEM fuel cell, local current density distribution is very critical to the overall cell performance. From our previous experimental research on the current performance between land and channel in a PEM fuel cell, current density under the land is significantly larger than that under the channel in the most operating voltage regions [1]. This could lead to very severe problems such as accelerating membrane and catalyst degradation, thus reduce the lifetime and durability of a PEM fuel cell. In order to understand the mechanism of the current density distribution in this lateral direction, and for the better future design of a PEM fuel cell with higher performance, we construct a three-dimensional CFD model with electrochemical active area (ECA) equation implemented, while the ECA distribution is directly from previous research. The numerical results coincide well with the experimental results, and the lateral current density distribution and oxygen concentration distribution have also been studied.
