Species Transport in the Gas Diffusion Layers of a PEM

Application ID: 260


This example focuses on the species transport within the gas diffusion layers (GDLs) of a proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cell. The geometry models a cell with two adjacent flow channels of different pressures, a situation that may occur in a cell with serpentine flow channels, or in a cell using an interdigitated flow field design. The model uses current balances, mass transport equations (Maxwell-Stefan diffusion for reactants, water and nitrogen gas), and momentum transport (Darcy’s law for the gas flows) to simulate a PEM fuel cell’s behavior.

This model example illustrates applications of this type that would nominally be built using the following products: