PEMFC-Stack-Model

A reduced dimensional numerical model to simulate the performance of PEM fuel cell stacks developed in Python 3.6 utilizing the numerical libraries NumPy and SciPy.

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:

• 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)

Required python libraries:

• NumPy 1.14.3
• SciPy 1.1.0
• Matplotlib 2.2.2

Usage

Download the repository and execute the simulation.py file with your python interpreter. Input parameters can be adapted in the corresponding files in the input folder. At the end of a simulation run, a folder called output will be created, which contains the results in various data files and plots

References:

Stack discretization, temperature coupling, reactant transport and membrane properties according to:
Chang, Paul, Gwang-Soo Kim, Keith Promislow, und Brian Wetton. „Reduced Dimensional Computational Models of Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cell Stacks“. Journal of Computational Physics 223, Nr. 2 (Mai 2007): 797–821. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcp.2006.10.011.

Manifold model and flow distribution calculation according to:
Koh, Joon-Ho, Hai-Kyung Seo, Choong Gon Lee, Young-Sung Yoo, und Hee Chun Lim. „Pressure and flow distribution in internal gas manifolds of a fuel-cell stack“. Journal of Power Sources 115, Nr. 1 (2003): 54–65.

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, Nr. 3 (28. Dezember 2013): F263–70. https://doi.org/10.1149/2.028403jes.