Validation of a three dimensional PEM fuel cell CFD model using local liquid water distributions measured with neutron imaging

• A validation of a PEM CFD model is presented, using liquid water distributions.
• Experimental liquid water distributions were obtained with neutron imaging.
• Results show a good agreement between CFD model and neutron radiographs.
• PEMFC models validation using local distributions of variables is necessary.

This work presents the validation carried out for a three dimensional CFD 50 cm2 PEM fuel cell model, particularly focus on the prediction of liquid water distributions within the cell. The CFD model was previously validated against a set of experimental polarization curves, where model results adequately matched the experimental curves. An extension of the validation is presented in this work, by performing a comparison of the local liquid water distributions predicted by the model with the liquid water distributions of the real cell. The experimental measurements were obtained by means of Neutron Imaging, where a set of different cell operating conditions was tested. Although the exact quantitative results are not directly comparable due to differences in the cell setup, qualitative results show a very good agreement between the model results and the water distributions observed in the neutron radiographs. A model validation approach using local variable distributions (such as liquid water in this case) in addition to the integral quantities (i.e. polarization curves) is necessary to ensure the validity of models.