Residence time of water film and slug flow features in fuel cell gas channels and their effect on instantaneous area coverage ratio

Water in the gas channels of a Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell is modeled as slugs and film, and removal mechanisms for these flow patterns are numerically investigated. The removal of excess liquid water is simulated using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) through the volume of fluid (VOF) model. The computational domain consists of a gas flow channel appropriate for commercial stacks for automotive applications. The effects of superficial air velocity, channel surface wettability, and channel cross-section geometry are investigated through quantitative comparison of two-phase pressure drop, area coverage ratio (ACR) over the gas diffusion layer (GDL) and liquid removal time. Top wall film flow was identified as a desirable feature since it did not cover the GDL and facilitated transport of oxygen to the reaction sites while removing the water. A range of hydrophilic channel walls in combination with a hydrophobic GDL is proposed to promote this behavior while reducing the fluctuations in two-phase pressure drop for different contact angles. Additional enhancements to liquid water removal were associated with the channel cross-section geometry. An alternative trapezoidal shape is suggested for improved top wall film flow while improving the manufacturability of the bipolar plates for mass production.