Mathematical modeling and simulation of thermal management in polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell stacks

The narrow range of operating temperature and small temperature differences between the stack and the ambient have made the fuel cell thermal management as one of the key factors that influence the performance and durability of polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) stacks. In the present study, an analytical model is developed to investigate coolant flow and temperature distributions within a PEMFC stack. The model consists of a coolant flow distribution submodel and a thermal submodel for determination of coolant mass flow distribution between different cooling flow fields of the stack and the temperature distribution within the stack, respectively. The coolant mass flow rate and the temperature distributions in stacks with U and Z configurations are compared with each other using the developed model. The test results of two 65-cells stacks are presented to verify the simulation. The results indicate that the Z configuration results in more uniform temperature distribution than the U configuration in low values of the manifold cross sectional area. However, the Z configuration cannot be applied in the stacks with very small manifold sizes. A parametric analysis is also conducted to assess the effects of some parameters on the temperature distribution in a stack.