A general formulation for a mathematical PEM fuel cell model

One consequence of considering the gas and liquid phases as a mixture is that expressions for the velocity of the individual phases relative to the mixture must be developed. In the gas flow channels, the flow is assumed homogeneous, while the Darcy and Schlögl equations are used to describe liquid water transport in the electrode backing and polymer electrolyte layers. Thus, two sets of equations, one for the mixture and another for the solid phase, can be developed to describe the processes occurring within a PEM fuel cell. These equations are in a conservative form, and can be solved using computational fluid dynamic techniques.