Numerical simulation of Effect of Contact Pressure on Mechanical Behavior of Gas Diffusion Layers (GDL) and PFSA Membrane Assembly

Abstract

<jats:p>In this study, a Finite Element model has been implemented based on numerical modelling simulations to predict the mechanical behaviour of a representative unit of the fuel cell stack. The GDL deformation has been modelled as a combination of elastic deformation and fibres slippage. Mechanical stresses distribution and deformation are presented concerning the previous model work l with nonlinear orthotropic behaviour of the GDL. The results also show that the state of the stresses in the membrane are highly heterogeneous and largely exceed its elastic limit. The results show that the influence of the temperature variation is not significant in generating stresses. However, the influence of the moisture variation is very significant in generating stresses. Therefore, the increase in relative humidity from 30% to 90° % at T=25°C causes an increase in the maximum Von Mises stress of 0.0836MPa.</jats:p>

Mechanical response of carbon paper gas diffusion layer under patterned compression

“…The present study stresses out a gap between the material responses under heterogeneous compression by up-to-date rib/channel patterns compared to the uniform compression that is widely used for GDL characterization [23,30,[35][36][37][38][39]66]. Actually, these differences in the deformation of the GDL are not taken into account in a PEMFC assembly, from the laboratory cell to the full stack scale, although the associated stress repartition and GDL intrusion cannot be considered as similar.…”

“…Some of them assume a linear elastic behavior with a strain-dependent Young modulus, for which the parameters were identified with a polynomial fit [23,30]. This type of model has been widely used for the simulation of the assembly compression, in order to investigate the GDL interaction with the flow field plates or its influence on current distribution [23,30,[35][36][37][38][39]. Some other authors have proposed a material behavior based on the homogenization of the unit beam cell deformation at the microscale [32,40,41].…”

Performance Investigation of PEM Fuel Cell with Three-Pass Serpentine Flow Fields under Varying Operating Voltages

“…Fuel cell technology has emerged as a promising alternative to traditional energy sources owing to its efficiency, low emissions and versatility [1][2][3][4][5][6][7]. Among the various types of fuel cells, Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells (PEMFCs) have gained significant attention because of their quick start up time, high power density, and suitability for numerous applications [8][9][10].…”