Performance improvement of a PEMFC with dead-end anode by using CFD-Taguchi approach

In this paper, the design of experiments by the Taguchi method integrated with computational fluid dynamics simulation has been implemented for determining optimum operating conditions. A numerical model has been made with ANSYS code for proton exchange membrane fuel cell with the dead-end anode mode. This study assesses the impact of four factors, namely gas diffusion layer porosity, hydrogen mass fraction, nitrogen mass fraction, and water saturation. The influence of inlet pressure (Pin,1 = 104Pa, Pin,2 = 3.104Pa, and Pin,3 = 6.104Pa) and relative humidity (RH1 = 0%, RH2 = 50%, and RH3 = 100%) have been studied using the integrative approach. For Pin,1, Pin,2, and Pin,3, the optimum levels yielding a superior performance were (L5, L3, L2, and L1), (L5, L3, L2, and L2), and (L5, L3, L3, and L1), respectively. For RH1, RH2, and RH3, the optimum levels yielding a better performance were (L5, L1, L3, and L1), (L5, L3, L1, and L1), and (L5, L3, L2, and L1), respectively. Our findings revealed that the electrical current density reflecting the cell performance decreased with increasing the water accumulation, the nitrogen mass fraction, and decreasing the hydrogen mass fraction. The percentage error between Taguchi calculations and computational outputs of power densities was 0.23%, 0.19%, 0.45%, 0.28%, 0.2%, and 0.16%.

Automated summary

In this study, the Taguchi method integrated with computational fluid dynamics simulation was used to determine the optimal operating conditions for proton exchange membrane fuel cells. The research evaluated the impact of four factors and found that increasing water accumulation and nitrogen mass fraction, while decreasing hydrogen mass fraction, led to a decrease in electrical current density, reflecting the cell performance. The percentage error between Taguchi calculations and computational outputs for power densities was found to be relatively low, indicating the effectiveness of the integrated approach.