Abstract In this study, a three-dimensional (3D) multi-phase non-isothermal model of proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cell is present to investigate the current density spatial distributions under different output voltages, temperatures, current densities and relative humidities (RH). Two sets of experimental data are selected for validation, including those from the Los Alamos National Laboratory in the United States and the University of Waterloo in Canada. Reasonable agreements are achieved between the model prediction and experimental measurements, indicative of the validity of this 3D model. In addition, it is found that under a higher RH of 50%, most electric current is produced near the cathode inlet, which is primarily due to the local availability of abundant oxygen and hence small transport polarization. Low current occurs near the outlet of the cathode air flow, as a result of oxygen consumption by the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). Under a lower RH of 25%, the high current density region shifts to the middle of the fuel cell, which is primarily attributed to hydration of the dry membrane by water production. In our case study, the operating temperature has little impact on the current density distribution.

中文翻译：

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使用经过全面验证的多相非等温模型研究 PEM 燃料电池中的电流密度空间分布

摘要 在本研究中，提出了质子交换膜 (PEM) 燃料电池的三维 (3D) 多相非等温模型，以研究不同输出电压、温度、电流密度和相对湿度下的电流密度空间分布。 RH）。选取两组实验数据进行验证，分别来自美国洛斯阿拉莫斯国家实验室和加拿大滑铁卢大学。在模型预测和实验测量之间实现了合理的协议，表明该 3D 模型的有效性。此外，还发现在 50% 的较高 RH 下，大部分电流产生于阴极入口附近，这主要是由于当地有丰富的氧气，因此传输极化小。由于氧还原反应 (ORR) 消耗了氧气，因此在阴极气流出口附近会出现低电流。在 25% 的较低 RH 下，高电流密度区域转移到燃料电池的中部，这主要归因于干膜通过产水进行水合。在我们的案例研究中，工作温度对电流密度分布的影响很小。