Study of Temperature Distribution of H2/O2 Polymer Electrolyte Fuel Cell in Different Operating Conditions

The fuel cell is an electrochemical energy exchanger that directly converts the chemical energy into direct current and heat. Thermal management and water management are two major challenges in designing and efficiency of polymer fuel cells, which are inherent in each other. In this paper, by manufacture PEM fuel cell and test under different conditions, an analysis will be made of how the temperature is distributed in the full cell. By studding this temperature distribution, the relationship between power generation and heat distribution, thermal parameters (temperature distribution, maximum and minimum temperature) are extracted. The innovation aspect of this paper is to achieve an understanding of the distribution of temperature in polymeric fuel cell under different operating conditions. Also, the temperature distribution has been investigated in open-end and dead-end operating modes in different pressures and stoichiometries. When the fuel cell is changed from the open-end to the dead end mode, the maximum temperature changed from the outlet section in to the input section. By increasing pressure, the importance of maldistribution control and design of a suitable cooling system will increase.