The mass flow distribution and local flow structures that lead to areas of reactant starvation are explored for a small power large active area PEM fuel cell. A numerical model was created to examine the flow distribution for three different inlet profiles; blunt, partially developed, and fully developed. The different inlet profiles represent the various distances between the blower and the inlet to the fuel cell and the state of flow development. The partially and fully developed inlet profiles were found to have the largest percentage of cells that are deficient, 20% at a flow rate of 6.05 g/s. Three different inlet mass flow rates (stoichs) were also examined for each inlet profile. The largest percent of cells deficient in reactants is 27% and occurs at the highest flow rate of 9.1 g/s (3 stoichs) for the partially and fully developed turbulent profiles. In addition to the uneven flow distribution, flow separation occurs in the front four channels for the blunt inlet profile at all flow rates examined. These areas of flow separation lead to localized reactant deficient areas within a channel.
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February 2006
This article was originally published in
Journal of Fuel Cell Science and Technology
Research Papers
Effects of Inlet Mass Flow Distribution and Magnitude on Reactant Distribution for PEM Fuel Cells
M. McGarry,
M. McGarry
The College of New Jersey
, Ewing, New Jersey 08628-0718
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L. Grega
L. Grega
The College of New Jersey
, Ewing, New Jersey 08628-0718
Search for other works by this author on:
M. McGarry
The College of New Jersey
, Ewing, New Jersey 08628-0718
L. Grega
The College of New Jersey
, Ewing, New Jersey 08628-0718J. Fuel Cell Sci. Technol. Feb 2006, 3(1): 45-50 (6 pages)
Published Online: July 20, 2005
Article history
Received:
March 21, 2005
Revised:
July 20, 2005
Citation
McGarry, M., and Grega, L. (July 20, 2005). "Effects of Inlet Mass Flow Distribution and Magnitude on Reactant Distribution for PEM Fuel Cells." ASME. J. Fuel Cell Sci. Technol. February 2006; 3(1): 45–50. https://doi.org/10.1115/1.2134736
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