Optimization of Idle Operation for PEMFC Vehicles

Voltage undershoot and non-uniform distributions are often observed when a proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) engine operates at the acceleration or idle mode, due to inappropriate membrane water content and temperature profile. For optimizing the PEMFC vehicle performance at idle mode, a non-isothermal, electrochemical and transport fully coupled 3D model for a 10-cell PEMFC stack with coolant channels is here set up. Numerical simulations show that the voltage undershoot and non-uniformity could be effectively reduced when the relative humidity of inlet reactant is around 80% and coolant mass flow rate 4e-5 kg/s.