Numerical study of droplet dynamics in a polymer electrolyte fuel cell gas channel using an embedded Eulerian-Lagrangian approach

JOURNAL OF POWER SOURCES

卷:323

Article

Jarauta, Alex¹  Ryzhakov, Pavel¹  Secanell, Marc²  Waghmare, Prashant R.³  Pons-Prats, Jordi¹ 

[1] CIMNE, Gran Capitan S-N, Barcelona 08034, Spain

[2] Univ Alberta, ESDLab, Edmonton, AB, Canada

[3] Univ Alberta, Dept Mech Engn, iSSELab, Edmonton, AB, Canada

关键词: Fuel cells;    Droplet dynamics;    Surface tension;    Embedded;   

DOI  :  10.1016/j.jpowsour.2016.05.030

来源: Elsevier

【 摘 要 】

An embedded Eulerian-Lagrangian formulation for the simulation of droplet dynamics within a polymer electrolyte fuel cell (PEFC) channel is presented. Air is modeled using an Eulerian formulation, whereas water is described with a Lagrangian framework. Using this framework, the gas-liquid interface can be accurately identified. The surface tension force is computed using the curvature defined by the boundary of the Lagrangian mesh. The method naturally accounts for material property changes across the interface and accurately represents the pressure discontinuity. A sessile drop in a horizontal surface, a sessile drop in an inclined plane and droplets in a PEFC channel are solved for as numerical examples and compared to experimental data. Numerical results are in excellent agreement with experimental data. Numerical results are also compared to results obtained with the semi-analytical model previously developed by the authors in order to discuss the limitations of the semi-analytical approach. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

【 授权许可】

Free