A new one dimensional steady state model for PEM fuel cell

In consideration of the thermodynamic parameters of reactants changed along the channel, a new calculation method for the output voltage of PEM (proton exchange membrane) fuel cell was introduced in this paper based on the empirical equations. Then a one dimension steady state model for PEM fuel was established based on this new calculation method. Simulation studies on the distributions of the partial pressure of gases and current density along the channel were implemented with the model. The simulation results showed that, increasing the pressure of inlet gases can increase the partial pressure differences among the sections of the channel, which would deteriorate the uniformity of current density along the channel; A proper increment of the stoichiometric ratio of inlet gases can alleviate the spatial variations of the parameters of reactants, and the uniformity of current density can be improved by such alleviation. In order to validate the effectiveness of the model, the comparison between simulation results and known experimental data was conducted, which indicates that the presented model has proper accuracy.