Fuel Cell Stack Water and Thermal Management: Impact of Variable System Power Operation

This paper deals with the analysis of a hydrogen-air fuel cell system based on a Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) fuel cell stack. The goal of the analysis is to understand the impact of stack water and thermal management on the system both during steady state and dynamic operations. The stack level study is done in terms of liquid and water vapor flows and distribution via a detailed stack water management model. An analysis of the stack and the system level implications of varying the anode saturation temperature is performed. It is shown that increasing the anode saturation temperature potentially enhances stack performance but need not improve system performance.