Hydrogen fuel cells are becoming an emerging option for clean power generation due to global needs for sustainable and clean energy methods. Among them, proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) offer an optimum performance, compact design and eco-friendliness. But PEMFCs’ performance is constrained by non-uniform current distribution, water imbalance, and heat accumulation from complex electrochemical and transport interactions. Addressing these challenges, the current research develops a 3-D PEMFC model using COMSOL Multiphysics to analyze coupled effects of electrochemical reactions, charge transport, gas diffusion and thermal behavior under different operating voltages ranging from 0.95 V to 0.4 V. The objective is to optimize PEMFCs’ operating conditions by understanding the interplay between potential distribution, species transport and heat generation. Simulation outcomes indicate that lowering the cell voltage enhances electrochemical activity, yielding a peak electrode current density of 1.4 × 10 4 A/m 2 and an electrolyte current density of 1.5 × 10 4 A/m 2 at 0.4 V. The maximum velocity of 0.94 m/s confirms efficient reactant movement, while hydrogen and oxygen mole fraction contours show effective fuel utilization along the channels. Water production and mole fraction distributions indicate peak water formation near the cathode interface; as a result, membrane hydration is improved along with flooding risk increase. The total heat emission density of 6.8 × 10 8 W/m 3 and an overpotential magnitude of 0.05 V indicate an intense reaction kinetics and polarization effects. Overall, this research offers important details about enhancing water, heat and charge management for improved PEMFC performance, stability and durability in sustainable energy applications.
Veettil et al. (Fri,) studied this question.