Key points are not available for this paper at this time.
Proton exchange membrane water electrolyzers (PEMWEs) are a central focus in the quest for clean fuel production from water. A comprehensive computational modeling of PEMWE is essential for predicting and optimizing the performance of PEMWE, enabling efficient design and advancement in clean energy technologies. In this study, a 2-D, transient, multiphysics, and multiphase model is developed to study the performance of PEMWE with a focus on morphological and geometrical features of porous transport layer (PTL), liquid saturation, gas pressure, and operating temperature. User Defined Function (UDF), an add-on of Ansys Fluent ® is used to solve the transport equations in different layers of the PEMWE model. The model is first validated against experimental data (figure 1) from the literature. Mass transfer of each species (hydrogen, oxygen, vapor, and dissolved water) and heat transfer are analyzed in each layer of PEMWE, including PTL, anode catalyst layer, membrane, cathode catalyst layer, and gas diffusion layer. Besides, the electronic and ionic potential in all domains, along with the liquid water saturation distribution in porous layers, are investigated. Different governing parameters such as cell voltage, and operating temperature are varied to get the performance of the electrolyzer cell. The findings will provide new insights into electrolyzer cell performance under various operating conditions, offering valuable information for adjusting parameters and optimizing the design of electrolyzer cells. Figure 1
Neerob et al. (Fri,) studied this question.