PEM fuel cell modeling and optimization using a genetic algorithm
Date
2010
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
University of Delaware
Abstract
The future of the world's energy solutions requires a diverse range of ideas
relating to the harvest, storage, transmission, implementation, and use of various
energy sources. Ideally these sources are incorporated in a renewable and sustain-
able manner. An important aspect of the efficient use of limited resources is the
design of efficient systems that use these resources. Hydrogen is a potential carrier
of clean and renewable energy. It is therefore important to increase the efficiency
of the devices that utilize hydrogen as a reactant. This project focuses on effective
design of Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cells (PEMFCs). The optimization
process in this research implements a Genetic Algorithm (GA) to efficiently and
effectively search the PEMFC design parameters that have significant influence on
performance. This research develops and implements a method of automatic generation of parameterized channel domains that are evaluated for performance by
a computational
fluid dynamics (CFD) technique. The CFD calculations are conducted by the use of commercially available software from ANSYS. The software
package includes GAMBIT as the solid modeling and meshing software, the solver
FLUENT, and a PEMFC Add-on Module capable of modeling the relevant physical
mechanisms that describe cell operation. The result of the optimization process is
a set of optimal channel parameter values for single- and double-serpentine channel
configurations. The optimal values for these parameters are identified for a PEMFC
of a desired nominal area.