This work presents direct numerical simulations of two-phase flows in fuel cell minichannels. Different two-phase flow configurations can be observed in such minichannels, which depend on gas-flow rate, liquid holdup, and wettability of each wall. These flows are known to have a significant impact on the fuel cell’s performance. The different two-phase flow configurations must be studied specially concerning the prediction of the transition among them. In the fuel cell minichannels, experimental investigations are difficult to perform because of the small size of the device and the difficult control of the wettability properties of the walls. In such systems, numerical approach can provide useful information with a perfect control of the flow characteristics, particularly for the wettability aspect. The numerical code used in this study is the JADIM code developed at IMFT, which is based on a “volume of fluid” method for interface capturing without any interface reconstruction. The numerical description of the surface tension is one of the crucial points in studying such systems where capillary effects control the phase distribution. The static and the dynamics of the triple line between the liquid, the gas, and the wall is also an essential physical mechanism to consider. The numerical implementation of this model is validated in simple situations where analytical solutions are available for the shape and the pressure jump at the interface. In this paper we present the characteristics of the JADIM code and its potential for the studies of the fuel cell internal flows. Numerical simulations on the two-phase flows on walls, in corners, and inside channels are shown.
Skip Nav Destination
e-mail: dupontjb@imft.fr
e-mail: legendre@imft.fr
e-mail: anna-maria.morgante@renault.com
Article navigation
August 2011
This article was originally published in
Journal of Fuel Cell Science and Technology
Research Papers
Numerical Simulation for Two-Phase Flows in Fuel Cell Minichannels
Jean-Baptiste Dupont,
Jean-Baptiste Dupont
Institut de Mécanique des Fluides de Toulouse,
e-mail: dupontjb@imft.fr
UMR CNRS/INPT/UPS 5502
, Allée du Professeur Camille Soula, 31400 Toulouse, France
Search for other works by this author on:
Dominique Legendre,
Dominique Legendre
Institut de Mécanique des Fluides de Toulouse,
e-mail: legendre@imft.fr
UMR CNRS/INPT/UPS 5502
, Allée du Professeur Camille Soula, 31400 Toulouse, France
Search for other works by this author on:
Anna Maria Morgante
e-mail: anna-maria.morgante@renault.com
Anna Maria Morgante
RENAULT Technocentre
, 1 Avenue du Golf, 78288 Guyancourt Cedex, France
Search for other works by this author on:
Jean-Baptiste Dupont
Institut de Mécanique des Fluides de Toulouse,
UMR CNRS/INPT/UPS 5502
, Allée du Professeur Camille Soula, 31400 Toulouse, Francee-mail: dupontjb@imft.fr
Dominique Legendre
Institut de Mécanique des Fluides de Toulouse,
UMR CNRS/INPT/UPS 5502
, Allée du Professeur Camille Soula, 31400 Toulouse, Francee-mail: legendre@imft.fr
Anna Maria Morgante
RENAULT Technocentre
, 1 Avenue du Golf, 78288 Guyancourt Cedex, Francee-mail: anna-maria.morgante@renault.com
J. Fuel Cell Sci. Technol. Aug 2011, 8(4): 041008 (7 pages)
Published Online: March 31, 2011
Article history
Received:
December 9, 2005
Revised:
April 28, 2006
Online:
March 31, 2011
Published:
March 31, 2011
Citation
Dupont, J., Legendre, D., and Morgante, A. M. (March 31, 2011). "Numerical Simulation for Two-Phase Flows in Fuel Cell Minichannels." ASME. J. Fuel Cell Sci. Technol. August 2011; 8(4): 041008. https://doi.org/10.1115/1.3176222
Download citation file:
Get Email Alerts
Cited By
Optimization of Thermal Non-Uniformity Challenges in Liquid-Cooled Lithium-Ion Battery Packs Using NSGA-II
J. Electrochem. En. Conv. Stor (November 2025)
In Situ Synthesis of Nano PtRuW/WC Hydrogen Evolution Reaction Catalyst for Acid Hydrogen Evolution by a Microwave Method
J. Electrochem. En. Conv. Stor (November 2025)
Intelligently Constructing Polyaniline/Nickel Hydroxide Core–Shell Nanoflowers as Anode for Flexible Electrode-Enhanced Lithium-/Sodium-Ion Batteries
J. Electrochem. En. Conv. Stor (November 2025)
State of Health Estimation Method for Lithium-Ion Batteries Based on Multifeature Fusion and BO-BiGRU Model
J. Electrochem. En. Conv. Stor (November 2025)
Related Articles
Numerical Modeling of Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell With Considering Thermal and Relative Humidity Effects on the Cell Performance
J. Fuel Cell Sci. Technol (August,2006)
An Analytical Solution to Predict the Inception of Two-Phase Flow in a Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell
J. Fuel Cell Sci. Technol (December,2010)
Effects of Microhydrophobic Porous Layer on Water Distribution in Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cells
J. Fuel Cell Sci. Technol (February,2014)
Modeling Wall Film Formation and Breakup Using an Integrated Interface-Tracking/Discrete-Phase Approach
J. Eng. Gas Turbines Power (March,2011)
Related Proceedings Papers
Related Chapters
Three-Dimensional Numerical Simulation and Design of PEM Fuel Cell
Inaugural US-EU-China Thermophysics Conference-Renewable Energy 2009 (UECTC 2009 Proceedings)
Thermal Design Guide of Liquid Cooled Systems
Thermal Design of Liquid Cooled Microelectronic Equipment
Numerical Simulation Research on a Fixed Bed Gasifier
International Conference on Information Technology and Management Engineering (ITME 2011)