Effect of shape parameters on the enhancement of ice-melting performance in a novel perforated gas diffusion layer of proton exchange membrane fuel cell

Abstract

To explore ice-melting process in a perforated gas diffusion layer and an effective and efficient GDL structure to enhance ice melting performance, a three-dimensional ice-melting model was established via lattice Boltzmann method based on enthalpy. The modified curved boundary condition was used in the model to consider complex carbon fiber surface. The influence of the hole shape parameters on ice melting was investigated. The main finding of the work is that the ice in a perforated gas diffusion layer can be melted faster than that in a conventional gas diffusion layer, which means that perforated gas diffusion layer has better ice melting ability. The width mainly influences the enhancement area of heat transfer. When the Fourier number is 0.1, as the width increases, the melting rate increases from 0.55 to 0.62. If the hole depth is larger than 0.5 times the thickness of the gas diffusion layer, the hole can act to enhance the ice melting. The maximum ice melting rate at a Fourier number of 0.1 is only 0.59. The increasing number of holes makes the temperature more evenly distributed. When the Fourier number is 0.1, as the number increases, the ice melting rate increases from 0.55 to 0.62.