An analysis of the three dimensional flow between the electrode plates of a fuel cell with distributed trapezoidal shape supports has been performed. For a single module computational domain, where periodic and symmetric boundary conditions may be applied, the governing equations of continuity, momentum and temperature are solved by the SIMPLE algorithm using the hybrid scheme.
After validaty the code against some well known benchmark solutions, a series of calculations has been carried out for various geometric shapes and Reynolds numbers. The code is found to capture important flow characteristics such as recirculations, development of the secondary flows, wake behind the trapezoidal supports and, above all, the pressure drop due to the frictional loss. The comparative parametric study that the analysis is useful in designing the flow passage of the fuel cell.
The heat transfer aspect of the phenomena is briefly treated in the study by modifying the temperature boundary conditions rather than tackling the actual problem directly. The results are also presented in the thesis.
