City Research Online

Abstract

Gas purging is a critical operation in low-temperature PEM fuel cells (PEMFC) for removing the accumulated liquid water, preventing freezing after shutdown, and maintaining the cell’s durability. In this work, a high-fidelity workflow based on the Volume-of-Fluid (VOF) method is presented for simulating shutdown purging in PEMFC’s with parallel channels. The initialization of liquid water is derived from PEMFC multi-physics simulations, complemented with experimental assumptions of corner attachment and droplet sizes forming on the surface of the gas diffusion layer (GDL). The workflow is tested on the purging of a cathode flow field which has been shut down after operating at 0.4 V for 10 min.

Publication Type:	Article
Additional Information:	© 2026 Wiley-VCH GmbH. This is the peer reviewed version of the following article: Sanchez-Gamero, S., Edelbauer, W., Fink, C. , Janiga, G. & Gavaises, M. (2026). Simulation of PEM Fuel Cell Shutdown Purging Using VOFbased Workflow. Fuel Cells, 26(2), article number e70059, which has been published in final form at 10.1002/fuce.70059. This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Wiley Terms and Conditions for Use of Self-Archived Versions. This article may not be enhanced, enriched or otherwise transformed into a derivative work, without express permission from Wiley or by statutory rights under applicable legislation. Copyright notices must not be removed, obscured or modified. The article must be linked to Wiley’s version of record on Wiley Online Library and any embedding, framing or otherwise making available the article or pages thereof by third parties from platforms, services and websites other than Wiley Online Library must be prohibited.
Publisher Keywords:	gas purging, PEMFC, shutdown, volume-of-fluid
Subjects:	T Technology > TA Engineering (General). Civil engineering (General)
Departments:	School of Science & Technology School of Science & Technology > Department of Engineering
SWORD Depositor:	Symplectic Administrator

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