Energy Systems Design and Computational Modelling

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Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cells (PEMFCs) are electrochemical energy conversion devices that can provide clean power to road vehicles, homes and portable electronics. The efficient and reliable operation of a fuel cell depend on the effective flow and control of reactant gases, product water, heat, electrons and protons in conjunction with the electrochemical reaction. Some aspects of these transport phenomena are at the boundaries of current knowledge. Through a combination of new experimental and simulation methods, the proposed research program will probe and resolve the underlying mechanical and chemical processes, and use this knowledge to inform the development of reliable computational design and optimization tools. These tools will be applied, in collaboration with Canadian companies at the vanguard of fuel cell technology, to realize low cost and improved durability designs and to explore novel control concepts.