Mathematics and Computers in Simulation 72 (2006) 242–248 Modeling fluid flow in fuel cells using the lattice-Boltzmann approach Lian-Ping Wang ∗ , Behnam Afsharpoya Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Delaware, Newark, DE 19716-3140, USA Available online 14 July 2006 Abstract Two flow problems relevant to fuel cell modeling are simulated with the lattice-Boltzmann (LB) approach. The first is a 3D viscous flow through a section of serpentine channel and the second is a 2D channel filled or partially filled with porous medium. In the first case, attention is given to the implementation details such as inlet–outlet boundary conditions, nonuniform grid, and forcing. It was shown that the flow pattern and pressure distribution depends sensitively on the flow Reynolds number as the flow Reynolds number is increased from 10 to 1000. There also appears to be some evidence that the transition to a turbulent flow occurs at Reynolds number on the order of 1000. In the second case, the effects of multiple time scales and interface between the porous medium and clear channel are considered. It was shown that, in order to obtain correct results at the interface or near the boundary, the physical time scales of the problem must be kept larger than the lattice time. This can be achieved by using a small particle velocity in the LB scheme. © 2006 IMACS. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. Keywords: Lattice Boltzmann approach; Fuel cells; Serpentine channel; Porous medium; Pressure loss 1. Introduction Fuel cells are electrochemical reactors generating electricity directly from oxidation reactions of fuels. Due to their high efficiency (typically twice of the energy conversion efficiency of internal combustion engines), near-zero emissions, low noise, and portability, fuel cells are being considered as a potentially viable energy-conversion device for mobile, stationary, and portable power. The low operation temperature of the proton-exchange membrane fuel- cell (PEMFC) makes it a preferred fuel-cell type for automotive applications. A PEMFC unit consists of two thin, porous electrodes (an anode and a cathode) separated by a membrane-electrode assembly. Reactants (e.g., hydrogen and air) are brought into the cell through flow distribution channels (Fig. 1a). Computational models of increasing complexity are currently being developed to better understand issues related to the performance of PEMFC, such as pressure loss and temperature distribution in the flow channels, species transport through porous gas diffusion layers, and water management on the cathode side. Wang [11] provides a review of recent modeling efforts using traditional computational fluid dynamics (CFD) based on macroscopic conservation equations. ∗ Corresponding author. E-mail address: lwang@udel.edu (L.-P. Wang). 0378-4754/$32.00 © 2006 IMACS. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.matcom.2006.05.038