Published online by Cambridge University Press: 19 October 2010
The power density of a proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) depends on severalparameters. The contact resistance between the bipolar plate (BPP) and the gas diffusionlayer (GDL) and the porosity of the GDL are two main parameters involved in theperformance of the PEMFC. The purpose of this work is to develop a numerical model todescribe the contact behavior (contact zone, contact force) on the interfaces between thedifferent layers in order to propose an optimal structure for the high performance of PEMfuel cells. Numerical results can help to increase the knowledge of fuel cell’sperformance and to determine the optimal structure which can be used in the design of fuelcells.