Numerical study of droplet dynamics in a PEMFC gas channel with multiple pores

The water droplet motion in a PEMFC gas channel with multiple pores, through which water emerges, is studied numerically by solving the equations governing the conservation of mass and momentum. The liquid-gas interface is tracked by a level set method which is based on a sharp-interface representation for accurately imposing the matching conditions at the interface. The method is modified to implement the contact angle conditions on the walls and pores. The dynamic interaction between the droplets growing on multiple pores is investigated by conducting the computations until the droplet growth and sliding motion exhibits a periodic pattern. The numerical results show that the configuration subject to droplet merging is not effective for water removal and that the wettability of channel wall strongly affects water management in the PEMFC gas channel.