Simulation of gas dynamics of different gas channel geometries in fuel cells

A system configured to simulate gas flow dynamics of a real hydrogen fuel cell system, wherein the real hydrogen fuel cell system includes a gas container volume network having gas container volumes interconnected by gas transport lines, the system comprising:

• one or more processors;
• and
• a memory storing instructions, which when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to:
• define a volume element class representing a gas container volume in a model fuel cell;
• define a flow channel element class representing a gas line in the model fuel cell that transports gas from one gas container volume to a different gas container volume,
• define a plurality of volume instances of the volume element class corresponding to a plurality of gas container volumes in the real hydrogen fuel cell system;
• define a plurality of flow channel instances of the flow channel element class corresponding to a plurality of gas transport lines in the real hydrogen fuel cell system;
• for each of the plurality of flow channel instances, create a first interconnection representation that defines a source container volume and a destination container volume for the flow channel instance, wherein the first interconnection representation for the plurality of flow channel instances mimics a portion of the gas container volume network of the real hydrogen fuel cell system;
• in the first interconnection representation, define a gas inlet that introduces gas into a first container volume of the model fuel cell, and define a gas outlet that outputs or releases gas from a second container volume of the model fuel cell;
• and
• simulate, using the first interconnection representation, a thermodynamic state for each of the plurality of volume instances, the thermodynamic state representing at least one user-defined thermodynamic parameter in each container volume of the portion of the gas container volume network of the real hydrogen fuel cell system.

A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having instructions stored thereon, which when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to simulate gas flow dynamics of a real hydrogen fuel cell system, wherein the real hydrogen fuel cell system includes a gas container volume network having gas container volumes interconnected by gas transport lines, wherein execution of the instructions by the one or more processors cause the one or more processors to:

• define a volume element class representing a gas container volume in a model fuel cell;
• define a flow channel element class representing a gas line in the model fuel cell that transports gas from one gas container volume to a different gas container volume,
• define a plurality of volume instances of the volume element class corresponding to a plurality of gas container volumes in the real hydrogen fuel cell system;
• define a plurality of flow channel instances of the flow channel element class corresponding to a plurality of gas transport lines in the real hydrogen fuel cell system;
• for each of the plurality of flow channel instances, create a first interconnection representation that defines a source container volume and a destination container volume for the flow channel instance, wherein the first interconnection representation for the plurality of flow channel instances mimics a portion of the gas container volume network of the real hydrogen fuel cell system;
• in the first interconnection representation, define a gas inlet that introduces gas into a first container volume of the model fuel cell, and define a gas outlet that outputs or releases gas from a second container volume of the model fuel cell;
• and
• simulate, using the first interconnection representation, a thermodynamic state for each of the plurality of volume instances, the thermodynamic state representing at least one user-defined thermodynamic parameter in each container volume of the portion of the gas container volume network of the real hydrogen fuel cell system.