Study on assembly error effect on the performance of proton exchange membrane fuel cell considering membrane electrode assembly deformation

Assembly error, misalignment of components, is inevitable in the fabrication of proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cells. It will induce complex and contradictory effects, such as the higher contact resistance and better gas permeability, making it difficult to evaluate the error tolerance. These coupled impact on the performance of fuel cell needs to be clarified. This study establishes a performance prediction model considering the contact resistance between bipolar plate (BPP) and gas diffusion layer (GDL), deformation of membrane electrode assembly (MEA), and distribution of porosity and permeability in GDL to analyze the effect of assembly error. Assembly error brings better performance due to the higher porosity, permeability, and a more uniform distribution of oxygen. However, contact resistance also increases. Cases with narrow channels, thinner GDL, and lower compression ratios are more susceptible to assembly error, mainly manifested in the higher contact resistance, lower porosity and permeability growth, and less oxygen distribution improvement. Cases with wider channels, thicker GDL, and higher compression ratios have a higher tolerance for assembly error. Considering that contact resistance has a greater impact in most cases, assembly error needs to be avoided. The tolerance of assembly error is proposed to guide the fuel cell fabrication. •A method for analyzing the effects of assembly error on performance is proposed.•Results of the assembly model are input into the performance prediction model.•MEA deformation, the distribution of GDL porosity and permeability are considered.•Effects of channel width, GDL thickness, and compression ratio are analyzed.•Tolerance of assembly error under different conditions is proposed.