Fuel cells are an important building block for the energy-efficient mobility of the future. Their operation in aviation applications requires preconditioning of the ambient air to an optimum pressure and temperature level. The required compressor power can be partially provided by using a turbine in the fuel cell outflow. Due to the high water load in this flow, condensation phenomena occur in the turbine.
The DFG project "Condensation phenomena in aviation fuel cell systems" (KONBREFF) at IFAS is investigating the numerical simulation of condensation phenomena and their sensitivity to changing boundary conditions. A two-stage radial turbine is designed and the impact of the multiphase interaction on the operating behavior with varying boundary conditions is investigated. The numerical analysis is carried out as a multiphase simulation with an implemented model of nucleation and condensation in ANSYS Fluent.