The Numerical Study of Geometric Influence of Flow Channel Patterns on Performance of Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells

Abstract

This study numerically investigates how the geometry of flow pattern influences performance of proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC), and analyzes how these parameters lead to different distributions of model variables. The investigation focuses on the impact of different bend angle and width of serpentine flow channels and tests how they improve the performance. Three-dimensional simulations are carried out with a steady, two-phase, multicomponent and electrochemical model, using CFD-ACE+, the commercial CFD code. Through simulation with various bend angles and widths, the results show that the combination of 60 deg and 120 deg for flow pattern achieves the highest performance at low operating voltage regime, and flow pattern with wider bend width also produces more current at low operating voltages. Plots of current density indicate that high current density locates at the bending areas of the channels. Therefore, the output current densities of each pattern are improved from the change of bend angle and width.