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Performance Improvement of a Single PEM Fuel Cell Using an Innovative Flow Field Design Methodology

  • Research Article-Mechanical Engineering
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Abstract

Flow fields of polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) are used to feed reactant gases over the surface of catalyst layer homogeneously and remove byproduct, water. Optimization of the flow field design would improve homogeneity of the gas distribution and pressure drop values resulting in higher power density values. Flow field designs inspired from veins of tree leaves have been analyzed and tested. A mathematical model has been conducted for verifying the experimental results. A decrease in pressure drop and homogeneous distribution of gasses without flooding was observed with our novel designs. The dimensions of the flow channels were selected based upon tree leaves that obey Murray’s law. Semi cylindrical obstacles were fabricated on the ground to direct the gas flow to the gas diffusion layer. The effect of these obstacles was observed at high current values. The cell performance and current density–temperature distribution analysis showed performance improvement up to 42.1% in comparison with the standard serpentine design. Homogeneity of current and temperature distributions was also improved with the proposed design. Additionally, water removal was improved with the current design.

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank Coordination of Scientific Research Projects of Sakarya University for their financial support (Project # BAP 2014-05-04-001) and Bilvetek Corp. for their technical support.

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  1. Mechanical Engineering Department, Faculty of Technology, Sakarya University of Applied Sciences, 54187, Sakarya, Turkey

    H. Kahraman & A. Coban

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  1. H. Kahraman
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  2. A. Coban
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Correspondence to A. Coban.

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Kahraman, H., Coban, A. Performance Improvement of a Single PEM Fuel Cell Using an Innovative Flow Field Design Methodology. Arab J Sci Eng 45, 5143–5152 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13369-020-04368-y

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