Performance Analysis of PEMFC with Non-Equidistant Depth 3D Flow Field.

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Electrochemistry
• Mechanical Engineering

Background:

• Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells (PEMFCs) are crucial for clean energy, but mass transport losses at high current densities limit performance.
• Existing flow field designs often focus on 2D structures, leaving potential for optimization in 3D nonequidistant-depth designs.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce and analyze a novel nonequidistant-depth 3D flow field for PEMFCs.
• To investigate the impact of channel tilt and trapezoidal block heights on fuel cell performance.
• To enhance mass transport and power density through optimized flow field geometry.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of metal bipolar plates using rapid laser ablation technology.
• Numerical simulations to analyze gas flow dynamics, reactant distribution, and performance metrics.
• Parametric study varying channel inclinations and trapezoidal block heights.

Main Results:

• An optimal design with 0.3 mm channel tilt height and 0.3 mm trapezoidal block height was identified.
• The proposed 3D flow field significantly increased flow velocity at the Channel-Gas Diffusion Layer (GDL) interface.
• Enhanced and uniform reactant concentration at the GDL-Catalyst Layer (CL) interface was observed.
• Maximum power density increased by 39.48% to 1.551 W/cm².
• Water management was effective, with only a 10.79% rise in water content.

Conclusions:

• The novel nonequidistant-depth 3D flow field design effectively mitigates mass transport losses in PEMFCs.
• Optimized geometric parameters (0.3 mm tilt and block height) yield superior fuel cell performance.
• This design offers a promising pathway for advancing PEMFC technology through improved flow field engineering.