A numerical study on the performance of PEMFC with wedge-shaped fins in the cathode channel

Abstract

The gas flow field design has a significant influence on the overall performance of a proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC). A single-channel PEMFC with wedge-shaped fins in the cathode channel was proposed, and the effects of fin parameters such as volume (0.5 mm3, 1.0 mm3, and 1.5 mm3), number (3, 5, and 9), and porosity of the gas diffusion layer (GDL) (0.2, 0.4, 0.6, and 0.8) on the performance of PEMFC were numerically examined based on the growth rate of power density (GRPD) and polarization curve. It was shown that wedge-shaped fins could effectively improve the PEMFC performance. With an increase in fin volume, the distributions of oxygen mass fraction in the outlet area of the cathode channel were lower, the drainage effect of the PEMFC improved, and GRPD also increased accordingly. Similar results were obtained as the number of fins increased. The GDL porosity had a greater effect than the wedge-shaped fins on the improvement in PEMFC performance, but the influence of GDL porosity weakened and the GRPD of porosity decreased as the porosity increased. This study provides an effective guideline for the optimization of the cathode channel in a PEMFC.