Abstract
A collaborative design for the uneven distributions of a flow channel, gas diffusion layer porosity and catalyst layer porosity are newly proposed to improve the utilization ratio of the membrane electrode assembly of the proton exchange membrane fuel cell. The effects of the uneven design of the rib width and of the uneven porosity parameters of the cathode and anode gas diffusion layer and catalyst layer on the fuel cell performance were studied in detail. Numerical simulations were designed and implemented for validation. The results show that the fuel cell performance could be improved through the collaborative design of uneven distributions for different layers. The rib width gradually decreasing and the porosity of the cathode gas diffusion layer and the cathode catalyst layer gradually increasing along the fluid flow direction would contribute to a better design compared to the regular even design. The new uneven design can make the fuel penetrate into the catalyst layer in time to participate in the reaction, improve the utilization rate of the membrane electrode assembly, and greatly improve the performance of the fuel cell.
Highlights
In recent years, proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) have received more and more attention due to their outstanding advantages such as a high efficiency, environmental friendliness, long life, easy water discharge, high specific power and specific energy.Research work is mainly dedicated to optimizing the performance of PEMFC to realize the commercialization of the fixed and automotive power supplies
Manso et al [3] numerically studied the effect of the channel cross-sectional aspect ratio of the serpentine flow field on the performance of PEMFC
Park et al [5] studied the effects of different channel widths and rib widths in a single serpentine flow field on the performance of the direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC) through numerical and experimental studies
Summary
Proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) have received more and more attention due to their outstanding advantages such as a high efficiency, environmental friendliness, long life, easy water discharge, high specific power and specific energy.Research work is mainly dedicated to optimizing the performance of PEMFC to realize the commercialization of the fixed and automotive power supplies. The design of the flow field structure of the fuel cell bipolar plate plays an important role in the distribution of reactant gas and the distribution of liquid water in the channel [1]. The gas diffusion layer (GDL) and catalyst layer (CL), as important parts of the membrane electrode assembly (MEA) of a PEMFC, provide mass transfer channels for reactants and products, and affect the progress of electrochemical reactions inside the fuel cell. The design of the flow field structure, gas diffusion layer and catalyst layer significantly affect the transmission characteristics, performance and life of PEMFC [2]. Park et al [5] studied the effects of different channel widths and rib widths in a single serpentine flow field on the performance of the direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC) through numerical and experimental studies. The above research mainly studies its influence on fuel cell performance by adjusting the geometric parameters of the flow channel
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