NUMERICAL analysis of the effects of current collector plate geometry on performance in a cylindrical PEM fuel cell

Abstract

In this study, a numerical analysis was conducted to investigate the effects of current collector plate geometry on performance in a cylindrical PEM (Proton Exchange Membrane) fuel cell. For this purpose, 2 anode and cathode current collector plate geometries for each helix channel and straight channel were designed. Current collector plates with different geometries were combined with different sequences, and four different main model fuel cell geometries were created. Accordingly, anode and cathode current collector plates for Model-1, Model-2, Model-3, and Model-4 geometries were determined as straight-straight, helix-helix, straight-helix, and helix-straight, respectively. Using these model geometries, simulations were conducted for three different operating pressures, four different operating flow rates, and ten different operating voltages. It was observed that when helix flow channels were used instead of straight flow channels in current collection plate geometries, the flow density increased by approximately 63.18%. The results also revealed that the current density increased by approximately 206.9% when the fuel cell operating pressure increased. In addition, the power density increased as the operating pressure increased. As the gas flow to anode and cathode increased, a 19.05% increase in the current increase in the pressure difference was observed. As a result, the helix flow channel usage performed better than the straight flow channel for the parameters adopted in this study.