Performance superiority of an arc-shaped polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell over a straight one

Abstract

Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cell (PEMFC) is a promising electricity-producing technology but needs further improvement to become economically viable. Oxygen transfer to reaction zone is known as one of the main PEMFC performance-limiting factors. Accordingly, various recent studies have been focused on fuel cell design to improve oxygen transfer. The present study numerically investigates the influences of converting a straight (or planar) PEMFC to a bent (arc-shaped) one. The idea of PEMFC bending originates from the fact that it can create a velocity component perpendicular to gas diffusion layer (GDL) and exert centrifugal force on channel gas flow towards the GDL; thereby, enhancing oxygen transfer. The results indicate that PEMFC bending can enhance performance up to about 8.33% for the examined operating conditions. It is also observed that PEMFC bending impact factor generally increases with operating pressure, stoichiometry ratio and bending angle, but decreases with operating voltage.