Work

Comparative analysis for thermal management strategies in the design of PEMFC bipolar plates using different flow patterns

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: The rapid exhaustion of fossil fuel reserves and the environmental drawbacks of their utilization make renewable energy technology an urgent priority. For the generation of clean energy, proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) are one such promising technology. However, commercialization is marred by issues like high production costs, poor durability, and issues of thermal and water management. This study investigates the influence of various designs of the flow fields on the PEMFC bipolar plate efficiency with the aim of optimizing flow dynamics for enhanced efficiency and fewer operational issues. Six different flow field designs were analyzed using a three-dimensional numerical model on the PEMFC's anode and cathode sides. Utilizing computational fluid dynamics (CFD), the primary performance metrics like current density distribution, profiles of temperature, pressure drop, water content, and relative humidity were investigated. The optimized design has a performance as a result of the flow field enhancement of approximately 12.60% compared to the baseline. The CFD model accurately predicted temperature gradients and pressure loss with deviations of below 6% and 4%, respectively. Moreover, the optimized geometry improved reactant distribution, realizing a mean oxygen concentration of 0.212 molm-³ at the channel outlet in agreement with the experiment. Further, the research demonstrated that increased pressure drop designs favored improved water management and, hence, increased overall fuel cell performance. These findings highlight the significance of optimizing flow field design to achieve high PEMFC performance and provide a verified CFD model for subsequent research to pursue next-generation sustainable energy technologies.

Source: Energy Conversion and Management X

DOI: 10.1016/j.ecmx.2025.101071