Performance Comparison of PEM Fuel Cell with Enhanced Cross-Flow Split Serpentine and Single Serpentine Flow Field Desig
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RESEARCH ARTICLE-CHEMICAL ENGINEERING
Performance Comparison of PEM Fuel Cell with Enhanced Cross‑Flow Split Serpentine and Single Serpentine Flow Field Designs Sheikh Abdulla1 · Murali Mohan Seepana1 · Venkata Suresh Patnaikuni1 Received: 24 January 2020 / Accepted: 15 July 2020 © King Fahd University of Petroleum & Minerals 2020
Abstract The present study is aimed at demonstrating the efficacy of enhanced cross-flow split serpentine flow field (ECSSFF) over the single serpentine flow field (SSFF) for a polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell of 55 cm2 active area using threedimensional, multiphase, full-scale CFD simulations. For the present study, pure air and hydrogen are used as reactants on cathode and anode side, respectively. The effect of rib width-to-channel width ratio on the cell performance for the two flow field designs is studied. The power output of the three-channeled ECSSFF is studied and compared with the performance of SSFF at different operating temperatures and pressures. The performance displayed by ECSSFF design is on par with that of SSFF design with almost 30 times lesser pressure drop. ECSSFF has exhibited superior performance in terms of offering high currents and low pressure drops compared to SSFF. Keywords ECSSFF · PEM fuel cell · Enhanced cross-flow · Pressure drop · CFD · Polarization curve · Serpentine flow field design Abbreviations BCGSTAB Bi-conjugate gradient stabilize method BP Bipolar plate CC Current collectors CL Catalyst layer CW Channel width ECSSFF Enhanced cross-flow split serpentine flow field GDL Gas diffusion layer GFC Gas flow channel LBM Lattice–Boltzmann method MEA Membrane electrode assembly MPL Membrane porous layer PEM Proton exchange membrane PEMFC Proton exchange membrane fuel cell RH Relative humidity RW Rib width SSFF Single serpentine flow field TSFF Triple serpentine flow field
* Venkata Suresh Patnaikuni [email protected] 1
Department of Chemical Engineering, NIT Warangal, Warangal 506004, India
1 Introduction Polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) fuel cells are the potential alternatives for replacing the present conventional method of power generation. They produce power without any pollutants, when pure hydrogen is the fuel. It has the potential to satisfy the ever-increasing demand especially in automotive sectors [1]. Because of these reasons, large research interest is going on to boost the efficiency of the PEM fuel cell (PEMFC) system. Bipolar plates (BPs) are one of the crucial components of PEMFC, which facilitate the flow of reactants to catalyst sites, conduct electrons, remove generated water and dissipate waste heat that are generated during the reactions in the cell. Optimizing bipolar plate experimentally is very difficult, and it requires a lot of time and resources. On the other hand, numerical technique is an efficient tool to optimize the BP design [2]. The power output of a PEMFC mostly depends on efficient flow channel design, because a channel layout which is not properly designed will lead to maldistributio
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