Optimizing Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell across Varied Inlet and Outlet Dimensions

Abstract

A proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) is a promising hydrogen energy converter to curb climate change and energy security through its application. The stability of PEMFC performance is related to the reactant uniformity along the flow field of the bipolar plate. An uneven distribution of reactants and products diminishes the overall electrochemical performance by obstructing ion and electron transport over the membrane electrode assembly region. A parallel flow field was employed to study the impact of different cathode inlet/outlet widths on the current density distribution in a PEMFC. Namely simulations A and B for the inlet/outlet width of 8 millimeters and 28 millimeters on the cathode side. Results showed that simulation B generated an even flow with a less drastic change in velocity and an 8078 Pascal lower pressure drop than simulation B. This significantly prevented partial flooding when having a larger inlet/outlet width, enhancing the reactant O2 crossflow across the cathode active area interface. Hence, simulation A attained a 24 % lower average current and power density than simulation B. The improvement in PEMFC performance when using large inlet/outlet width highlights the significance of performance improvement considering the inlet/outlet dimension to obtain the optimum design for future commercialisation.