Research on Different Design of Plane Flow Fields about Intersection Node in PEMFC
Publication: Journal of Energy Engineering
Volume 149, Issue 3
Abstract
Because flow field design is an effective method for improving the performance of proton exchange membrane fuel cells, some novel flow fields have been proposed to improve mass transportation in the horizontal plane using numerical methods. Different geometrical characteristics in the horizontal plane, such as the intersection-node coverage area, intersection form, and intersection-node distribution, have been used to discuss their effects on cell performance. The simulation results were obtained from nine cases. According to the calculations, introducing a crossover node could increase the current density by up to 26%. The simulation results elucidated that expansion of the reaction area facilitates oxygen diffusion. Forced convection was induced by an inclined channel, which increased the reactant concentration in the downstream region. Therefore, the uniformity of the current density also increased. The flow rate of the gas was affected by the symmetrical mode. Among them, high gas flow velocities were more easily observed in a flow field with a centrally symmetric distribution node.
Practical Applications
Proton exchange membrane fuel cells are a promising energy conversion device for a wide range of applications. It can directly convert chemical energy into electrical energy. There is one key component in the fuel cell, named the bipolar plate. On them, there are channels with grooves formed by machining; comprehensive performances of the fuel cells are profoundly determined by the structure and distribution of these channels. Therefore, rational design of the flow field is an effective way to improve the fuel cell performance. If the channels are intersected by each other, the intersection nodes will be generated. That is, the structure of the flow field will be changed by introducing different intersection nodes in terms of coverage area, intersection form, and distribution. The purpose of these measures is to increase the residence time of the gas in the flow field. Therefore, this study will introduce the reader to how the performance of the fuel cell is affected by the flow field with intersection nodes.
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Data Availability Statement
All data, models, and code generated or used during the study appear in the published article.
Acknowledgments
This work is financially supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (Nos. 51905068 and 52101008), the Natural Science Foundation of Liaoning Province (No. 2020-HYLH-24), the open research fund from the state key laboratory of rolling and automation, Northeastern University (No. 2020RALKFKT012), and the Projects for Dalian Youth Star of Science and Technology (No. 2021RQ135).
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Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Energy Engineering
Volume 149 • Issue 3 • June 2023
Copyright
© 2023 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Aug 28, 2022
Accepted: Jan 9, 2023
Published online: Feb 24, 2023
Published in print: Jun 1, 2023
Discussion open until: Jul 24, 2023
ASCE Technical Topics:
- Density currents
- Energy engineering
- Energy sources (by type)
- Engineering fundamentals
- Flow (fluid dynamics)
- Fluid dynamics
- Fluid mechanics
- Gas flow
- Highway and road management
- Highway transportation
- Highways and roads
- Hydrologic engineering
- Infrastructure
- Intersections
- Mathematics
- Membranes
- Methodology (by type)
- Numerical methods
- Renewable energy
- Structural engineering
- Structural members
- Structural systems
- Symmetry
- Transportation engineering
- Velocity distribution
- Water and water resources
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