Numerical simulation of performance improvement of PEMFC by four-serpentine wave flow field

Since the flow channel has a significant affection on the performance of the proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs), a new four-serpentine wave flow field structure was designed and analyzed by numerical simulation in COMSOL Multiphysics software in this paper. After validating the established mathematical model, the effect on the performance was investigated by setting the two geometric variables, amplitude, and wavelength. By comparing the results of the distribution of oxygen concentration and the distribution of water concentration on the cathode side, the optimal solutions of amplitude and wavelength were determined. The results show that the output performance of the PEMFCs is best when the amplitude is 0.3 and the wavelength is 2 mm, and the output performance is improved by 7.6%, compared with that of the conventional flow field (CFF). It is shown that the optimized new four-serpentine wave flow field structure has better performance in oxygen transport and drainage capacity and produces a more uniform current density.