Novel complementary cathode flow field for enhancing hydrothermal performance of PEMFC: Optimization and analysis

IF 5.8 2区工程技术 Q1 ENGINEERING, MECHANICAL

International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer Pub Date : 2025-09-25 DOI:10.1016/j.ijheatmasstransfer.2025.127857

Huo Lin, Zijun Zheng, Zhou Wang, Zhihui Zhang, Changhong Wang

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

A rational cathode flow field optimization design plays a key role in enhancing the overall performance of proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC). In this study, a complementary cathode flow field is proposed, which achieves structure-function dual complementarity by ingeniously integrating recesses and blocks. The complementary stepped flow field is further derived based on the flow field characteristics. A three-dimensional numerical PEMFC model is developed to comparatively investigate the effects of flow field geometry parameters on mass transfer and drainage performance. The complementary effects of recesses and blocks are thoroughly analyzed. The results demonstrate that recesses effectively mitigate the high pressure drop caused by blocks, while blocks promote more gas diffusion into recesses. Recesses address the defect of disordered water migration induced by blocks, while blocks compensate for the shortcoming of difficult water discharge in recesses after water collection. Compared with the conventional straight channel (SC), the net power densities of the recess-only and block-only channels increase by 12.56% and 3.92%, respectively, while that of the novel channel increases by 17.25%, even exceeding the sum of the previous two increases. RB2-6 is the best-performing complementary cathode flow field. At the center lines of channel and rib, compared with SC, RB2-6 improves the average O₂ concentration by 17.27% and 430.58%, respectively, and reduces the average water saturation by 16.92% and 17.92%, respectively. ST3 based on RB2-6 is the best-performing complementary stepped flow field, achieving a 38.78% increase in net power density compared with SC and more uniform species distribution.

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提高PEMFC热液性能的新型互补阴极流场：优化与分析

合理的阴极流场优化设计对提高质子交换膜燃料电池（PEMFC）的整体性能起着关键作用。本研究提出了一种互补阴极流场，通过巧妙地整合凹槽和块，实现结构-功能双互补。根据流场特性，进一步推导出互补阶梯流场。建立了三维PEMFC数值模型，比较研究了流场几何参数对传质和排水性能的影响。深入分析了凹槽和块体的互补效应。结果表明，凹槽能有效地缓解由块体引起的高压降，而块体则促进了气体向凹槽的扩散。凹陷解决了块体引起的水无序迁移的缺陷，而块体则弥补了集水后凹陷排水困难的缺点。与传统直线通道（SC）相比，纯凹槽通道和纯阻塞通道的净功率密度分别提高了12.56%和3.92%，而新型通道的净功率密度提高了17.25%，甚至超过了前两者的总和。RB2-6是性能最好的互补阴极流场。在通道和肋部中心线，与SC相比，RB2-6的平均O2浓度分别提高了17.27%和430.58%，平均含水饱和度分别降低了16.92%和17.92%。基于RB2-6的互补阶梯流场ST3表现最好，净功率密度比SC提高38.78%，物种分布更加均匀。

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来源期刊

International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer 工程技术-工程：机械

CiteScore

10.30

自引率

13.50%

发文量

1319

审稿时长

41 days

期刊介绍： International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer is the vehicle for the exchange of basic ideas in heat and mass transfer between research workers and engineers throughout the world. It focuses on both analytical and experimental research, with an emphasis on contributions which increase the basic understanding of transfer processes and their application to engineering problems. Topics include: -New methods of measuring and/or correlating transport-property data -Energy engineering -Environmental applications of heat and/or mass transfer