Performance enhancement in polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell with flow traps and field gradients: A Numerical Study.

Efficient reactant distribution and water removal are critical during polymer electrolyte fuel cell (PEFC) operation. The bipolar plate and its corresponding flow field design are vital among the PEFC components for enhancing reactant transport and water removal. The issues arising in the PEFC during the high current operation, such as reactant starvation and water removal, can be alleviated by improving the flow channel geometry. In this study, we analyze the variation in overall PEFC performance and corresponding reactant transport phenomenon for two independent design cases. The converging gradient design without channel traps at 0.4 V operating voltage exhibited a current density increment of 6.85% against the conventional design. Moreover, at 0.4 V, including channel traps enhanced the current density, as we observed a current density increment of 7.1% for the converging design with channel traps against the conventional design without channel traps. Likewise, at 0.4 V, the diverging design with channel traps exhibited a current density increment of 5.85% against the diverging design with no channel traps. Further, enhanced reactant distribution is observed in the catalyst layer upon introducing channel traps in the flow field design. [Display omitted] • Flow field design with the inclusion of channel traps is explored for performance. • Flow channel trap inclusion leads to cell performance increment. • Enhanced reactant distribution under the channel trap region is observed. • Converging design (case-2) attains a maximum current density of 1.38 A/cm2. • Converging (case-2) gains 7.0% current density compared to conventional design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]