Optimization of a serpentine flow field with variable channel heights and widths for PEM fuel cells

作     者：LIN Lin, ZHANG XinXin, FENG HuTing & WANG XiaoDong Department of Thermal Engineering, School of Mechanical Engineering, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Bejing 100083, China 

作者机构：Department of Thermal Engineering School of Mechanical Engineering University of Science and Technology Beijing 

出 版 物：《Science China(Technological Sciences)》 (中国科学（技术科学英文版）)

年 卷 期：2010年第53卷第2期

页      面：453-460页

核心收录：

学科分类：0810[工学-信息与通信工程] 0808[工学-电气工程] 08[工学] 0805[工学-材料科学与工程（可授工学、理学学位）] 0702[理学-物理学] 0812[工学-计算机科学与技术（可授工学、理学学位）] 

基　　金：supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 50876009) the Engineering Research Institute Foundation of USTB 

主　　题：PEM fuel cell simplified conjugate-gradient method optimization sub-rib convection 

摘      要：The present study proposes a modified serpentine flow field design in which the channel heights vary along each straight flow path to enhance reactant transport and liquid water removal. An optimization approach, combining a simplified conjugate-gradient method (inverse solver) and a three-dimensional, two-phase, non-isothermal fuel cell model (direct solver), has been developed to optimize the key geometric parameters. The optimal design has tapered channels for channels 1, 3 and 4 and increasing heights for channels 2 and 5 with the flow widths first increasing and then decreasing. The optimal channel heights and widths enhance the efficiency by 22.51% compared with the basic design having all heights and widths of 1 mm. The diverging channels have a greater impact on cell performance than fine adjustments of the channel widths for the present simulation conditions. The channel heights have more effect on the sub-rib convection, while the channel widths affect the uniformity of the fuel delivery more. The reduced channel heights of channels 2–4 significantly enhance the sub-rib convection to effectively transport oxygen to and liquid water out of the diffusion layer. The final diverging channel prevents significant leakage of fuel to the outlet via sub-rib convection.