A Comparative Investigation of L-Serpentine and Single Serpentine Flow Fields Efficiency in Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells using Computational Fluid Dynamics

Fuel cells have been identified as a promising technology to meet future electric power requirements. Out of various fuel cells, Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells (PEMFCs) have been staged up as they can operate at low temperatures and also have a high power density. In this article, the flow field design of a Single Serpentine Flow Field (SSFF) has been modified to L-Serpentine Flow Field (LSFF) in order to reduce thermal and water management problems in PEMFC. A numerical study is conducted on 441 mm² active area at 70 °C and 3 atm operating conditions to evaluate various flow characteristics by comparing LSFF with SSFF, and it is observed that temperature and species flux distribution in LSFF enhanced significantly. The modification of the flow field yields remarkable improvements in various aspects. These enhancements include a more uniform distribution of membrane water content, an impressive 8% increase in O2 consumption, and a remarkable 22% improvement in product evacuation demonstration by the H2O species profile, attributed to a 40% reduction in product travel distance. Additionally, a noteworthy 10% increase in power density is achieved. Despite a slight increase in pressure drop due to the additional bends and turns in the modified flow field, the impact on power density remains insignificant. These findings highlight the immense potential of the modified flow field to significantly enhance performance.