Research on Different Design of Plane Flow Fields about Intersection Node in PEMFC

Because flow field design is an effective method for improving the performance of proton exchange membrane fuel cells, some novel flow fields have been proposed to improve mass transportation in the horizontal plane using numerical methods. Different geometrical characteristics in the horizontal plane, such as the intersection-node coverage area, intersection form, and intersection-node distribution, have been used to discuss their effects on cell performance. The simulation results were obtained from nine cases. According to the calculations, introducing a crossover node could increase the current density by up to 26%. The simulation results elucidated that expansion of the reaction area facilitates oxygen diffusion. Forced convection was induced by an inclined channel, which increased the reactant concentration in the downstream region. Therefore, the uniformity of the current density also increased. The flow rate of the gas was affected by the symmetrical mode. Among them, high gas flow velocities were more easily observed in a flow field with a centrally symmetric distribution node.