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A parametric comparison of temperature uniformity and energy performance of a PEMFC having serpentine wavy channels

Jia, Yuxin ; Sunden, Bengt LU and Xie, Gongnan LU (2019) In International Journal of Energy Research 43(7). p.2722-2736
Abstract

Proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) are regarded as alternative energy sources because they are environment friendly and deliver no harmful emission. As its reliability and power generating efficiency is largely influenced by the temperature distribution, it is necessary to improve the temperature uniformity which is crucial in PEMFCs. To this end, this numerical study presents an attempt to optimize the flow channels via introducing wavy shape flow channels at the ribs. The numerical model is validated by experimental data available in the open literature. Two kinds of wavy shape flow channels are designed while straight flow channel is set as a reference. In the PEMFCs with wavy shape flow channels, the effects of the... (More)

Proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) are regarded as alternative energy sources because they are environment friendly and deliver no harmful emission. As its reliability and power generating efficiency is largely influenced by the temperature distribution, it is necessary to improve the temperature uniformity which is crucial in PEMFCs. To this end, this numerical study presents an attempt to optimize the flow channels via introducing wavy shape flow channels at the ribs. The numerical model is validated by experimental data available in the open literature. Two kinds of wavy shape flow channels are designed while straight flow channel is set as a reference. In the PEMFCs with wavy shape flow channels, the effects of the amplitude and wavelength on the thermal performance are simulated and analyzed. Results show that wavy shape flow channels provide better performance not only for thermal uniformity but also for PEMFC output power and efficiency. With lower amplitude and wavelength of wavy shape flow channels, the power can be promoted up to 3.69% and 7.26% for two kinds of wavy shaped flow channels compared with straight flow channel, respectively. The influences of amplitude and wavelength on the thermal uniformity and the output power are also analyzed. This paper provides a new insight to PEMFC flow channel designers.

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author
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organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
PEMFC, serpentine wavy channel, temperature uniformity, thermal performance
in
International Journal of Energy Research
volume
43
issue
7
pages
2722 - 2736
publisher
John Wiley & Sons Inc.
external identifiers
  • scopus:85058170085
ISSN
0363-907X
DOI
10.1002/er.4327
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
8054b5c9-056c-44c6-9e62-ca4c70c6a851
date added to LUP
2019-01-07 13:42:50
date last changed
2022-04-25 20:01:44
@article{8054b5c9-056c-44c6-9e62-ca4c70c6a851,
  abstract     = {{<p>Proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) are regarded as alternative energy sources because they are environment friendly and deliver no harmful emission. As its reliability and power generating efficiency is largely influenced by the temperature distribution, it is necessary to improve the temperature uniformity which is crucial in PEMFCs. To this end, this numerical study presents an attempt to optimize the flow channels via introducing wavy shape flow channels at the ribs. The numerical model is validated by experimental data available in the open literature. Two kinds of wavy shape flow channels are designed while straight flow channel is set as a reference. In the PEMFCs with wavy shape flow channels, the effects of the amplitude and wavelength on the thermal performance are simulated and analyzed. Results show that wavy shape flow channels provide better performance not only for thermal uniformity but also for PEMFC output power and efficiency. With lower amplitude and wavelength of wavy shape flow channels, the power can be promoted up to 3.69% and 7.26% for two kinds of wavy shaped flow channels compared with straight flow channel, respectively. The influences of amplitude and wavelength on the thermal uniformity and the output power are also analyzed. This paper provides a new insight to PEMFC flow channel designers.</p>}},
  author       = {{Jia, Yuxin and Sunden, Bengt and Xie, Gongnan}},
  issn         = {{0363-907X}},
  keywords     = {{PEMFC; serpentine wavy channel; temperature uniformity; thermal performance}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{7}},
  pages        = {{2722--2736}},
  publisher    = {{John Wiley & Sons Inc.}},
  series       = {{International Journal of Energy Research}},
  title        = {{A parametric comparison of temperature uniformity and energy performance of a PEMFC having serpentine wavy channels}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/er.4327}},
  doi          = {{10.1002/er.4327}},
  volume       = {{43}},
  year         = {{2019}},
}