Flow field design in Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) fuel cells is a major area of research for performance improvement. Bio-inspired flow field designs are a relatively recent development in fuel cell technology evolution. These novel designs have potential for performance improvements by effective distribution of reactant gases with better water management capabilities. This work investigates the performance and water distribution in a bio-inspired flow field design, formulated using Murray’s law and mimicking a typical leaf venation pattern, in comparison to a conventional single serpentine design. Experiments were conducted using a transparent fuel cell with copper as the conductive channel and current collector. The results indicated the superior performance of the bio-inspired design with a 30% increase in peak power density in comparison to the single serpentine design. Additionally, the flow regimes based on two-phase flows in micro channels were identified and their effects on fuel cell stability were determined.
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ASME 2015 13th International Conference on Fuel Cell Science, Engineering and Technology collocated with the ASME 2015 Power Conference, the ASME 2015 9th International Conference on Energy Sustainability, and the ASME 2015 Nuclear Forum
June 28–July 2, 2015
San Diego, California, USA
Conference Sponsors:
- Advanced Energy Systems Division
ISBN:
978-0-7918-5661-1
PROCEEDINGS PAPER
Comparisons of Performances and Liquid Water Distributions Within Bio-Inspired and Single-Serpentine PEM Fuel Cell Channels
Bhaskar P. Saripella,
Bhaskar P. Saripella
Missouri University of Science and Technology, Rolla, MO
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Umit O. Koylu,
Umit O. Koylu
Missouri University of Science and Technology, Rolla, MO
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Ming C. Leu
Ming C. Leu
Missouri University of Science and Technology, Rolla, MO
Search for other works by this author on:
Bhaskar P. Saripella
Missouri University of Science and Technology, Rolla, MO
Umit O. Koylu
Missouri University of Science and Technology, Rolla, MO
Ming C. Leu
Missouri University of Science and Technology, Rolla, MO
Paper No:
FUELCELL2015-49099, V001T06A001; 9 pages
Published Online:
October 27, 2015
Citation
Saripella, BP, Koylu, UO, & Leu, MC. "Comparisons of Performances and Liquid Water Distributions Within Bio-Inspired and Single-Serpentine PEM Fuel Cell Channels." Proceedings of the ASME 2015 13th International Conference on Fuel Cell Science, Engineering and Technology collocated with the ASME 2015 Power Conference, the ASME 2015 9th International Conference on Energy Sustainability, and the ASME 2015 Nuclear Forum. ASME 2015 13th International Conference on Fuel Cell Science, Engineering and Technology. San Diego, California, USA. June 28–July 2, 2015. V001T06A001. ASME. https://doi.org/10.1115/FUELCELL2015-49099
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