Boosting the performance of polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells with porous flow fields: Pros and cons

Le résumé fourni par la source

The design of the cathode flow field plays a relevant role in the performance of proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFC). Recently, porous flow fields have emerged as an alternative to conventional rib/channel flow fields (e.g., serpentine flow field) in an attempt to increase PEMFC performance . In this work, we aim to shed light on pros and cons of both bipolar plate types by analyzing transport through porous and rib/channel flow fields using experimental and numerical work. The experimental polarization curves and oxygen transport resistance data of a cathode porous flow field are used to validate the numerical model. Then, a comprehensive parametric study of the model is presented, involving both operating and constructive parameters . The results show that the main advantages of porous flow fields are: ( i ) the improvement of oxygen transport, ( i i ) the decrease of flooding in the cathode MEA , and ( i i i ) the increase of the distribution homogeneity in the in-plane direction of physical parameters (e.g., current density and temperature). In contrast, the main disadvantages are: ( i ) the potential effect of electrical contact resistances between porous surfaces, and ( i i ) the decrease of the water removal drag force in the cathode channel. The above two issues can be mitigated using: ( i ) thinly manufactured foams and/or increasing the assembly compression, and ( i i ) hybrid porous flow fields that incorporate a rib/channel pattern with fine pore-size porous ribs.

Ce résumé expose les affirmations des auteurs. BNTIC ne l’interprète pas comme une validation indépendante des résultats.