Numerical Simulation of a New Flow Field Design with Rib Grooves for a Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell with a Serpentine Flow Field

The cathode flow field design of a proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cell is essential to fuel cell performance, which directly affects the uniformity of reactant distribution and the ability to remove water. In this paper, the single serpentine flow field design on the cathode side is optimized to reach a high performance by controlling the rib groove rate (the ratio of the number of grooved ribs to the number of total ribs). The rib groove starts from the inlet side and then evenly distributes over the ribs. Four rib groove rates are selected in this study, namely, 0, 1/3, 2/3, and 1. A three-dimensional PEM fuel cell model is used to analyze the output performance of the fuel cell. The results indicate that the rib groove design has a significant effect on the distribution of oxygen at the cathode side, the density of the membrane current, the concentration of water vapor under the rib, and the fuel cell output performance. The output performance of the fuel cell improves with the increased rib groove rate. However, when the rib groove rate is greater than 2/3, its impact on the overall performance of the fuel cell begins to slow down. The PEM fuel cells exhibit the best output performance when the rib groove rate is 1.