Numerical Analysis of Three-Dimensional Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell with Spiral Channels

We introduce a 3D methodology based on the Finite Volume Method to solve the governing equations of the Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell with a spiral gas channel design. These equations were evaluated in both the anode and cathode gas channels. This research investigates the influence of the spiral design on the output characteristics of fuel cells under appropriate operating conditions, and the obtained results are validated against experimental data. In the present work, this important result was obtained that the use of the spiral anode and cathode gas channels has a significant effect on the performance of the fuel cell and, accordingly, it is effective in the consumption or production of species such as hydrogen, oxygen, and water. Prolonging the movement path of gases causes them to penetrate more into the inner layers and intensify the electrochemical reaction. On the other hand, the important result obtained was that in terms of electric current generation and pressure drop, the fuel cell with 8 arcs is more reasonable than other models, which has improved the cell current density by 21% and cell performance index by 18.5% at V=0.4[V]. The results related to the superiority of the model with 8 arcs have been analyzed by presenting diagrams and contours of the distribution of oxygen mass fraction, water mass fraction, electric current density, temperature, and potential loss. The results revealed that by increasing the arcs from 5 to 8, the cell consumes more hydrogen and oxygen and accordingly, the water production on the cathode side grows up. Also, by increasing arcs, the temperature of the fuel cell is enhanced due to the intensification of the electrochemical reaction, which results are presented in full detail in the form of contours and graphs.