Analysis of the Influence of Geometrical Parameters on the Performance of a Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell

A suitable channel structure can lead to efficient gas distribution and significantly improve the power density of fuel cells. In this study, the influence of two channel design parameters is investigated, namely, the ratio of the channel width to the bipolar plate ridge width (i.e., the channel ridge ratio) and the channel depth. The impact of these parameters is evaluated with respect to the flow pattern, the gas composition distribution, the temperature field and the fuel cell output capability. The results show that a decrease in the channel ridge ratio and an increase in the channel depth can effectively make the distributions of velocity, temperature and concentration more uniform in each channel and improve the output capability of the fuel cell. An increase in the channel ridge ratio and depth obviously reduces the flow resistance and improves the flow characteristics.