Numerical study of a new cathode flow-field design with a sub-channel for a parallel flow-field polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell

The cathode flow-field design of a polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) fuel cell is crucial to its performance, because it determines the distribution of reactants and the removal of liquid water from the fuel cell. In this study, the cathode flow-field of a parallel flow-field PEM fuel cell was optimized using a sub-channel. The main-channel was fed with moist air, whereas the sub-channel was fed with dry air. The influences of the sub-channel flow rate (SFR, the amount of air from the sub-channel inlet as a percentage of the total cathode flow rate) and the inlet positions (SIP, where the sub-channel inlets were placed along the cathode channel) on fuel cell performance were numerically evaluated using a three-dimensional, two-phase fuel cell model. The results indicated that the SFR and SIP had significant impacts on the distribution of the feed air, removal of liquid water, and fuel cell performance. It was found that when the SIP was located at about 30% along the length of the channel from main-channel inlet and the SFR was about 70%, the PEM fuel cell exhibited much better performance than seen with a conventional design.