IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jeners/v18y2025i15p4068-d1714582.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Performance Improvement of Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell by a New Coupling Channel in Bipolar Plate

Author

Listed:
  • Qingsong Song

    (School of Mechanical Engineering, Hebei University of Science and Technology, Shijiazhuang 050018, China)

  • Shuochen Yang

    (School of Mechanical Engineering, Hebei University of Science and Technology, Shijiazhuang 050018, China)

  • Hongtao Li

    (School of Mechanical Engineering, Hebei University of Science and Technology, Shijiazhuang 050018, China)

  • Yunguang Ji

    (School of Mechanical Engineering, Hebei University of Science and Technology, Shijiazhuang 050018, China)

  • Dajun Cai

    (School of Mechanical Engineering, Yanshan University, Qinhuangdao 066000, China)

  • Guangyu Wang

    (School of Mechanical Engineering, Hebei University of Science and Technology, Shijiazhuang 050018, China)

  • Yuan Liufu

    (School of Mechanical Engineering, Hebei University of Science and Technology, Shijiazhuang 050018, China)

Abstract

The geometric design of flow channels in bipolar plates is one of the critical features of proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs), as it determines the power output of the fuel cell and has a significant impact on its performance and durability. The function of the bipolar plate is to guide the transfer of reactant gases to the gas diffusion layer and catalytic layer inside the PEMFC, while removing unreacted gases and gas–liquid byproducts. Therefore, the design of the bipolar plate flow channel is directly related to the water and thermal management of the PEMFC. In order to improve the comprehensive performance of PEMFCs and ensure their safe and stable operation, it is necessary to design the flow channels in bipolar plates rationally and effectively. This study addresses the limitations of existing bipolar plate flow channels by proposing a new coupling of serpentine and radial channels. The distribution of oxygen, water concentrations, and temperature inside the channel is simulated using the multi-physics simulation software COMSOL Multiphysics 6.0. The performance of this novel design is compared with conventional flow channels, with a particular focus on the pressure drop and current density to evaluate changes in the output performance of the PEMFC. The results show that the maximum current density of this novel design is increased by 67.36% and 10.43% compared to straight channel and single serpentine channels, respectively. The main contribution of this research is the innovative design of a new coupling of serpentine and radial channels in bipolar plates, which improves the overall performance of the PEMFC. This study provides theoretical support for the design of bipolar plate flow channels in PEMFCs and holds significant importance for the green development of energy.

Suggested Citation

  • Qingsong Song & Shuochen Yang & Hongtao Li & Yunguang Ji & Dajun Cai & Guangyu Wang & Yuan Liufu, 2025. "Performance Improvement of Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell by a New Coupling Channel in Bipolar Plate," Energies, MDPI, vol. 18(15), pages 1-20, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jeners:v:18:y:2025:i:15:p:4068-:d:1714582
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/18/15/4068/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/18/15/4068/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Wang, Junye, 2015. "Barriers of scaling-up fuel cells: Cost, durability and reliability," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 80(C), pages 509-521.
    2. Zhang, Shuanyang & Liu, Shun & Xu, Hongtao & Liu, Gaojie & Wang, Ke, 2022. "Performance of proton exchange membrane fuel cells with honeycomb-like flow channel design," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 239(PB).
    3. Li, Wenkai & Zhang, Qinglei & Wang, Chao & Yan, Xiaohui & Shen, Shuiyun & Xia, Guofeng & Zhu, Fengjuan & Zhang, Junliang, 2017. "Experimental and numerical analysis of a three-dimensional flow field for PEMFCs," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 195(C), pages 278-288.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Rahmani, Ebrahim & Moradi, Tofigh & Ghandehariun, Samane & Naterer, Greg F. & Ranjbar, Amirhossein, 2023. "Enhanced mass transfer and water discharge in a proton exchange membrane fuel cell with a raccoon channel flow field," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 264(C).
    2. Yuting Zou & Shiyang Hua & Hao Wu & Chen Chen & Zheng Wei & Zhizhong Hu & Yuwei Lei & Jinhui Wang & Daming Zhou, 2023. "Design of a New Single-Cell Flow Field Based on the Multi-Physical Coupling Simulation for PEMFC Durability," Energies, MDPI, vol. 16(16), pages 1-17, August.
    3. Lopes, Thiago & Beruski, Otavio & Manthanwar, Amit M. & Korkischko, Ivan & Pugliesi, Reynaldo & Stanojev, Marco Antonio & Andrade, Marcos Leandro Garcia & Pistikopoulos, Efstratios N. & Perez, Joelma , 2019. "Spatially resolved oxygen reaction, water, and temperature distribution: Experimental results as a function of flow field and implications for polymer electrolyte fuel cell operation," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 252(C), pages 1-1.
    4. Zhou, Yu & Chen, Ben, 2023. "Investigation of optimization and evaluation criteria for flow field in proton exchange membrane fuel cell: A critical review," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 185(C).
    5. Bai, Xingying & Luo, Lizhong & Huang, Bi & Jian, Qifei & Cheng, Zongyi, 2022. "Performance improvement of proton exchange membrane fuel cell stack by dual-path hydrogen supply," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 246(C).
    6. Huang, Haozhong & Li, Xuan & Li, Songwei & Guo, Xiaoyu & Liu, Mingxin & Wang, Tongying & Lei, Han, 2023. "Evaluating the effect of refined flow channels in a developed biomimetic flow field on PEMFC performance," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 266(C).
    7. Xiao, Fei & Chen, Tao & Gan, zhongyu & Lan, Yang & Chen, Ziyu, 2025. "Flow field design and parameter optimization of PEMFC based on leaf vein structure," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 241(C).
    8. Zhang, Yong & He, Shirong & Jiang, Xiaohui & Xiong, Mu & Ye, Yuntao & Yang, Xi, 2023. "Three-dimensional multi-phase simulation of proton exchange membrane fuel cell performance considering constriction straight channel," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 267(C).
    9. Deng, Zhihua & Chan, Siew Hwa & Chen, Qihong & Liu, Hao & Zhang, Liyan & Zhou, Keliang & Tong, Sirui & Fu, Zhichao, 2023. "Efficient degradation prediction of PEMFCs using ELM-AE based on fuzzy extension broad learning system," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 331(C).
    10. Prantik Roy Chowdhury & Adam C. Gladen, 2024. "Design of Flow Fields for High-Temperature PEM Fuel Cells Using Computational Fluid Dynamics," Energies, MDPI, vol. 17(19), pages 1-27, September.
    11. Alves, Luís & Pereira, Vítor & Lagarteira, Tiago & Mendes, Adélio, 2021. "Catalytic methane decomposition to boost the energy transition: Scientific and technological advancements," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 137(C).
    12. Lu, Guolong & Fan, Wenxuan & Lu, Dafeng & Zhao, Taotao & Wu, Qianqian & Liu, Mingxin & Liu, Zhenning, 2024. "Lung-inspired hybrid flow field to enhance PEMFC performance: A case of dual optimization by response surface and artificial intelligence," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 355(C).
    13. Ruffini, Eleonora & Wei, Max, 2018. "Future costs of fuel cell electric vehicles in California using a learning rate approach," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 150(C), pages 329-341.
    14. Hasheminasab, M. & Kermani, M.J. & Nourazar, S.S. & Khodsiani, M.H., 2020. "A novel experimental based statistical study for water management in proton exchange membrane fuel cells," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 264(C).
    15. Najmi, Aezid-Ul-Hassan & Anyanwu, Ikechukwu S. & Xie, Xu & Liu, Zhi & Jiao, Kui, 2021. "Experimental investigation and optimization of proton exchange membrane fuel cell using different flow fields," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 217(C).
    16. Chang, Huawei & Cai, Fengyang & Yu, Xianxian & Duan, Chen & Chan, Siew Hwa & Tu, Zhengkai, 2023. "Experimental study on the thermal management of an open-cathode air-cooled proton exchange membrane fuel cell stack with ultra-thin metal bipolar plates," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 263(PA).
    17. Zhao, Chen & Wang, Fei, 2023. "Optimal performance and modeling study of air-cooled proton exchange membrane fuel cell with various bipolar plate structure," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 345(C).
    18. Luka Mihanović & Željko Penga & Lei Xing & Viktor Hacker, 2021. "Combining Baffles and Secondary Porous Layers for Performance Enhancement of Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(12), pages 1-28, June.
    19. Zijun Li & Jianguo Wang & Shubo Wang & Weiwei Li & Xiaofeng Xie, 2023. "Liquid Water Transport Characteristics and Droplet Dynamics of Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells with 3D Wave Channel," Energies, MDPI, vol. 16(16), pages 1-19, August.
    20. Wang, Junye, 2015. "Theory and practice of flow field designs for fuel cell scaling-up: A critical review," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 157(C), pages 640-663.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jeners:v:18:y:2025:i:15:p:4068-:d:1714582. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.