Effect of Trapezoidal Obstacle Height and Arrangement Density on the Performance Enhancement of Tri-Serpentine PEMFCs

The flow field architecture of the proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) cathode critically determines its performance. To enhance PEMFC operation through structural optimization, trapezoidal obstacles were implemented in the cathode flow channels. The height dependence of these obstacles was systematically investigated, revealing that a 0.7 mm obstacle height enhanced mass transfer from channels to the gas diffusion layer (GDL) compared to conventional triple-serpentine designs. This configuration achieved a 12.08% increase in limiting current density alongside improved water management. Subsequent studies on obstacle distribution density identified 75% density as optimal, delivering maximum net power density with 10.6% lower pressure drop than full-density arrangements.