Pressure drop reduction in proton exchange membrane fuel cell using novel hybrid reactant flow channels

Proper design of the flow field can increase the performance of a Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) fuel cell. Though, various flow field patterns proposed in the recent literature, serpentine flow channel offers high current density and good water management. On the other hand, pin configuration offers a very low pressure drop with reduced current density. In this work, the serpentine flow channel is hybridized with pin configuration to provide distinct benefits. A comparison is made in terms of performance, water management, and pressure drop of the reactants. Results show that hybridizing the pins in the serpentine flow field can reduce the pressure drop by 54.8% without compromising the cell's output power. Further, the hybrid flow fields offer good water management than the cell with a simple serpentine flow channel. Providing radius in the channel bend reduces the pressure loss up to 4.92% in the serpentine flow channel.