Streamlined disturbance-baffle flow field for transport enhancement in anion exchange membrane water electrolyzers

Uneven liquid renewal can limit reaction-area utilization and heat transport in disk-shaped anion exchange membrane water electrolyzers (AEMWEs). This study proposes a streamlined disturbance-baffle flow field and compares it with baseline straight-through, concave–convex spherical disturbance, and fin-shaped guide-baffle configurations using a three-dimensional electrochemical–flow–thermal model. Effective flow-volume fraction quantifies the channel volume involved in fluid renewal. Flow-field effects become more pronounced with increasing voltage. At 2.1 V, the streamlined configuration raises current density by 12.88% relative to the baseline and increases effective flow-volume fraction by 14.72–44.65% over 1.9–2.1 V. Increasing inlet velocity from 0.1 to 0.5 m/s lowers the maximum temperature by 16.40 K and temperature standard deviation by 42.44%. Among the tested orientations, 45° gives the highest current density at 2.1 V, 6.69% above the unrotated streamlined configuration and 20.43% above the baseline straight-through flow field. Streamlined baffles enhance transport by extending fluid renewal beyond the preferential central pathway.