A novel opposite sinusoidal wave flow channel for performance enhancement of proton exchange membrane fuel cell

The optimized design of the flow field structure helps to enhance the mass transfer and water removal capacity of the proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC). A novel opposite sinusoidal wave flow channel is proposed in this study, and the influence of amplitudes and periods of the sinusoidal function on performance of PEMFC is explored by numerical simulation. The research results show that the mass transfer capacity of the opposite sinusoidal wave channel is better than that of the straight channel. By increasing the amplitude, combined with decreasing the period, the mass transfer capacity and the performance of the PEMFC can be effectively enhanced. Compared with the straight channel, for an amplitude of 0.8 mm and a period of 0.5Π mm at 2.0 A cm −2 , the net power density is increased by 16.61% and 12.01% respectively. Moreover, based on the volume of fluid model, the transport process and distribution characteristics of liquid water in the straight channel and the opposite sinusoidal wave channel are compared and analyzed. The results show the drainage period of the opposite sinusoidal wave channel is half shorter compared to the straight channel. Therefore, the proposed opposite sinusoidal wave channel has better water removal capacity. • A novel opposite sinusoidal wave flow channel is proposed for performance enhancement. • The influence of amplitudes and periods of the sine function on performance of PEMFC is explored. • The proposed sinusoidal wave channel shows excellent mass transfer and water removal capacity.