Effect of superior mesenteric artery branch structure-based flow field on PEMFC performance

Abstract The flow field structure of a proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) is a key factor that affects its performance. In this study, based on the structural characteristics of the superior mesenteric artery and branches of the human body, a new type of bionic flow field was designed for a PEMFC. The effects of the conventional serpentine flow field (CSFF) and new bionic flow field (NBFF) on fuel cell performance were studied via simulation and experiment. Compared with the CSFF, the NBFF significantly improves droplet dynamic transmission characteristics, reduces droplet aggregation at bends, shortens the retention time of droplets in the flow field, and increases the droplet removal rate by 36.3%. The output performance of the NBFF-based fuel cell is the best under an air flow rate of 4 L/min and a hydrogen flow rate of 2.5 L/min. The NBFF exhibits better heat dissipation than the CSFF does. When the current density is high and the operating temperature exceeds 50 °C, the performance of the NBFF fuel cell is improved by 30.03% compared with that of the CSFF-best fuel cell. Moreover, the actual working temperature of PEMFC is 60–80 °C. Therefore, the NBFF can enhance the practicability of fuel cells.