Experimental Evaluation of PEM Fuel Cell Performance Using Single and Double Wavy Flow Field Designs

ABSTRACT The clean energy generating capabilities of proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) make them one of the most attracting power sources for automotive applications. Using a single serpentine channel design, two distinct wavy profile flow fields—one single wavy and one double wavy—were fabricated on graphite plates for this experimental investigation. A comparative analysis was first carried out between the two configurations. It is observed that the double wavy flow field yielded higher fuel cell performance in comparison to the single wavy configuration. In the second phase of the study, parametric study was conducted for the optimized double wavy flow field. The variation of different operating parameters of operating temperature (OT), anode humidification temperature (AHT), cathode humidification temperature (CHT), anode flow rate (AFR), and cathode flow rate (CFR) are considered for this experimentation. From the results, it is observed that the AFR = 300 sccm, CFR = 350 sccm, CHT = 60°C, AHT = 70°C, and OT = 60°C, are optimal operating parameters. The fuel cell reached a maximum power density of 2.31 W·cm −2 under these circumstances.