Research Progress on Three-dimensional Flow Field Technology of Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell

doi:10.3901/JME.2021.08.002

Abstract

Abstract: The flow field plate is one of the core components of the proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC), and its flow field structure directly affects the transmission and distribution of reactive gas and the drainage and heat dissipation performance of the fuel cell. The phenomenon of uneven water distribution and local hot spots are common in conventional flow fields, which will lead to degradation of fuel cell output performance and even breakdown of the system. The three-dimensional flow field has excellent mass and heat transfer performance, which can effectively improve the performance of proton exchange membrane fuel cell, and has become a research hotspot. According to the different structure of flow field, three-dimensional flow fields can be divided into complex three-dimensional flow field, pin-type three-dimensional flow field, foam three-dimensional flow field, integrated three-dimensional flow field, wave three-dimensional flow field, bionic three-dimensional flow field and so on. By introducing the working principle of the three-dimensional flow field of proton exchange membrane fuel cell, the advantages of a three-dimensional flow field structures in water and heat management are analyzed emphatically, and the technical measures to enhance the water and heat management are further discussed. At the same time, the common manufacturing technologies of three-dimensional flow field structure are summarized, and the advantages and disadvantages of manufacturing technology are analyzed in detail. Finally, the challenges in practical application and the future development trend of the three-dimensional flow field are summarized and analyzed.

Key words: proton exchange membrane fuel cell, three-dimensional flow field, water and heat management

CLC Number:

TM911

ZHOU Wei, ZHU Xinning, LIAN Yunsong, YOU Changtang. Research Progress on Three-dimensional Flow Field Technology of Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell[J]. Journal of Mechanical Engineering, 2021, 57(8): 2-12.

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