The flow field analysis of bipolar plates with radial spiral groove in proton exchange membrane fuel cell

Flow field structure of bipolar plate is an important factor affecting the electrochemical characteristic, pressure drop and water distribution of proton exchange membrane fuel cell. However, the power loss of exchange membrane fuel cell is large due to pressure loss along the way and local pressure loss in the traditional flow field (parallel, serpentine and spiral flow field). We designed a radial spiral groove flow field to reduce the pressure loss and improve the power of proton exchange membrane fuel cell. The performances of the designed radial spiral groove flow field and the traditional flow field in terms of electrochemical performance, cathode water concentration distribution and pressure drop were compared by numerical simulation. The results show that the radial spiral groove flow field can maintain the electrochemical performance as the parallel flow field, reduce the average water concentration and the key is to minimize the pressure drop in the flow channel, so as to ensure that the proton exchange membrane fuel cell has good drainage capacity, and reduce the pumping loss.