Investigation on thermal management enhancement in proton exchange membrane hydrogen fuel cell based on cooling channels design with bathtub-shaped turbulators

Jiren Li, Jianmin Gao, Liang Xu, Lei Xi, Feng Liang, Yunlong Zhou, Hongxin Ran, Hongwei Lin, Tao Yang and Yunlong Li

Renewable Energy, 2026, vol. 256, issue PI

Abstract: This study proposes a novel cooling channel design featuring bathtub-shaped turbulators for the thermal management of proton exchange membrane fuel cells, which are a key energy conversion device for harnessing hydrogen. Both steady-state and transient numerical simulations were conducted to compare the hydrodynamic and thermal performance of conventional parallel channels with the proposed designs across a Reynolds number range of 1260–6299. Results indicate that the bathtub-shaped turbulators significantly enhance heat transfer, particularly at low Reynolds numbers. The performance evaluation criterion for the bathtub dent configuration ranges from 2.30 to 2.45, while the bathtub bulge configuration achieves 2.45–3.05, demonstrating superior performance. Chaotic advection analysis reveals that complex flow patterns, including vortices and secondary flows, contribute to enhanced heat transfer efficiency. In addition, the improved cooling translated to a 29.9–30.9 % increase in maximum power density and a 69.3–81.8 % increase in net power density, demonstrating a substantial net gain in overall system energy efficiency. These findings provide new insights for the design of high-performance PEMFC cooling channels and contribute to the development of more efficient and reliable renewable energy systems based on hydrogen technology.

Keywords: Thermal management improvement in PEMFCs; Cooling channel with bathtub-shaped turbulators; Chaotic advection; Heat transfer enhancement (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:renene:v:256:y:2026:i:pi:s0960148125023845

DOI: 10.1016/j.renene.2025.124720

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