Parametric Evaluation of Coolant Channels for Proton-Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell Based on Multi-Pass Serpentine Flow Field

Qingsheng Liu, Xuanhong Ye, Hai Huang, Junjie Cheng, Kai Meng, Qinglong Yu, Junyi Liu, Waqas Ahmad, Zulkarnain Abbas, Muhammad Aurangzeb, Muhammad Ahmed () and Shusheng Xiong ()
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Qingsheng Liu: Jiashan Power Supply Company, State Grid Zhejiang Electric Power Co., Ltd., Jiashan 314100,China
Xuanhong Ye: College of Energy Engineering, Yuquan Campus, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027, China
Hai Huang: College of Energy Engineering, Yuquan Campus, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027, China
Junjie Cheng: College of Energy Engineering, Yuquan Campus, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027, China
Kai Meng: Jiashan Power Supply Company, State Grid Zhejiang Electric Power Co., Ltd., Jiashan 314100,China
Qinglong Yu: College of Energy Engineering, Yuquan Campus, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027, China
Junyi Liu: College of Energy Engineering, Yuquan Campus, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027, China
Waqas Ahmad: College of Energy Engineering, Yuquan Campus, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027, China
Zulkarnain Abbas: Provincial Key Laboratory of New Energy Vehicles Thermal Management, Longquan 323700, China
Muhammad Aurangzeb: Provincial Key Laboratory of New Energy Vehicles Thermal Management, Longquan 323700, China
Muhammad Ahmed: Provincial Key Laboratory of New Energy Vehicles Thermal Management, Longquan 323700, China
Shusheng Xiong: Provincial Key Laboratory of New Energy Vehicles Thermal Management, Longquan 323700, China

Energies, 2025, vol. 18, issue 16, 1-29

Abstract: Proton-exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) stand out for their exceptional efficiency, high power density, and zero emissions, as they produce merely heat and water as byproducts. Appropriate and robust thermal management is the key to ensuring the maximum efficiency of the fuel cell (FC) as its optimum operating temperature is 70~80 °C. The current study was designed for the parametric evaluation of coolant channels (CCs) based on the multi-pass serpentine flow field (MPSFF) to investigate the relationship between channel geometry and thermal performance in PEM fuel cells, offering novel insights into optimal design configurations for improved thermal management. Six 3D computational models of PEMFCs with varying numbers of coolant channels were created and evaluated using COMSOL 6.2. The acquired results suggested that longer channel lengths with more serpentine turns cause the maximum number of hot spots around turns and offer a maximal pressure drop, whereas increasing the number of channels results in a uniform thermal distribution and leads to a minimal pressure drop. The findings indicate that systematic variations in geometrical configurations of MPSFFs can significantly enhance thermal uniformity and minimize the pressure drop, offering valuable insights for improving the efficiency of PEMFCs.

Keywords: new energy vehicle; vehicle thermal management; polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell; coolant channels; multi-pass serpentine flow field (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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