Numerical analysis of water management and reactant distribution in PEM fuel cells with a convergent 5-channel serpentine flow field for emission-free ships

Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cells (PEMFCs) represent a promising energy solution for the marine industry, facilitating a sustainable transition from fossil fuels to emission-free alternatives. Despite their high power density and efficiency, water management is an issue. The serpentine flow ch...

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Main Authors: Rashed Kaiser, Chi-Yeong Ahn, So-Yeon Lee, Yun-Ho Kim, Jong-Chun Park
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2025-01-01
Series:International Journal of Naval Architecture and Ocean Engineering
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S209267822500007X
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author Rashed Kaiser
Chi-Yeong Ahn
So-Yeon Lee
Yun-Ho Kim
Jong-Chun Park
author_facet Rashed Kaiser
Chi-Yeong Ahn
So-Yeon Lee
Yun-Ho Kim
Jong-Chun Park
author_sort Rashed Kaiser
collection DOAJ
description Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cells (PEMFCs) represent a promising energy solution for the marine industry, facilitating a sustainable transition from fossil fuels to emission-free alternatives. Despite their high power density and efficiency, water management is an issue. The serpentine flow channel (SFC) design is known for its efficient reactant distribution and enhanced water removal due to high-pressure drops when certain design conditions are met. Regardless these channels exhibit drawbacks such as increased flow resistance due to extended lengths and sharp bends, alongside non-uniform reactant distribution near the channels. This study develops a multiphase three-dimensional model to simulate the transport of mass, species and water within a PEMFC equipped with a five-channel SFC. The simulation results are validated through experiments and compared with two novel convergent 5-channel serpentines. The newly proposed convergent five-channel SFCs demonstrated improved performance at high current densities, notably in power density, pressure drop, water distribution, and removal.
format Article
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institution OA Journals
issn 2092-6782
language English
publishDate 2025-01-01
publisher Elsevier
record_format Article
series International Journal of Naval Architecture and Ocean Engineering
spelling doaj-art-b62cd040aa594c51aa47539233ee8a0c2025-08-20T02:14:50ZengElsevierInternational Journal of Naval Architecture and Ocean Engineering2092-67822025-01-011710064910.1016/j.ijnaoe.2025.100649Numerical analysis of water management and reactant distribution in PEM fuel cells with a convergent 5-channel serpentine flow field for emission-free shipsRashed Kaiser0Chi-Yeong Ahn1So-Yeon Lee2Yun-Ho Kim3Jong-Chun Park4Department of Naval Architecture & Ocean Engineering, Pusan National University, Pusan, Republic of Korea; The Korea Ship and Offshore Research Institute (KOSORI), Pusan National University, Busan, Republic of KoreaAlternative Fuels and Power System Research Division, Korea Research Institute of Ships and Ocean Engineering (KRISO), Daejeon, Republic of Korea; Department of Green Mobility, Korea University of Science and Technology (UST), Daejeon, Republic of KoreaAlternative Fuels and Power System Research Division, Korea Research Institute of Ships and Ocean Engineering (KRISO), Daejeon, Republic of KoreaAlternative Fuels and Power System Research Division, Korea Research Institute of Ships and Ocean Engineering (KRISO), Daejeon, Republic of Korea; Department of Green Mobility, Korea University of Science and Technology (UST), Daejeon, Republic of KoreaDepartment of Naval Architecture & Ocean Engineering, Pusan National University, Pusan, Republic of Korea; Corresponding author.Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cells (PEMFCs) represent a promising energy solution for the marine industry, facilitating a sustainable transition from fossil fuels to emission-free alternatives. Despite their high power density and efficiency, water management is an issue. The serpentine flow channel (SFC) design is known for its efficient reactant distribution and enhanced water removal due to high-pressure drops when certain design conditions are met. Regardless these channels exhibit drawbacks such as increased flow resistance due to extended lengths and sharp bends, alongside non-uniform reactant distribution near the channels. This study develops a multiphase three-dimensional model to simulate the transport of mass, species and water within a PEMFC equipped with a five-channel SFC. The simulation results are validated through experiments and compared with two novel convergent 5-channel serpentines. The newly proposed convergent five-channel SFCs demonstrated improved performance at high current densities, notably in power density, pressure drop, water distribution, and removal.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S209267822500007XPolymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs)Water managementReactant distributionSerpentine flow fieldRelative humidityPressure drop
spellingShingle Rashed Kaiser
Chi-Yeong Ahn
So-Yeon Lee
Yun-Ho Kim
Jong-Chun Park
Numerical analysis of water management and reactant distribution in PEM fuel cells with a convergent 5-channel serpentine flow field for emission-free ships
International Journal of Naval Architecture and Ocean Engineering
Polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs)
Water management
Reactant distribution
Serpentine flow field
Relative humidity
Pressure drop
title Numerical analysis of water management and reactant distribution in PEM fuel cells with a convergent 5-channel serpentine flow field for emission-free ships
title_full Numerical analysis of water management and reactant distribution in PEM fuel cells with a convergent 5-channel serpentine flow field for emission-free ships
title_fullStr Numerical analysis of water management and reactant distribution in PEM fuel cells with a convergent 5-channel serpentine flow field for emission-free ships
title_full_unstemmed Numerical analysis of water management and reactant distribution in PEM fuel cells with a convergent 5-channel serpentine flow field for emission-free ships
title_short Numerical analysis of water management and reactant distribution in PEM fuel cells with a convergent 5-channel serpentine flow field for emission-free ships
title_sort numerical analysis of water management and reactant distribution in pem fuel cells with a convergent 5 channel serpentine flow field for emission free ships
topic Polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs)
Water management
Reactant distribution
Serpentine flow field
Relative humidity
Pressure drop
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S209267822500007X
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