i n t e r n a t i o n a l j o u r n a l o f h y d r o g e n e n e r g y 3 8 ( 2 0 1 3 ) 9 8 3 5 e9 8 4 6

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Optimization of PEM fuel cell flow channel

dimensionsdMathematic modeling analysis
and experimental verification

Hong Liu, Peiwen Li*, Kai Wang

Department of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA

article info abstract

Article history: The objective of this work is to optimize the dimensions of gas flow channels and walls/
Received 22 March 2013 ribs in a proton-exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cell. To achieve this goal conveniently, a
Received in revised form relatively easy-to-approach mathematical model for PEM fuel cells has been developed.
24 May 2013 The model was used for the design optimization of fuel cells, which were fabricated and
Accepted 28 May 2013 experimentally tested to compare the performance and examine these optimization ef-
Available online 27 June 2013 fects. The model analyzes the average mass transfer and species’ concentrations in flow
channels, which allows the determination of an average concentration polarization, the
Keywords: humidity in anode and cathode gas channels, the proton conductivity of membranes, as
PEM fuel cells well as the activation polarization. An electrical circuit for the current and ion conduction
Optimization is applied to analyze the ohmic losses from anode current collector to cathode current
Flow channels and ribs collector. This model needs relatively less amount of computational time to find the VeI
Modeling curve of the fuel cell, and thus it can be applied to compute a large amount of cases with
Experiment different flow channel dimensions and operating parameters for optimization. Experi-
mental tests of several PEM fuel cells agreed with the modeling results satisfactorily. Both
simulation and experimental results showed that relatively small widths of flow channels
and ribs, together with a small ratio of the rib’s width versus channel’s width, are preferred
for obtaining high power densities. To further demonstrate the advantage of optimized fuel
cell designs, two four-cell stacks, one with optimized channel/rib designs and the other
without, were compared experimentally and a much better performance of the one with
the optimized design was confirmed.
Copyright ª 2013, Hydrogen Energy Publications, LLC. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights
reserved.

1. Introduction To improve the performance of PEM fuel cells, researchers

As a direct energy conversion device, a proton-exchange
membrane (PEM) fuel cell has many advantages such as low
emissions, high power density, rapid start-up, and high reli-
ability. A PEM fuel cell has a wide variety of applications, such
as, power sources for automobiles, portable and stationary
backup power units.
have studied the impact of flow channel’s geometry using
combined methods of experimental test and numerical
simulation during the last two decades. It is obvious that the
flow field design in the bipolar plate is one of the most
important issues for PEM fuel cells [1]. An appropriate flow
field design could improve the reactant transport and the ef-
ficiency of the thermal and water management, as well as

* Corresponding author. Tel.: þ1 520 626 7789; fax: þ1 520 621 8191.
E-mail address: peiwen@email.arizona.edu (P. Li).
0360-3199/$ e see front matter Copyright ª 2013, Hydrogen Energy Publications, LLC. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhydene.2013.05.159
9836 i n t e r n a t i o n a l j o u r n a l o f h y d r o g e n e n e r g y 3 8 ( 2 0 1 3 ) 9 8 3 5 e9 8 4 6
reduction of activation polarization and internal ohmic loss.
With an optimal design of the flow field of reactants, an in-
crease of up to 50% of the produced power density has been
reported [2] for PEM fuel cells.
Several types of flow field configurations have been re-
ported including, serpentine flow channels, parallel flow
channels, interdigitated flow field, flow field with pins,
cascade flow field and combined versions of these. A signifi-
cant amount of efforts have been devoted to study geometric
characteristics and its influence to pressure drop in flow dis-
tribution and the performance of a fuel cell [3e9].
The advantages and disadvantages of several flow field
designs will be summarized here. Interdigitated flow field is
unique and based on dead-end channel design. The reactant
in this type of flow field will be forced toward the Gas Diffusion
Layer (GDL) through under-rib paths and through the porous
electrode, whereas this occurs by diffusion in conventional
types of flow fields. This type of flow reduces the possibility of
flooding the cathode electrode and enhancing utilization of
catalysts by removing liquid water under the rib, which will
improve the performance of the fuel cell. However, this type of
design brings in inevitable large pressure drops. Pin-type flow
field could cause the non-uniform gas distribution and local
flooding and heating problems. The most commonly used
material for PEM fuel cell bipolar plates is graphite, which is
fragile and easy to break when using pin structure. Cascade
design flow field consists of a plurality of channel bifurcations,
which can lead to a large number of parallel flow channels of
uniform flow. The main drawback in this flow field design is
the difference of reactions at the head zone versus the mid-
zone [10]. Flow field with parallel flow channels is simple
and easy to fabricate and causes the smallest pressure drop
[10]. However, a non-uniform distribution of the reactants can
easily be introduced in parallel channels, which will decrease
utilization of effective electrode area and lower the perfor-
mance. Experimental testing results of PEM fuel cells using
parallel flow channel and serpentine flow channels have been
reported by Lobate et al. [11]. Parallel flow channels presented
a significantly worse performance than serpentine flow
channels. Serpentine flow field is most widely known as the
“industry standard”, because this type of flow channel could
provide the best performance, reliability and durability [12].
According to the review in reference [13] and reported exper-
imental results, this type of flow field could balance water
removal at an acceptable pressure drop, which will prevent
flooding at the cathode and maintain humidity in the chan-
nels, avoiding membrane dehydration. Therefore, in this
study, we chose serpentine flow channels for optimization
analysis and experimental tests.
Shimpalee et al. [14] did numerical simulation to study the
impact of cross-section dimensions of the channels and ribs
[14]. They only studied three different cases: both channel and
rib width of 0.9 mm, channel of 1.0 mm and rib of 0.7 mm, and
channel of 0.7 mm and rib of 1.0 mm, which is insufficient to
demonstrate the general optimization trend of flow channel
designs.
Young-Gi Yoon et al. [15] have conducted experimental
tests of PEM fuel cells to understand the effects of the width of
the rib and channel on the performance of fuel cells. In that
study, they mentioned that two factors, electrical conductivity
and gas diffusion, are competing against each other. These
factors are related to the width of ribs and the width of
channels, respectively. Only four configurations with constant
channel width and varied rib width from 0.5 mm to 3 mm have
been studied in their work. This is still insufficient regarding
its cases to prove a systematical view of optimization of flow
channel designs.
In the current work, extensive numerical and experimental
study has been carried out to provide more systematical op-
timizations of flow channels and ribs. A large number of ge-
ometries with different total width (channel and rib) and rib-
to-channel ratio have been used for systematical optimiza-
tion study. Simulation results were validated by experimental
tests in energy and fuel cell lab at the University of Arizona.
2. Modeling analysis
Shown in Fig. 1 is a schematic of the cross-section of a PEM
fuel cell. In order to predict fuel cell performance, concen-
tration polarization, ohmic losses and activation polariza-
tions, as a function of fuel cell current densities, operational
temperatures and pressures are to be modeled.
The mass transport processes in the PEM fuel cell flow
channel from bulk flow to electrode, and across electrodes and
gas diffusion layers, are illustrated in Fig. 2. Hydrogen, with
certain amount of water vapor, was supplied to the anode flow
channel. These gases diffuse through the anode GDL to the
anode catalyst layer, where hydrogen molecules lose elec-
trons to get protons, and electrons conduct through an
external circuit to supply power to a load. The humidified air is
supplied to the cathode flow channel. Oxygen diffuses
through the gas diffusion layer to the catalyst layer, where the
oxygen combines with the protons and electrons to produce
water, which may diffuse to the air flow or into the mem-
brane. The simulation model is one-dimensional, in the di-
rection normal to the plane of MEA and flow channel plates.
The average parameters (concentrations of gases and water)
along the flow channel direction for each layer were calcu-
lated to determine the related properties that vary across the
MEA, diffusion layer, and bulk flow in the channel. The
Fig. 1 e Schematic of the cross-section of a typical flow
channelerib combination in a PEM fuel cell.
 i n t e r n a t i o n a l j o u r n a l o f h y d r o g e n e n e r g y 3 8 ( 2 0 1 3 ) 9 8 3 5 e9 8 4 6 9837

Di mix
hmass i ¼ Sh (3)
DHydro

The mass flux of hydrogen and water on the anode side

through the interface between gas diffusion layer and bulk
flow can be calculated using Eqs. (4) and (5) [19].


jH2 ¼ hmass H2rHN  rs
2 H2
(4)

O 
jH2 O net ¼ hmass H2 O rH
N  rs
2 H2 O
(5)

where rN is the average mass concentration of species in the

bulk flow, which is related to the conditions at the inlet and
the consumption of the species; rs is the average mass con-
centration of hydrogen at the interface between the gas
Fig. 2 e Illustration of the mass and charge diffusion in a
diffusion layer and bulk flow; and A is the mass transfer area.
PEM fuel cell.
The mass consumption rate of H2 per unit area, jH2 , relates to
the current density in the form given in Eq. (6).

strategy in the work is to conduct the modeling analysis for jH2 ¼ i=ð2FÞMH2 (6)
optimization of fuel channel dimensions, and then verify fuel
cell performance through experimental tests. Further detailed where MH2 is the molecular weight of hydrogen.
verification through full 3D simulations will be carried out in Cathode-side species’ mass transfer in bulk flow is given by
the future. Eqs. (7)e(9).
The following sections describe the modeling and compu-

jO2 ¼ hmass O2 rON2  rOs 2 (7)
tations to these diffusion processes as well as the internal
losses in a fuel cell.
N 
jN2 ¼ Ahmass N2 rN2  rN
s
2
(8)

2.1. Water transport through membrane


jH2 O þ jH2 O net ¼ hmass H2 O N  rs
rH2O H2 O
(9)

The model considers three different transport mechanisms of

2.3. Species’ mass transfer in gas diffusion layer and
H2O in the membrane [16]. First, water is dragged due to the
catalyst layer
electro-osmotic drag effect from the anode to the cathode side
[17]. The second mechanism is the back diffusion of water
There are three mechanisms contributing to the mole flux
from the cathode to the anode caused by the water concen-
according to the NernstePlanck equation [20], given in Eq. (10).
tration difference between two sides of the membrane. The
third mechanism is hydraulic permeation by a pressure Ni ¼ zi ui Fci VF  Di Vci þ ci v (10)
gradient between the cathode side and the anode side.
The net water transport through the membrane can be The first term in the expression is a migration term, which
represented by the net water transport coefficient which is represents the motion of charged species that results from a
calculated using Eq. (1), potential gradient, and is related to the potential gradients by
a charge number zi, concentration ci, and mobility ui.
a ¼ nd  nback diff  nhyd perm (1) Neglecting the influence of the potential gradient (F), the mass
Where transfer in the porous layer consists of mass diffusion caused
l F dCw Km F dPw by the concentration gradient and the convection term, which
nd ¼ 2:5 ; nback diff ¼ Dw ; nhyd perm ¼ Cw :
22 I dy m I dy represents the motion of the species as the bulk motion of
The water transport coefficient a depends on three water solvent carries it along. Therefore, equations for species mass
transport coefficients and can be negative or positive. If a is transfer fluxes in the gas diffusion layer are expressed by the
positive, it indicates that water diffuses from the anode to the following Eqs. (11) to (15).
cathode. The net water mass transport rate across the mem-
jH2 ¼ DH2 ðeffÞ VrH 2 H2
GDL þ rGDL vGDL
a
(11)
brane from anode to cathode is calculated using Eq. (2).

MH2 O $a jH2 O ¼ DH2 OðeffÞ VrH2O H2 O a

GDL þ rGDL vGDL (12)
jH2 O net ¼ i (2) net
F
jO2 ¼ DO2 ðeffÞ VrOGDL
2
þ rOGDL
2
vc (13)
2.2. Species mass transfer in bulk flow
jN2 ¼ DN2 ðeffÞ VrN2 N2
GDL þ rGDL v
c
(14)
Similar to a convective heat transfer process, the mass
transfer coefficient in the bulk flow can be calculated from the
jH2 O þ jH2 O net ¼ DH2 OðeffÞ VrH 2O H2 O c
GDL þ rGDL v (15)
Sherwood number, given in Eq. (3). For laminar flow, the
Sherwood numbers for three mass transfer cases are listed in where n is an diffusion velocity due to the mass diffusion of
Table 1. species, ri is the average mass concentrations of species in the
9838 i n t e r n a t i o n a l j o u r n a l o f h y d r o g e n e n e r g y 3 8 ( 2 0 1 3 ) 9 8 3 5 e9 8 4 6

Table 1 e Sherwood number for laminar flows in circular, rectangular, and three-side-closed rectangular ducts [18].
Cross-Section a ¼ 0.2 a ¼ 0.4 a ¼ 0.7 a ¼ 1.0 a ¼ 2.0 a ¼ 2.5 a ¼ 5.0 a ¼ 10

ShD 4.36
ShF 3.66

ShD 4.80 3.67 3.08 2.97 3.38 3.67 4.8 5.86

ShF 5.74 4.47 3.75 3.61 4.12 4.47 5.74 6.79

ShD 0.83 1.42 2.02 2.44 3.19 3.39 3.91 4.27

ShF 0.96 1.60 2.26 2.71 3.54 3.78 4.41 4.85

Channel aspect ratio a ¼ b/a, where b and a are channel dimensions. Subscript D is for cases with constant wall mass flux and F for constant wall
concentration.

porous gas diffusion layer, and Vri is the gradient of concen-

rH2 þ rH2 O
tration of the species across the porous layer. It is defined that Da H2 ðeffÞ ¼ DH2 ðeffÞ (24)
rH2 O
the mass fluxes toward the bulk flow are positive.
The effective diffusivity of the hydrogen-water system and
rH2 þ rH2 O
the air water system in both the gas diffusion layer and the Da H2 OðeffÞ ¼ DH2 OðeffÞ (25)
rH2 O
catalyst porous layer comprises of Knudsen diffusion and
ordinary diffusion.
rO2 þ rN2 þ rH2 O

 Dc O2 ðeffÞ ¼ DO2 ðeffÞ (26)
1=DH2 ðeffÞ ¼ ðs=εÞ 1=DH2 ;K þ 1=DH2 H2 O (16) rN2 þ rH2 O

 rO2 þ rN2 þ rH2 O

1=DH2 OðeffÞ ¼ ðs=εÞ 1=DH2 O;K þ 1=DH2 OH2 (17) Dc N2 ðeffÞ ¼ DN2 ðeffÞ (27)
rN2


1=DO2 ðeffÞ GDL ¼ ðsGDL =εGDL Þ 1=DO2 ;K þ 1=DO2 mix (18)
rO2 þ rN2 þ rH2 O
Dc H2 OðeffÞ ¼ DH2 OðeffÞ (28)

 rN2 þ rO2
1=DN2 ðeffÞ GDL ¼ ðsGDL =εGDL Þ 1=DN2 ;K þ 1=DN2 mix (19)
The mass flux equations can then be expressed in more


1=DH2 OðeffÞ GDL ¼ ðsGDL =εGDL Þ 1=DH2 O;K þ 1=DH2 Omix (20) compact forms:

where s is the tortuosity, and ε the porosity of the porous layer. rH2
jH 2  jH O net ¼ Da H2 ðeffÞ Vr
H2
(29)
Detailed information of the porous layer is listed in Table 2. rH2 O 2
DH2 ;K , and DH2 O;K are Knudsen diffusivities [21], given as
Di;K ¼ 97re ðT=Mi Þ0:5 , with re being the average pore radius of the rH2
jH O net  jH2 ¼ Da H2 OðeffÞ Vr
H2 O
(30)
porous electrode. Diffusivity of two species is calculated from rH2 O 2
Eq. (22),where VH2 ¼ 7:07, VN2 ¼ 17:9, VO2 ¼ 16:6, and  
VH2 O ¼ 12:7 [22]. i rO2 i
 MH2 O  jH2 O net   MO2 ¼ Dc O2 ðeffÞ Vr
O2

Diffusivity of multiple species is calculated from Eq. (21), 2F rN2 þ rH2O

cathode
4F
and species mole fraction xi is defined as (31)
  X 
ri rj
Xi ¼ (21)
Mi j
Mj

Table 2 e Physical properties and parameters.

 0:5
0:01013T1:75 $ M1i þ M1j Physical properties or Parameter Value
Di;j ¼ h i2 (22)
P$ Vi1=3 þ Vj1=3 Gas diffusion layer thickness[23] 100  106 m
Catalyst layer thickness[17] 10  106 m
Membrane thickness 50.8  106 m
ð1  Xi Þ GDL/electrode pore radius[24] 0.5  106 m
Di;mix ¼ P (23)
Xj =Di;j GDL/electrode porosity [24] 0.6
jsi
GDL/electrode tortuosity 3
Faraday’s constant, F 96,485 C/mol
Introducing effective diffusivities in gas diffusion layer and
Gas constant, R 8.314 J/(mol K)
anode as follows:
 i n t e r n a t i o n a l j o u r n a l o f h y d r o g e n e n e r g y 3 8 ( 2 0 1 3 ) 9 8 3 5 e9 8 4 6 9839

i i
MO2  MH2 O þ jH2 O net ¼ Dc N2 ðeffÞ Vr
N2
(32)
4F 2F

i rH 2O
i H2 O
MH2 O  jH2 O net þ cathode
MO2 ¼ Dc H2 OðeffÞ Vrcathode (33)
2F rN2 þ rO2 4F

Mass transfer flux and diffusivity in the electrode layer

follow the same pattern as discussed for gas diffusion layers.
Eventually, at any given current density i, the molar con-
centrations of the species at the interface between the elec-
trode and the membrane are obtained, and the partial
pressures of the reactants and the product species at the
interface are also obtained as follows:

rH 2

PH
int ¼
2 int
Panode (34)
rH 2
int
H2 O
þ rint a

rOint2
POint2 ¼ Pcathode (35)
rOint2 þ N2
rint þ H2 O
rint c Fig. 3 e Electrical circuit for a typical flow channelerib
combination in a PEM fuel cell.

H2 O c rH 2O c
Pint ¼ int
Pcathode (36)
rOint2 þ rN 2
int
H2 O
þ rint c
ohmic losses in the PEM fuel cell. A similar method has been
used to calculate the ohmic loss in the solid oxide fuel cells
2.4. Activation polarizations in other work [28].
Contact resistance in fuel cells is governed by the topog-
The ButlereVolmer equation, in the form used by Le et al.[17], raphy of the contacting layers, which results in a voltage drop
is used to determine activation polarization. The reference across the interface. The contact area between two layers is
exchange current density iref and the transfer coefficient aa directly influenced by the roughness feature of the two con-
and ac are listed in Table 3.The transfer coefficient for the tacting surfaces. Yoon et al. [15] measured the contact resis-
anode and the cathode are chosen to be the same, therefore, tance of different materials as function of applied pressure.
the BultereVolmer equation will become a parabolic equation From the experimental results we found that the resistance is
and can be solved theoretically in order to obtain activation on the order of 107 ohm m2. With the increase of clamping
polarization in terms of current density. force, the resistance decreases. According to Goebel [29], the
!ga    
cell contact resistance is also related to channel geometry. In
rH2
aa Fha ac Fha
ianode ¼ iref
a
Anode
exp  exp  (37) this paper contact resistance is chosen and adjusted in be-
rH 2
ref
RT RT
tween 1  107e20  107 ohm m2 according to the channel
geometry. Porous layer resistivity used for these numerical
!gc    

rOcathode
2
ac Fhc aa Fhc calculations is listed in Table 4. Membrane ionic conductivity
icathode ¼ iref
c exp   exp (38)
rOref2 RT RT depends on water content and temperature, which is obtained
using Eq. (39).
2.5. Ohmic polarization  

1 1
sðTÞ ¼ ð0:5139l  0:326Þ exp 1268  (39)
303 T
Inside the fuel cell, the flow of electrons and ions results in
where water content, l, is related to water activity aw. Eq. (40)
ohmic polarization due to contact resistance [27]and the
ohmic resistance in each layer. The current conduction [30] gives the relationship of aw and l, where aw is the ratio of
route from a typical anode-side current collector to a water vapor partial pressure against saturated water vapor
cathode-side current collector can be discretized into mul- pressure at the operating temperature.
tiple segments, and an equivalent network circuit can been 8
>
> l ¼ 0:043ðaw < 0Þ
established as shown in Fig. 3, which is used to calculate the <
l ¼ 0:043 þ 17:81aw  39:85a2w þ 36a3w ð0  aw  1Þ
(40)
>
> l ¼ 14 þ 1:4ðaw  1Þ ð1  aw  3Þ
:
l ¼ 16:8ð3 < aw Þ

Table 3 e Parameters related to electrochemical kinetics. 2.6. PEM fuel cell output voltage analysis

Parameter Anode Cathode [T (K)]

The electromotive force is calculated using the Nernst
9
Exchange current density, 1.0  10 3  105 exp equation:
iref A/m3 [25] [0.01489 (T  353)]
   0:5  

Transfer coefficient, a [25] 1 1 RT PH2 PO2 PH2 O

E ¼ E0 þ ln = (41)
Concentration exponential, g [26] 0.5 1.0 2F P0 P0 P0
9840 i n t e r n a t i o n a l j o u r n a l o f h y d r o g e n e n e r g y 3 8 ( 2 0 1 3 ) 9 8 3 5 e9 8 4 6
Table 4 e Resistivity (ohm m) of PEM fuel cell components
[23].
GDL (U m) Electrode (U m) Nafion
membrane
Anode side Cathode Anode Cathode 1/ion
side conductivity
1.27  104 1.27  104 1.8868  102 1.8868  102 (see Eq. (39))
where E0 is the standard state electromotive force, and it is
determined from the systematic change of Gibbs free energy
of the reaction, DG0 . Using the data from Perry’s Chemical
Engineers’ handbook [31], a linear relationship between E0 and
temperature is obtained by curve fitting.
E0 ¼ 0:0008ðT  273Þ þ 1:12496
In the electrical circuit, the PEM fuel cell potential difference
across the membrane, as seen in Fig. 3, is the value after
considering two types of internal losses.
E ¼ E  ha  hc
The actual output voltage of fuel cell is the potential dif-
ference between the cathode current collector and the anode
current collector, and it can be found by using the following
computational procedures:
(1) Calculate concentrations of species at the electrode/elec-
trolyte interfaces and thus find the partial pressures of all
species in order to consider its concentration losses. As a
result of this computation, the electromotive force
expressed in Eq. (41) is obtained. The needed conditions in
this calculation include current density, the corresponding
flow rates of species, temperature, pressure, and di-
mensions of flow channels, etc.
(2) Use the obtained partial pressures from step (1) to calcu-
late activation polarizations, and then to find E with the
given current density.
(3) Solve the network circuit and consider the internal ohmic
loss. In the circuit the electric potential at the anode cur-
rent collector is set as zero, which is a zero reference point
for the fuel cell voltage at cathode. The total current
through the circuit and all resistances in the network are
known, and Kirchhoff’s first law is used to find potentials
at all the nodes in the network circuit. As a consequence of
the solution, the potential at the cathode is obtained,
which is the fuel cell output voltage.
(4) Repeat the above steps of computation at other current
densities to obtain a curve for the fuel cell output voltage
as a function of current density.
3. Experimental setup and test procedures
In order to validate the numerical modeling and conclusions
of the flow channel optimization analysis, a number of
experimental tests have been conducted. Serpentine flow
channels with different cross-sectional areas for both
hydrogen and air flow were fabricated on graphite plates using
a CNC machine to ensure high accuracy. For all graphite
plates, the anode and cathode flow channel depths are fixed to
be 1.0 mm and 1.5 mm, respectively. As shown in Fig. 3, the
two key parameters for a flow channel of a serpentine flow
pattern are the total width D0 which is the summation of rib
width Lr and channel width Lc, and the rib ratio RLr , which is
defined as the ratio of width of the rib over the total width D0.
Serpentine flow channel designs are shown in Fig. 4. These
designs have the same rib ratio RLr but different total width D0.
As illustrated in Fig. 5, compressed air from the lab building
was filtered and humidified before being supplied to the
assembled fuel cell. Hydrogen from the tank is humidified in a
beaker with purified water before being delivered to the fuel
cell anode flow channel. The airflow for the fuel cell was hu-
midified by controlling the dew point temperature of the hu-
midifier. The temperature of the air humidifier was controlled
(42) at 30  C using a thermostat. The hydrogen humidifier beaker is
submerged into a water bath which also has a constant tem-
perature of 30  C.
Mass flow controllers (SERIRRA Smart Trak-2) were used to
set and display flow rates of hydrogen and air, respectively. To
(43) observe the influence of the flow rate of a reactant on the
performance of single fuel cell systems, two sets of flow rates
for hydrogen and air were chosen for tests. The first case had a
hydrogen flow rate of 50 sccm, and an air flow rate of
220 sccm. The other case had a flow rate of 250 sccm for
hydrogen and 1270 sccm for air. The sufficient air flow in the
second case was used to blow out liquid water from the fuel
cell and to maintain a better mass transfer of oxygen in the
cathode compartment [32].
The tested MEA and gas diffusion layers were pre-
laminated at factory. It has an effective area of 25 cm2. An
external load is connected to the two nickel-coated endplates
holding together the entire fuel cell. The external loading box
provides a variable electrical resistance from 0.01 to 1000 U.
The voltages on the external load are measured using a FLUKE
voltmeter and the current flow is thus calculated from the
measured voltage and the load resistance. At the same time,
the voltage difference from the anode and the cathode
graphite plates of the fuel cell was directly measured.
4. Results and discussions
4.1. Test results for validation of numerical modeling
The performance of fuel cells with serpentine flow channels
and different cross-sectional areas operated at temperatures
of 30  C has been compared to numerical results from the
modeling. Figs. 6 and 7 show the polarization and power
curves from numerical and experimental data. The IeV curves
in Fig. 6 were obtained at a relatively lower hydrogen and air
flow rates compared to that of the cases in Fig. 7. In each of the
figures, three cases were investigated, which have a different
total width D0 of 4 mm, 6 mm, 8 mm, and the same rib ratios
RLr of 0.2. The range of contact resistance for adjustment was
from 1  107/20  107 ohm m2.
The agreement of the IeV curves between experimental
data and modeling results are generally satisfied as seen in
Figs. 6 and 7 for most of the points, except at some low current
 i n t e r n a t i o n a l j o u r n a l o f h y d r o g e n e n e r g y 3 8 ( 2 0 1 3 ) 9 8 3 5 e9 8 4 6 9841

Fig. 4 e PEM fuel cell serpentine flow channel designs. (a) Total width D0 [ 8.0 mm, rib ratio RLr [ 0.20. (b) Total width
D0 [ 6.0 mm, rib ratio RLr [ 0.20. (c) Total width D0 [ 4.0 mm, rib ratio RLr [ 0.20. (d) Total width D0 [ 4.0 mm, rib ratio
RLr [ 0.35. (e) Total width D0 [ 4.0 mm, rib ratio RLr [ 0.50.

densities there was some offset. Nevertheless, this good
agreement demonstrates the validity of the present modeling,
even though it is based on one-dimensional analysis across all
layers of the fuel cell to obtain the average parameters along
the flow channels. The model is then conveniently used for
the optimization analysis of the flow channel and rib
dimensions.
Because of the significant different hydrogen and air flow
rates used for the cases given in Figs. 6 and 7, the maximum
current and power obtained were also different in Figs. 6 and 7.
In Fig. 6, the maximum current obtained from the fuel cell is
limited by the hydrogen flow rate, and a significant cell voltage
drop is seen due to the deficiency of hydrogen supply. In Fig. 7,
the hydrogen and air flow rates are much higher and there is no
large drop of the cell voltage in the tested range of parameters.
4.2. Optimization of the dimensions of flow channels
and ribs
In this part of the study, several different flow channel designs,
with the total width D0 varying from 1.8 mm to 8 mm and rib
ratios varying from 0.2 to 0.8, have been analyzed using both
modeling and experimental testing in order to optimize the
channel geometric dimensions. The performance of the fuel
cells with different channel and rib dimensions is demon-
strated in terms of the fuel cell output power versus the flow
channel and rib dimensions as shown in Fig. 8. Under the same
membrane area and the same operational conditions, the
maximum power output varies with both the total width D0
and the rib ratio. The maximum output power density is
0.49 W/cm2 when total width is 1.8 mm and rib ratio is 0.2.

Fig. 5 e Schematic of the experimental setup.

9842 i n t e r n a t i o n a l j o u r n a l o f h y d r o g e n e n e r g y 3 8 ( 2 0 1 3 ) 9 8 3 5 e9 8 4 6

Fig. 7 e Polarization curves from experimental test and

Fig. 6 e Polarization curves from experimental test and
numerical simulation with H2 flow rate of 250 cm3/s and air
numerical simulation at H2 flow rate of 50 cm3/s and air
flow rate of 1270 cm3/s. (a) Total width D0 [ 4.0 mm, rib
flow rate of 220 cm3/s. (a) Total width D0 [ 4.0 mm, rib ratio
ratio RLr [ 0.2. (b) Total width D0 [ 6.0 mm, rib ratio
RLr [ 0.2. (b) Total width D0 [ 6.0 mm, rib ratio RLr [ 0.2. (c)
RLr [ 0.2. (c) Total width D0 [ 8.0 mm, rib ratio RLr [ 0.2.
Total width D0 [ 8.0 mm, rib ratio RLr [ 0.2.
 i n t e r n a t i o n a l j o u r n a l o f h y d r o g e n e n e r g y 3 8 ( 2 0 1 3 ) 9 8 3 5 e9 8 4 6
Fig. 8 e Output power density from a PEM fuel cell with different flow channel designs.
However, the minimum output power density of 0.103 W/
cm2is from the case with total width D0 of 8.0 mm and rib ratio
of 0.8, which is 79% less than the maximum power density. It is
seen from the contour in Fig. 8 that the maximum power is
located at the region with both small total width D0 and small
rib ratio RLr . The arch-shaped isotherms in Fig. 9 also indicate
the combinatorial choices of the values for the total width D0
and the rib ratio RLr to obtain the same required power density.
For example, if one application requires relatively large total
width D0, choosing a small rib ratio RLr will be helpful for
keeping a high current density. On the other hand, if one
application has a relatively large RLr , a smaller total width
should then be selected in order to have higher current den-
sity. Nevertheless, to achieve the highest power density in a
PEM fuel cell, it requires that both the total width and the rib
ratio be small, as seen in Figs. 8 and 9.
In order to optimize the flow channels’ design and to obtain
the high power density, two important characteristics should
be kept in mind. First, the output power density decreases
with an increase of the total width when the rib ratio is kept
constant. Second, the output density drops when the rib ratio
increases, if the total width is fixed.
The simulated results and conclusions in the above dis-
cussions are proved by experimental results as shown in Figs.
10 and 11. Figs. 10(a) and 11(a) show the performance of the
Fig. 9 e Output power density contour lines on the plane of
D0drib ratio RLr (The unit for power density on the contour
lines is W/cm2)
9843
fuel cells having flow channels sharing the same total width,
and with rib ratios changing from 0.2 to 0.5. In Fig. 10(a), the
maximum output power is 17%higher than that of the mini-
mum due to the difference of rib ratios. In Fig. 11(a), this dif-
ference is 14% due to different rib ratios.
The results in Fig. 10(b) and 11(b) are for the fuel cells
having flow channel of the same rib ratio 0.2, and total width
varying from 4.0 mm to 8.0 mm. In these two figures we can
found that the maximum output power from the case of total
width of 4.0 mm is 33%higher than that from the case of total
width of 8.0 mm.
The numerical modeling analysis already discovered that a
smaller total width D0 and a small rib ratio RLr are both pref-
erable in order to obtain a high power density in a PEM fuel
cell. Under such a situation, the characteristics of liquid water
formation and hydration to the membrane may also play a
positive role. From the observation of the liquid water accu-
mulation in the graphite channels after a cell is operated and
disassembled, it was found that water was mostly accumu-
lated along the rib edges and at the corners by the channel
wall and the gas diffusion layer, which was exposed to the
flow in a channel. It is easy to understand that in the small
total width D0 cases the flow channels are small and water can
easily diffuse from the corner to the middle of the channel to
hydrate the membrane. On the other hand, the small rib ratio
means that the flow channel takes a larger portion of the total
width D0 and thus allows easier discharge of liquid water
compared to that of the cases of large rib ratios.
From the current numerical and experimental results, it is
found that the flow channel total width and rib ratio should be
reasonably small, as fabrication technique allows, in order to
achieve higher power density. For the way to determine the
best values of the total width and rib ratio one can refer to Fig. 9.
Similar experimental test results have also been reported by
Goebel [29]. In his study, he used multiple parallel serpentine
flow channels and the fuel cells were operated at 50  C.
We also observed the liquid water accumulation in the
graphite channels after an operated cell was disassembled. It
was found that water was mostly accumulated along the rib
edges that contacts to gas diffusion layer. It is understood that
in the small total width D0, the flow channel width is small
9844 i n t e r n a t i o n a l j o u r n a l o f h y d r o g e n e n e r g y 3 8 ( 2 0 1 3 ) 9 8 3 5 e9 8 4 6

Fig. 10 e Single cell polarization curves from experimental tests under H2 flow rate of 50 cm3/s and air flow rate of 220 cm3/s.
(a)Total width D0 [ 4.0 mm, rib ratio varying from 0.2 to 0.5. (b)Rib ratio RLr [ 0.2, total width D0 varying from 4.0 mm to
8.0 mm

and water can easily diffuse from the corner to the middle of
the channel (in cross-section) to hydrate the membrane,
which increases the membrane conductivity and thus the cell
performance. When the channel is wide, water becomes
harder to diffusion through the entire cross-section of chan-
nel, and therefore causes dehydration of membrane, which
lowers the output performance.
4.3. Performance of a fuel cell stack with an optimized
flow channel design
One optimized flow channel design was applied to a cell stack
with four fuel cells. The optimal value for rib ratio RLr was 0.44
for a selected total width D0 of 1.8 mm. This gave the widths of
flow channel and ribs being 1.0 mm and 0.8 mm, respectively.
For comparison purposes, a typical choice with no consider-
ation of optimization in PEM fuel cells could be a design with a
width of 2.0 mm for both the channel and the rib. This design
is applied to another cell stack including four fuel cells. The
two fuel cell stacks, with and without optimization of flow
channels, are tested and compared under the same opera-
tional conditions using the same four MEAs.
The experiments applied a constant air flow rate of
3400 cm3/s for the entire fuel cell stack for all the tests, while
the hydrogen flow rates for the entire fuel cell stack had two
different choices: 220 cm3/s and 500 cm3/s. The flows of fuel
and air were both uniformly distributed to the four fuel cells in
the stack using an external flow distributor. The detailed in-
formation of the flow uniform distribution is discussed in the
author’s earlier work [33].Counter-current flow mode for fuel
versus air was chosen for each individual cell in the fuel cell
stack. During the experiments, the remaining unused
hydrogen and air from the fuel cell stack were simply dis-
charged through the exhaust.
The performance of the two fuel cell stacks in terms of
their voltage and power output at different currents were

Fig. 11 e Single cell polarization curve from experimental test under H2 flow rate of 250 cm3/s and air flow rate of 1270 cm3/s.
(a) Total width D0 [ 4.0 mm, rib ratio varying from 0.2 to 0.5. (b) Rib ratio RLr [ 0.2, total width D0 varying from 4.0 mm to
8.0 mm.
 i n t e r n a t i o n a l j o u r n a l o f h y d r o g e n e n e r g y 3 8 ( 2 0 1 3 ) 9 8 3 5 e9 8 4 6
Fig. 12 e Stack polarization curve of experimental test at air
flow rate 3400 cm3/s. (a) Hydrogen flow rate of 200 cm3/s.
(b) Hydrogen flow rate of 500 cm3/s;
compared. Fig. 12(a) shows the polarization curves at a
hydrogen flow rate of 200 cm3/s. The maximum output power
achieved by the optimized fuel cell stack was 8.5 W at a cur-
rent of 3.72 A. The stack without optimization designs for the
flow channels obtained a power of 6.76 W at a current of 3.4 A.
This maximum power is 25.7% less than the power from the
optimized fuel cell stack. Fig. 12(b) shows the output voltage
and power of the stacks at a hydrogen flow rate of 500 cm3/s.
At the available smallest load resistance in the test, the
maximum output power of the optimized fuel cell stack
reached 30 W and the one without optimization design ob-
tained an output power of 21.4 W. It is obvious that the fuel
cell stack with the optimized design can have a higher power
output than the one without optimization of the flow chan-
nels and ribs.
5. Conclusion
This paper provides an important understanding on the
optimization of the widths of flow channels versus ribs in
9845
order to have higher power output from a PEM fuel cell. The
optimization is based on a numerical modeling combined
with experimental tests and verification. A numerical
modeling has been developed to calculate the fuel cell polar-
ization curve based on one-dimensional mass transfer anal-
ysis to the average concentrations along a flow channel. The
model offers a convenient tool for the optimization analysis
needing to calculate a large number of combinations of flow
channel designs. The modeling results have been validated
from experimental data.
From experimental tests and numerical calculations, it has
been found that the designs of flow channels can significantly
affect the performance of fuel cells under the same other
operation conditions. Minimized total width of flow channels
and ribs as well as the rib ratio can significantly improve the
fuel cell performance.
While keeping other conditions including the MEAs and
fuel and air supplies the same, a four-cell fuel cell stack with
optimized flow channel designs has been experimentally
tested and compared with a four-cell fuel cell stack which had
no optimization design of the flow channels. A significantly
higher power output was obtained from the fuel cell stack
with optimized design of flow channels over the one without
optimization. This result further demonstrated and confirmed
the conclusions on the optimization of flow channel designs
in PEM fuel cells.
Acknowledgment
The authors gratefully acknowledge the financial support
from US Office of Naval Research and Sim Center of University
of Tennessee at Chattanooga under the contract of
#8500011366 for this research work.
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