Performance Enhancement of a Serpentine Flow Field Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells Through Channel Geometry and Operating Condition Optimization

Abstract

This type of fuel cell that has received considerable research and development interest is proton exchange membrane fuel cells that can operate at relatively low temperatures, have high energy-conversion efficiency, and emit few pollutants. The flow geometry of the reactants plays an important role in their performance along with the operating condition of temperature and relative humidity. The objective of this work is to be an experimental study of the performance of PEMFC as a function of the dimension of the serpentine channel and operating condition. The electrical response of the cell was recorded at various relative humidities, operating temperatures, channel widths and depths. The experiments were carried out in a PEMFC test station equipped with gas supply, humidification and temperature control systems, electronic loading and data acquisition system. The cell performance was evaluated for different test conditions in terms of cell voltage, current, power output, polarization characteristics and power-density behavior of the cells. The experimental results indicate that the reactant distribution, water management, pressure drop and performance of the cell can be improved by having proper geometry and operating conditions of the channel. The optimum conditions for the tested conditions were an operating temperature of 65 °C, a relative humidity of 90%, and a channel width and depth of 1 mm. The results show that the simultaneous adjustment of the flow-field dimensions and operating conditions is a practical method to enhance the PEMFC performance and operating stability for serpentine-flow-field PEMFCs.

Introduction

This research focuses on the experimental optimization of a Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell (PEMFC) using a serpentine flow-field design. PEMFCs are clean and efficient energy systems suitable for transportation and stationary applications, but their performance is strongly affected by flow-channel geometry, operating temperature, and relative humidity.

The study investigates how channel width, channel depth, temperature, and humidity influence reactant distribution, pressure drop, water management, membrane hydration, proton conductivity, and electrochemical performance. The main performance indicators are cell voltage, current, power output, polarization curves, and power-density characteristics.

Problem and Objectives

Unsuitable channel dimensions can cause poor reactant distribution, excessive pressure losses, flooding, or inadequate water removal. Similarly, inappropriate temperature and humidity can affect membrane hydration and proton conductivity. Therefore, the main objective is to determine the optimum combination of channel geometry and operating conditions for achieving higher power generation, efficient water management, and stable PEMFC operation.

Literature Review

Previous research has examined different PEMFC flow-field designs, including parallel, serpentine, interdigitated, baffled, 3D, and bio-inspired configurations. Studies generally indicate that serpentine and modified flow fields can improve:

• Reactant distribution
• Water removal
• Thermal management
• Heat transfer
• Temperature uniformity
• Cell stability
• Power density

The literature also shows that flow-field geometry and operating conditions interact strongly, making their combined optimization important for improving PEMFC performance.

Proposed Experimental System

The proposed system consists of:

• Hydrogen supply
• Oxygen/air supply
• Pressure regulators
• Gas humidification unit
• Temperature-control system
• Serpentine-flow-field PEMFC stack
• Electronic load
• Voltage and current sensors
• Data acquisition (DAQ) system
• Computer-based monitoring and analysis

Hydrogen and oxygen are supplied continuously to the anode and cathode. The gases are humidified to maintain appropriate membrane hydration, while the temperature-control system maintains the required operating temperature. In the described setup, the cell temperature is maintained at approximately 65°C.

Experimental Methodology

The experiments systematically vary channel width, channel depth, operating temperature, and relative humidity, while keeping the reactant flow rates controlled. Voltage, current, temperature, humidity, and power output are continuously measured through the data-acquisition system.

The collected data are used to generate polarization and power-density curves. These results are compared for different operating conditions to identify the combination that provides the best overall performance.

Results

The experimental setup includes a hydrogen gas generator that provides a continuous and controlled supply of high-purity hydrogen to the PEMFC anode. Maintaining a stable hydrogen supply helps ensure consistent electrochemical reactions and improves the reliability and accuracy of experimental measurements.

Conclusion

In experimental research, the geometry and operating parameters of a PEMFC with serpentine flow field were optimized to accomplish highest electrochemical cell performance. The controlled experimental setup was designed and the effect of channel width, channel depth, operating temperature relative humidity was studied in a systematic way. The optimized serpentine flow fields had greater voltage, current and power output figures than the traditional flow field, better water usage than the traditional flow field, less pressure loss than the traditional flow field and better reactant distribution than traditional flow field. PEMFC performance was analyzed by polarization and power density curves, demonstrating an increase in performance and stability of the optimized parameters. Therefore, the proposed optimization method is a promising and economical approach for designing high-performance PEMFCs for the future clean hydrogen energy, stationary power generation and transportation applications.

References

[1] S. Chakraborty, D. Elangovan, K. Palaniswamy, A. Fly, D. Ravi, D. A. S. Seelan, and T. K. R. Rajagopal, “A Review on the Numerical Studies on the Performance of Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell (PEMFC) Flow Channel Designs for Automotive Applications,” Energies, vol. 15, no. 24, Art. no. 9520, Dec. 2022, doi: 10.3390/en15249520 [2] M. Sauermoser, N. Kizilova, B. G. Pollet, and S. Kjelstrup, “Flow Field Patterns for Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells,” Frontiers in Energy Research, vol. 8, Art. no. 13, Feb. 2020, doi: 10.3389/fenrg.2020.00013. [3] Y. Wang, Y. Wang, X. Wang, et al., “Review of Flow Field Designs for Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cells,” Energies, vol. 16, no. 10, Art. no. 4207, May 2023, doi: 10.3390/en16104207. [4] M. Ahmed and S. Xiong, “Comprehensive Review of Serpentine Flow Fields for Effective Thermal Management of Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell,” Heliyon, vol. 10, no. 21, Art. no. e39793, Nov. 2024, doi: s10.1016/j.heliyon. 2024.e39793. [5] N. Sazali, W. N. W. Salleh, A. S. Jamaludin, and A. F. Ismail, “New Perspectives on Fuel Cell Technology: A Brief Review,” Membranes, vol. 10, no. 5, Art. no. 99, May 2020, doi: 10.3390/membranes10050099. [6] M. M. A. Alrwashdeh, “The Effect of Flow Field Design Parameters on the Performance of PEMFC: A Review,” Sustainability, vol. 15, no. 13, Art. no. 10389, Jun. 2023, doi: 10.3390/su151310389. [7] A. Hamrang, M. Abdollahzadeh, M. J. Kermani, S. S. Rahgoshay, and J. J. C. Pascoa, “Comparison of PEMFC Performance with Parallel Serpentine and Parallel Serpentine-Baffled Flow Fields under Various Operating and Geometrical Conditions: A Parametric Study,” International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, vol. 48, no. 20, pp. 7442–7459, Mar. 2023, doi: 10.1016/j.ijhydene.2022.11.122. [8] S. M. Shimpalee, J. Van Zee, and S. Greenway, “Numerical and Experimental Studies of PEM Fuel Cell Flow Field Designs: A Review,” Energies, vol. 15, no. 24, Art. no. 9520, Dec. 2022, doi: 10.3390/en15249520. [9] A. Elamvazhuthi, R. Kumar, and P. Ragupathy, “Experimental Investigation on PEM Fuel Cell Using Serpentine With Tapered Flow Channels,” International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, vol. 45, no. 31, pp. 15642–15649, Jun. 2020, doi: 10.1016/j.ijhydene.2020.04.023. [10] X. Wang, Y. Huang, C. Cheng, J. Jang, D. Lee, W. Yan, and A. Su, “Flow Field Optimization for Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells With Varying Channel Heights and Widths,” Electrochimica Acta, vol. 54, no. 23, pp. 5522–5530, Aug. 2009, doi: 10.1016/j.electacta.2009.04.041.

Copyright

Copyright © 2026 Kanaparthy Satya Deepak, Dr. S. Somasundaram . This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.