Analyse the Influence of Flow Field and Distribution Zone Design on the Fluid Dynamic

and Mass Transport to the Performance Improvement of Proton Exchange Membrane

Fuel Cell (PEMFC) Stack

C.T Aisyah Binti Sarjuni

(P118304)

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

(RARA6014)

SEMESTER 1

Dr. Lim Bee Huah

Fuel Cell Institute

 Table Of Content

Executive Summary 1
Research Background 1
Problem Statement 5
Research Objectives 7
Research Scopes 7
Hypothesis 7
Literature Review 8
Research Methodology 13
Expected Outcome 16
Significance Of Study 16
Summary 17
References 18
Appendix 22
A1 Gantt Chart 22
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Following the increasing interest in fuel cell technology in the past decade, a lot of
new findings on physical design of a fuel cell have been reported. Much of the attention on
fuel cell design at a performance perspective is channelled towards the flow field.
Researchers have proven that different flow field designs produce varying two-phase fluid
flow uniformity. The balance of fluid phases play an important role in ensuring efficient
mass transport within the layers of PEMFC stack. Imbalance of fluid distributions are the
main culprit for unideal water and heat balance, disrupting the movement of ions and
electrons across the MEA region which significantly impacts the overall electrochemical
performance. Not only the rate of reaction is affected, but poor fluid behaviour also causes
long term mechanical damages such as degradation of gas diffusion, catalyst, and
membrane layers. As the amount of research piles up on flow field geometry, research on
the impact of distribution zone in the flow field has yet to reach enough maturity. The
additional distribution zones provide supplementary entry point for reactant gases and exit
point for products. This strategy has potential in enhancing the uniform distribution and
concentration of reactant gases across the bipolar plates. Besides that, the configuration of
distribution zone and flow field pattern will influence the fluid flow within the manifold as
well. Sufficient research basis on single fuel cells provides us an opportunity to widen its
scope of findings in a stacked PEMFC, which are not as abundant. Therefore, this study
aims to explore impact of flow field design integrated with distribution zone towards fluid
dynamics and mass transport in a stacked PEMFC.

RESEARCH BACKGROUND

The global agreement of “Net Zero Carbon Emissions 2050” in the 26th United Nations
Climate Change Conference 2021 (COP26) marked a positive progress in combatting carbon
overloading, a major source of greenhouse gas and climate change. As the planet reached
peak CO2 emissions in May of 2022, there is serious need of more alternative energy options
to sustain the world’s energy demands. Electricity consumption in the Asia-Pacific region
alone is growing at a rapid rate of 4% annually (Xu et al., 2019). The rising public awareness
of our environmental state showed a positive trend in global renewable energy investments
and total installed capacity (International Energy Agency (IEA), 2022; Kurbatova &
Perederii, 2020). One of the promising renewable energy strategies is fuel cell technology.

1
Fuel Cell Technology

Fuel cells use electrochemical reaction between its main fuels, hydrogen (H2) and
oxygen (O2) gas, to generate direct current (DC) in its system. It is considered one of the
cleanest renewable energies, where its outputs are mainly water and heat. Fuel cells typically
consist of two bipolar plates (BPP), a gas diffusion layer (GDL), and a membrane electrode
assembly (MEA) which is comprised of two gas diffusion layers, two catalyst layers and a
proton exchange membrane layer (PEM). There are seven main types of fuel cells which are
the Solid Oxide Fuel Cell (SOFC), Phosphoric Acid Fuel Cell (PAFC), Molten Carbonite
Fuel Cell (MCFC), Direct Methanol Fuel Cell (DMFC), Alkaline Fuel Cell (AFC),
Reversible Fuel Cell, and Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell (PEMFC) (Al-Zaidi et al.,
2021). This categorisation of fuel cells follows the type of electrolyte used in the MEA.
However, they can also be constructed with various types of catalysts and plate materials.

Chemical Reaction Mechanism

Figure 1. Molecular diffusion in a fuel cell.

This electrochemical reaction in fuel cells occur with the help of redox reaction. The
term “redox” is due to the two reactions that happen simultaneously, which are the reduction
and oxidation reactions. As portrayed in Figure 1, hydrogen gas is fed through the anode,
then oxidation reaction causes the hydrogen molecule to split into positively charged
hydrogen protons (H+) and negatively charged electrons (e-) by the catalyst layer, usually
platinum (Pt) or nickel (Ni). The electrons are then transported to an external circuit for
electricity production whereas the protons move across the layer of PEM towards the

2
cathode. To neutralize the proton charge, the electrons then re-enter the cathode side from the
same circuit connection. Oxygen (O2) is fed into the cathode to allow the occurrence of
oxygen reduction reaction (ORR), where O2 combines with the neutralised H2 atoms to
produce water molecules, H2O along with some trace of heat. The whole redox reaction
process is displayed in chemical equations ( 1 ), ( 2 ), and ( 3 ).

Anode (Oxidation) : H2 → 2H + + 2e−

(1)

1
Cathode (Reduction) : 2 O2 + 2H + + 2e− → H2 O
(2)

1
Overall: 𝐻2 + 2 𝑂2 → 𝐻2 𝑂 + Electricity + Heat
(3)

Molecular Transport Mechanism in PEMFC

Two main fluid phases are involved in PEMFC, which are gas and liquid. H2 and O2
exist as gases at both anode and cathode inlets, while H2O in liquid phase exists throughout
the PEMFC system. Liquid water especially exists at the cathode where it is produced
through redox reaction and at the anode as vapor where it acts as a humidifying agent. Much
of the problems relating to fluid dynamics and mass transport in PEMFC involves having
good control of the two fluid phases throughout the multiple component layers (Y. Wang et
al., 2008). There are three main transport phases in a PEMFC system, all of which utilises
varying transport mechanism for the two-phase fluids. They can be categorised as below:

1. Reactant diffusion from flow field channels towards GDL

2. Ion and electron transport from anode CL to cathode CL through PEM
3. Reactant and products back diffusion from the MEA on the cathode to anode

3
 Figure 2 Transport mechanism across PEMFC system

Using Figure 2 as reference, reactant gases (H2 and O2) would enter the manifold and
spread convectively across the surface of the flow field. The gases then diffuse through the
GDL for ionization to happen at the CL which is then followed by the occurrence of half
reactions. Water vapor molecules alongside H+ protons permeate from anode CL to cathode
CL through the PEM by electro-osmotic drag. As the PEM repels the electrons, the electrons
are forced to travel through an external circuit for electricity production. Finally, as liquid
water is formed at the cathode via reaction between H2 and O2 atoms, there is a possibility of
it diffusing back towards the anode plate through back-diffusion. This phenomenon occurs
when higher concentration gradient of liquid water in the cathode pushes it to be transported
back to the PEM and diffuse into the anode.

Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell (PEMFC)

Every fuel cell variety runs on different mechanical structure and operating conditions,
all of which suit specific applications. This is also due to difference in power generation
levels as shown in Figure 3. PEMFCs are known for their fast start-up, having the ability to
run on low temperature of around 60 to 80℃ which increases the cell life. Compared to its
peers, PEMFC produces the cleanest output due to its simpler composition of reactant fuels
while being able to produce good efficiency percentage of 53 – 60%. This fuel cell type also
has minimal corrosion issues as there are no corrosive electrolytes. All the said attributes are
the reason PEMFC is favoured more with better success at commercialization opportunities
(Jain & Jain, 2021; Malik et al., 2021). This is apparent through PEMFC’s record of having

4
the highest shipment and installations compared to other fuel cell categories (E4tech, 2021).
Asia is a strong player in the PEMFC market, where most of it is applied for stationary and
transport applications.

Figure 3 Power range for every fuel cell type.

Despite its positive attributes, PEMFC has its own set of drawbacks like any other
forms of technology. PEMFCs are known to be expensive, compared to other options of
renewable energy. The notably high operational and capital costs make commercialisation
more challenging (Yue et al., 2021). One reason is the use of platinum, nickel, or ruthenium
for catalyst material as well as pure hydrogen and oxygen gases as fuel sources.
Fuel cells can be configurated into a stack system of multiple fuel cells for increased
power production. Unfortunately, it raises the complexity of molecular diffusion across the
PEMFC system. This leads to well-known challenges in PEMFC which are water and thermal
management. Irregular molecular diffusion influences the distribute reactant, disrupting the
reaction kinetics. Chemical imbalance also triggers mechanical failures and downtimes which
can reduce its cell cycle (Alaswad et al., 2021). Mechanical damage in a fuel cell comes in
many forms, including pinholes or cracks within any layer of the MEA region, delamination
of membrane, degradation of MEA layers and more. Maintenance or repairs can be costly in
a PEMFC stack system as it must be disassembled even if only one component fails (Wang,
2017). Therefore, this research aims to identify effective flow field and manifold designs that
can improve the durability and reliability of a PEMFC stack.

PROBLEM STATEMENT

A lot of effort has been done to explore strategies that would improve the overall
PEMFC performance. This includes studies on and flow field architecture, a prime property
of the bipolar plates (BPPs). Usage of distribution zones within the flow field has also shown

5
great potential in enhancing the fluid uniformity across the BPP. Considering that flow field
channels are the main pathway between the component layers and fuel cell stack, it is deemed
the root to better fluid flow (Huang et al., 2021; Sauermoser et al., 2020). BPPs account for
about 45% of a fuel cell stack’s cost (Tsuchiya & Kobayashi, 2004). Studies on flow field
designs are in abundance. Novel flow fields are either modified from conventional flow field
patterns (i.e.; parallel, serpentine, interdigitated, etc.), a completely novel geometric design or
bio-inspired patterns (Marappan et al., 2021). Unfortunately, the ratio of research papers for
PEMFC architecture in single cells or single straight flow channel overpowers the number of
studies done on a PEMFC stack system. Besides that, there is limited research done on the
integration and manipulation of distribution zones in PEMFC flow fields. Only a handful of
researchers have explored its potential in PEMFC including Ramos-Alvarado et al. (2012),
Liu et al. (2018), Yu et al. (2021), and Yong et al. (2022). Therefore, the study aims to further
test the capabilities of novel designs to its full potential by knowing how it would perform in
a stacked configuration with different combinations of flow fields and distribution zones, a
scientific study that has yet to be explored by other researchers. By manipulating the flow
field and distribution zone patterns, the fluid flow on the inlet and outlet of stack manifolds
will also be affected. This will impact the mass transport efficiency across the layers of unit
cells. Efficiencies of the flow field and manifold designs shall be evaluated through its
polarisation curves as well as distribution profiles (reactant, pressure, temperature, velocity).
This will provide an in-depth analysis on the correlation between fluid dynamics and mass
transport, both of which impacts the electronic transfer, ionic conduction, and overall half
reaction rates.

RESEARCH QUESTIONS
The following research questions are used as a guide to achieve the study’s objectives and
prove the hypothesis. They are as follows:
i) How does the flow field and distribution zone design affect the fluid dynamics and
mass transport in PEMFC?
ii) What is the impact of fluid dynamic and mass transport behaviour from varying flow
field and distribution zone design on the pressure and velocity distribution in
PEMFC?
iii) What is the significance of fluid dynamics and mass transport on electrochemical
reactions and output in PEMFC?

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RESEARCH OBJECTIVES

The target of this research includes:

i) To identify the flow field and distribution zone design of a PEMFC that enhances the
fluid dynamic flow in a PEMFC stack.
ii) To investigate the effect of flow field and distribution zone design on a PEMFC stack
on the pressure and velocity distribution.
iii) To analyse the impact of flow field and distribution zone designs on the
electrochemical output of PEMFC stack.

RESEARCH SCOPES

This research explores the impact of different flow fields and distribution zone
architectures on the overall fluid dynamics across the BPP. Mass transport efficiencies are
studied through the different manifold flow produced through the flow field designs. There
will be two main flow field patterns. Design A is inspired by Yong et al. (2022), while
Design B is inspired by Ramos-Alvarado et al. (2012) and Yu et al. (2021). The research is
conducted through CFD simulation via the PEMFC module in ANSYS Fluent software.
Content analysis method shall be performed to study the fluid distribution profiles. An
experimental validation will be done to verify the simulation results. This research will be
limited to the study of physical movement of fluid within the layers of PEMFC, from the
BPPs to the GDL, CL, PEM, and other cell units within the fuel cell stack.

HYPOTHESIS

The hypothesis of this study are as follows:

i) The best pair of flow field and distribution zone design will generate the most
uniform fluid distribution contour in the three-dimensional CFD simulation.
ii) Usage of chosen flow field and distribution zone designs in a PEMFC stack will
improve the velocity distribution and reduce pressure drop by 15% compared to
single cell configuration in secondary data reference.
iii) The uniform fluid flow produced by suitable combination of stack number, flow
field design and distribution zone design will demonstrate enhanced current

7
 density, power density, and voltage by 15% in comparison to single cell
configuration.

LITERATURE REVIEW

Mass, Electron, and Ionic Transport

As mentioned before, water management is a fragile part of PEMFC. The GDL, CL
and PEM is labelled under the membrane electrode assembly (MEA) region which is the
most hydrosensitive part of the PEMFC. Optimum water content is vital to ensure efficient
electron and ion (i.e., proton) diffusion. Mass, electron, and ionic transport are interdependent
and is tied by the system’s fluid mechanics. Although optimum hydration is vital to reduce
cell resistance and ohmic loss, excessive water accumulation impedes mass, electron, and
ionic transfer across the fuel cell system. Sangtabi et al. (2020) modelled a 26-cell PEMFC
stack to study how water vapor condensation influences flow distribution. Small water
droplets form from the condensation and develop into larger droplets which then diffuse into
other cells. Flooding is initiated through the presence of these small water droplets if no
proper mitigative action is taken. This occurrence can be identified by observing the pressure
drop. Higher pressure drops normally insinuates higher water content within the channels (T.
Chen et al., 2019; X. R. Wang et al., 2021). The clogged porous structures of the MEA the
amount of hydrogen protons and electrons passing through the membrane and external
circuit, resulting in poorer electrochemical performance (Pan et al., 2020). Increasing the
hydrogen velocity at the anode and operating temperature can boost the pace of liquid water
removal thus reduce pressure drop (Aslam et al., 2019; Izhan Noor Azam et al., 2022).
However, too high of a flow rate or temperature has a risk of inducing dehydration (Ge et al.,
2019).
High cell resistance is a tell-tale sign for drying (Barbir et al., 2005; Pan et al., 2021).
Dehydration reduces the fluidic area for free flow of hydrogen protons and water molecules
to permeate through the PEM, reducing the amount of hydrogen protons transported towards
the cathode plate. Meanwhile, as the charge transfer increases, there is a saturated amount of
electrons at the cathode CL. Hence, there are not enough protons to react with the electrons,
impeding the ORR and increasing the cell’s ohmic resistance (Santana et al., 2020). It is
suggested to balance the relative humidity with the current load value. For instance, lower
current load should be paired with a higher relative humidity percentage. The recommended
optimum relative humidity value is around 25% – 50% (Cheng et al., 2021; Janicka et al.,
8
2021). Drying can also be initiated through unsuitable choice of stoichiometric ratio, which is
the ratio of gas fed into the PEMFC and the actual amount needed to complete a reaction
(Emmanuel et al., 2018).
The long-term effects of both flooding and drying of fuel cell is mechanical
degradation. Swelling of membrane due to high water content induces compressive stress
from the PEM and CL towards the bipolar plates, whereas tensile stress is produced through
shrinkage from dehydration (Ma et al., 2022). These mechanical stresses can also initiate
delamination of the PEM and severe CL degradation (Lee & Yang, 2020; Xiao et al., 2022).
Formation of pinhole, punctures or thinning may also accelerate, leading to undesired
increase in gas and liquid crossover between both anode and cathode (Sorrentino et al.,
2020). Therefore, it is important to look for mitigative methods that can help water and heat
management in PEMFC. One area that we can focus on improving are the manifold design,
flow field geometry and impact of stacked fuel cells.

Manifold
In this research, the focus will be on the internal manifold, which is the inlet and
outlet area located within a BPP. When fuel cells are in a stack, these manifolds form a long
hollow pathway which interconnect the flow of reactants and products across every unit cell.
In terms of header shape, it can be concluded that triangular and trapezoidal shapes produce
better performance than normal rectangular shape (Etminan & Harun, 2020). Manikanda
Kumaran et al. (2013) suggested to have triangular shape as the inlet header and the
trapezoidal shape as the outlet header. Zhang et al. (2021) showed that having an additional
outlet in the middle of their single cell parallel flow field increased the average gas flow rate
in the flow field. This led to better oxygen distribution and least amount of water saturated
within the cathode CL-GDL interface. Lim et al. (2019) implemented the use of multiple
inlet/outlets connected to the flow field, where the anode has double inlet/outlet while the
cathode has single inlet/outlet. Results demonstrated that as the current density declines as the
cell number rises. However, the stack performance became more stable. D. Chen et al. (2013)
showed that air flow distribution quality in each inlet and outlet combination decreases as the
number of cells increases from one to 10. One exception is for the two inlet/three outlet
combination, where its performance is significantly better with increasing cell number. It can
be seen from these literature studies that pairing the manifold design or flow configuration
with suitable operating conditions, flow field and stack number enhances the overall
performance.
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Distribution Zone
Internal manifolds are usually directly connected to the flow field, but certain BPPs
may also have a distribution zone or micro-distributor, located in between the internal
manifold and flow field. It is not an obligatory component, but it does enhance the reactant
flow from manifold to flow field and removal of excess water from the cathode. Liu et al.
(2018) included a micro-distributor to enhance the flow distribution in a parallel flow field.
The micro distributors at the inlet area generated power density of 22.8% higher than
conventional parallel flow field with no distributor, but still about 10% lower than the
serpentine flow field. Yu et al. (2021) compared the use of conventional channel ridge design
versus dotted matrix design. The results showed that overcomplicating the distribution zone
design will only generate higher pressure drop and poorer fluid uniformity. That said, channel
ridge design with fewer bifurcation and higher turning angle is a better choice as distribution
zone design compared to dotted matrix design. Yong et al. (2022) also studied the effect of
dot matrix distribution zones, but it was paired with a wave staggered flow field, integrated
with flow of cooling fluid. The dotted design was also oval shaped instead of circular. This
design was shown to have more uniform gas distribution compared to conventional wave
flow field, especially when it is of shorter plate length. Flooding was also significantly less
when the cooling fluid flows in counter flow. Ramos-Alvarado et al. (2012) proved that their
novel symmetry designs demonstrated significantly lower pressure drop compared to a
conventional serpentine flow field with channel ridge distributor. The pumping power of a
serpentine design is 40 times higher than the novel flow fields, which could potentially
increase the fuel cell’s parasitic power loss. There is still insufficient study which explores
the potential of integrating active distribution zones into the bipolar plates. Hence, it would
be an interesting take to explore the influence of varying distribution zone designs in different
flow field patterns and how it affects manifold flow across the layers of fuel cell stack.

Flow Field
Flow fields (FF) are located on the surface of the bipolar plates. This is where reactant
gases flow convectively from the manifold towards the crevices or channels of FF patterns.
Any maldistribution from the FF will incite a domino effect as the reactants flow towards
throughout the fuel cell stack. The flow field patterns should be intricate enough to increase
the molecular surface area which can boost the half reaction rates. However,
overcomplicating the design also has a risk of disrupting the two-phase fluid flow balance.

10
 X. Chen et al. (2021) studied a single cell equipped with traditional parallel FF and
varying stepped channels. It was found that N=8 produced the highest velocity value,
resulting in the least flooding area, best current density distribution and water saturation
distribution. Pourmahmoud & Torkavannejad (2014) found that annular channel design
generates uniform temperature distribution, but water tends to accumulate at one end of the
fuel cell. Ramin et al. (2019) experimented with a trap design engraved within a straight FF
channel. Results implicated that 8mm is the optimum trap length which generated the highest
oxygen concentration at the CL-PEM interface. This can lead to more efficient oxygen
reduction reaction (ORR). In terms of trap number, more hydrogen is diffused through the
anode and oxygen levels are higher at the cathode when only two (2) traps were used. Adding
baffles in the flow field channels were also proven to enhance oxygen transportation (Cai et
al., 2022; Fan et al., 2018).
Other studies involved modifying conventional FF patterns. Hazar et al. (2022)
invented a double parallel FF. Chen et al. (2021) tweaked the parallel FF by introducing a
wave parallel FF. Larger amplitude and shorter wavelength dimensions are an optimum guide
to having faster reactant velocity, promoting better mass diffusion rate across the layers of
PEMFC system. Peng et al. (2021) showed that parallel and wave FFs has comparable
performance, where its higher temperature contour aided the water removal process thus
improved ORR rate at the cathode. Lim et al. (2020) simulated two modified parallel flow
fields, where one of each is placed as the anode and cathode, respectively. Simulations
showed that water tends to slightly accumulate at the cathode GDL, especially in the area
nearby the 90-degree bend from the inlet. Serpentine FF is known to have the best
performance among all conventional designs. Penga et al. (2019) attempted to modify this
design by enhancing its complexity, but it triggered random water pooling which caused
uneven reactant distribution. Y. Wang et al. (2021) combined the serpentine design with an
interdigitated pattern, labelled as the active drainage FF (ADFF). Optimum drainage
performance was obtained when ADFF is used at the anode while conventional serpentine is
used as the cathode. Meanwhile, Abdulla & Patnaikuni (2020) demonstrated that their
enhanced cross flow split serpentine FF (ECSSFF) has good potential to be used in large
scale power production with higher area fuel cell. Dong et al. (2021) experimented with s-
shaped and c-shaped ribs, both of which are compared with a wave parallel design. The s and
c-shaped ribs produced significantly lower pressure drop and higher powe density compared
to the wave parallel flow field.

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 Biomimetic flow fields involve adaptation of nature-based patterns. Most of the
research on biomimetic pattern were done on leaf-like patterns. They are renowned for their
good water removal capabilities (Chen et al., 2019; Ghadhban et al., 2021; Kang et al., 2019),
although serpentine flow field still exhibits better drainage performance. On the other hand,
Xie & Zheng (2021) invented a novel spider-web type cathode flow field which produced
significantly efficient oxygen distribution especially when the number of connecting flow
channels increased. The higher inflection point causes constant change in flow direction of
the gases, facilitating gas transport and reducing water accumulation within the flow field. H.
Huang et al. (2020) explored a novel bionic design influenced by the superior mesenteric
artery and branches of human body. It was compared with novel serpentine design, whose
peak current density is higher than the novel design. Despite that, the novel design still
produced positive attributes by being able to shorten water droplet retention time in flow
fields as well as increasing the droplet removal rate by 36.3%. Abdou et al. (2006) patented a
honeycomb flow field for DMFC, and this pattern was further investigated by a few
researchers (Atyabi & Afshari, 2019; S. Zhang et al., 2022). The honeycomb patterns are
categorized under the pin-type flow field, the only difference is that the pins are hexagonal
shaped. The pressure drop is significantly lower compared to conventional pin, parallel and
serpentine type flow fields. Although flooding occurrence is reduced, thermal hot spots tend
to happen in the middle area of the FF. Overtime, these hot spots can affect the temperature
uniformity especially within the membrane area and reduce the fuel cell’s lifetime
(Rahgoshay et al., 2017).
Through these literature studies on more recent unique flow field and manifold
patterns, it is apparent that most patterns were experimented on either a single straight
channel flow field or single fuel cell as opposed to assessing them in a stacked configuration.
The reason behind this is straightforward whereby the researchers intend to understand the
fundamental capabilities (i.e., flow behaviour, thermal performance, electrochemical output,
etc.). Considering that these designs have proven to produce good efficiencies, the next step
would be to investigate whether its performance is still consistent in a stacked configuration.
The research can also be tweaked by combining different novel flow field, manifold and
distribution zone designs to know whether better output can be obtained from the new design
arrangements.

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RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

Figure 4 Phases of research methodology to study the influence of flow field and distribution
zone design towards the mass transport and fluid dynamics in PEMFC.

Since this research involves trial and error via CFD simulation, the type of
quantitative analysis used is experimental quantitative research design. Based on the
flowchart in Figure 4, this research will be conducted in five main phases. Phase 1 will start
off by identifying the type of flow field and distribution zone design combinations to be used
in this study. Two design options shall be utilised to have a more accurate analysis of the
fluid dynamics and mass transport within a PEMFC stack.
When it comes to constructing a stack, it is highly imperative to ensure the manifolds
are properly aligned to prevent any gas leakage, crossover, or external contaminants.
Therefore, the geometric outline of internal manifold and distribution zones will be similar.

13
The only difference is the pattern engraved on each distribution zone design. The first
combination (Design A) would be a dotted matrix distribution zone with wave parallel flow
field inspired from Yong et al. (2022). The second design (Design B) is a combination of
novel symmetry flow field design (Ramos-Alvarado et al., 2012) and a channel ridge
distribution zone (Yu et al., 2021). Slight modifications on the physical dimensions were
made from the original designs.

(a) (b)

Figure 5 Bipolar plate designs with different flow field and distribution zone design;(a)
Design A and (b) Design B
Source: (a) Yong et al. (2022), (b) Ramos-Alvarado et al. (2012); Yu et al. (2021).

14
Figure 6 Four different plate design combinations to be simulated in Phase 2 of the research.

A numerical analysis shall then be performed in Phase 2 by constructing 3D models

of each manifold and flow field designs through Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD)
simulation using the ANSYS Fluent software. The simulation shall be done without the
presence of any electrochemical reactions to understand the fluid dynamic behaviour within
each design. The models are configured in a 4-cell stack, all of which consist of different
flow field and distribution zone design combinations as shown in Figure 6. This phase will
highlight the impact of varying flow field and distribution zone designs on the fluid profile,
pressure, and velocity distribution within the plate. The different flow field designs will also
indirectly change the fluid flow and mass transport capability across one cell unit to another.
For Phase 3, the said design shall be adapted into a 6-cell and 8-cell stack to analyse
the impact of manipulating stack number. Finally, the optimum fuel cell stack number and
design will be computed in a final CFD simulation for Phase 4 but with the presence of
electrochemical reaction. The simulation results will validate whether the uniform fluid
dynamics produced from Phase 2 and 3 translates into a stable electrochemical performance
with high power and current density. It will also demonstrate the efficiency of mass, electron,
and ionic transport from anode to cathode as well as from one unit cell to another. Once the
last simulation is done, we can then perform content analysis by analysing the polarisation
curve, power curve and distribution profiles (O2 concentration, H2 concentration, H2O
saturation, temperature, pressure, and velocity) to generate a comprehensive discussion on the
obtained results. The results obtained will also be compared with past data from the journal
referred to further highlight the objectives of this research.

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EXPECTED OUTCOME

The chosen flow field and distribution zone design are expected to generate better
electrochemical output than past data by generating at least 15% higher overall efficiency.
This can be achieving these positive indicators:

• Lower overall pressure drop across the fuel cell stack by 15%
• Lower ohmic loss and resistance by higher electrochemical output generation
by 15%
• Reduced water pooling or flooding in the MEA region when the fuel cell is
assembled in a stack
• Reduction by 10% or no of thermal hotspots within the bipolar plate channels
and MEA region across the whole fuel cell stack
• Achieve ideal power and polarization curve patterns
• Generation of uniform fluid distribution and pressure contours in the PEMFC
stack from the three-dimensional simulation

The results of this study will be particularly significant in providing further insight on
fluid behaviour as well as water and thermal management by means of bipolar plate design
modifications. It will open the door for more research involving the use of distribution zones
within flow fields in the near future. This may ignite the possibility of producing the “next
serpentine design”, a reliable architecture that can perform well in different fuel cell designs
and operating conditions.

SIGNIFICANCE OF STUDY

This research will be contributing to the literature references which are focused on the
mechanical design of PEMFC, especially in terms of flow field and manifold design. Since
the uniformity of fluid within a fuel cell stack has a direct relationship with the overall
electrochemical output, studies on PEMFC bipolar plates are highly necessary as it is the
main pathways for the two-fluid flow. Research wise, having optimum mechanical design
may aid other researchers whose studies are more focused on MEA region. It could provide a
reference point for their research and potentially generate more accurate presentation of
tested MEA properties. In a commercial perspective, efficient BPPs with better reliability and
power density can potentially reduce the overall weight, unit price and maintenance costs in
the long run. This will promote more real-life applications for both public consumers and

16
heavy-duty industries. The integration of distribution zones provides a new perspective in the
manipulation of flow field design. The literature scarcity involving distribution zones shows
that there is a vast room for further research in order to maximise its full potential. This
research is hoped to instigate more investigations involving fuel cell stacks with varying plate
designs or configurations.

SUMMARY

The PEMFC market is booming widely especially in the Asian region due to
governmental policies on energy and CO2 control. Despite all the progressive success, there
are still certain drawbacks that disrupts the overall quality of fuel cells. Flooding and
dehydration stems from poor water and thermal management. It heavily impacts the
uniformity of fluid movement across the flow field and manifold of fuel cell stacks,
disrupting the mass, electron and ionic transport within the MEA region. When this happens,
the ORR at the cathode impedes thus resulting in poorer electrochemical output. Inefficient
and poor uniformity of fluid distribution not only affects the output, it can also reduce the
long-term reliability of the fuel cell.
In order to combat the said issues, modification of bipolar plate channels is a helpful
strategy. This is because the bipolar plate is said to account for the most part of the fuel cell’s
performance as it plays a big role in ensuring even distribution of reactants and efficient mass
transport from the anode to cathode in each cell unit. This research targets to manipulate the
flow field design by combining different active area and distribution zone patterns, which
ultimately affects the manifold flow design. The end goal is to explore how well fluid is
distributed in the varying flow field and distribution zone designs especially when it is
configured in a stack. The overall performances are analysed by studying its distribution
profiles generated via ANSYS Fluent. This study also aims to identify the optimum
combination of flow field, distribution zone and stack number that produces the best
electrochemical performance and fluid dynamics. Results from this research is hoped to
benefit communities from various fields as listed below;
i. Researchers who specialise in the physical modifications of fuel cells
ii. Provide optimum design that can improve result accuracy for researchers who
specialise in MEA studies.
iii. Industrial research and development teams who are working on fuel cell
applications.

17
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APPENDIX

A1 GANTT CHART
Year Year 1 (2022/2023) Year 2 (2023/2024)
Month
Activities 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 1 2

Phase 2: Simulation 1

Phase 3: Simulation 2

Phase 4: Simulation 3
Phase 5: Data
Analysis
Report Writing &
Thesis Submission

Δ Milestones and Dates

i) Phase 2: Simulation 1 (August 2022 – November 2022)
ii) Phase 3: Simulation 2 (February 2023 – May 2023)
iii) Phase 4: Simulation 3 (May 2023 – August 2023)
iv) Phase 5: Data Analysis (September 2023 – October 2023)
v) Report writing/Thesis submission (October 2023– February 2024)

22