Pore-scale heat transfer and flow characteristics of metal foam cooling flow field with three-dimensional ordered arrangement in PEMFC

Abstract

Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells (PEMFCs) require an efficient cooling system for heat production during operation. Balancing good temperature uniformity and low pressure drop in PEMFCs is always challenging. In this paper, a novel metal foam cooling flow field with three-dimensional ordered arrangement in PEMFC is proposed. Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) numerical simulation is utilized to explore the influence of key parameters such as pore diameter, pore layer number, pore arrangement, and pore number on the heat transfer characteristics of PEMFC metal foam cooling flow field. The results show that the larger diameter facilitates the coolant flow heat transfer and cell performance, and the smaller diameter causes the deterioration of temperature, pressure, and cell performance. An increase in the pore layer number reduces the cell temperature and improves channel temperature uniformity. When the layer number is 2, the average temperature of the cooling channel decreases to 351.32 K, while the current density increases to 0.63 A/cm², but the pressure drop rate increases significantly. The four interval arrangement performs better in terms of heat transfer and flow characteristics compared to the single interval and double interval arrangements, with a reduction in pressure drop rate by 32.36 % and 13.80 %, respectively, and a more uniform pressure distribution. The reduction of pore number can effectively improve the temperature uniformity of the cooling channel and reduce the pressure drop.