Performance enhancement of proton exchange membrane fuel cells based on semi-parallel and semi-interdigitated mixed flow field

Proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) are high-efficiency and environmentally friendly energy conversion devices, whose performance is significantly affected by the flow channel design of bipolar plates. To improve the overall performance of PEMFCs, this study proposes a Semi-Parallel and Semi-Interdigitated Flow Field (SPSIFF), which combines the low pressure drop of conventional parallel flow fields (CPFF) and the high mass transfer performance of conventional interdigitated flow fields (CIFF). Numerical simulations and orthogonal experiments are conducted to systematically investigate the effects of structural and operating parameters on cell performance. The results show that at 0.5 V, the SPSIFF increases the net power by 12.09% and the maximum power density by 12.24% compared with the CPFF. The connecting channel (CC) height ( H ) and operating temperature ( T ) are the key influencing factors. The proposed flow field effectively improves mass transfer and water management for high-performance fuel cell flow field design. • The SPSIFF is proposed to enhance the performance of PEMFCs. • SPSIFF increases net power by 12.10% over CPFF. • Coupling analysis of structural parameters and operating parameters for SPSIFF.