Three Dimensional Structure Optimization of Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell with Radial Flow Field Based on Topology Optimization

Abstract

This article uses the topological optimization method to optimize the flow field of radial proton exchange membrane fuel cells. Due to the high computational cost of this method, the model was simplified to a two-dimensional model, and the cathode flow field was studied under isothermal and steady-state conditions. Using the gradient-based algorithm SNOPT, the flow field evolves freely in the sector design domain to maximize battery power and minimize reaction energy loss. Perform 3D modeling of the obtained optimized model and optimize the longitudinal depth by applying different tilt angles and obstacles. The results indicate that the application of obstacles has a significant optimization effect on speed. Setting the gradient has a better effect on the oxygen concentration distribution. With the increase of the gradient, the uniformity of the oxygen concentration distribution is also increased. As the inclination increases, the pressure difference of the reaction gas gradually increases, and the pressure uniformly decreases. After setting obstacles, the pressure of the reaction gas decreases step by step after passing through each obstacle. The effect of increasing the inclination to increase the average current density is better than setting obstacles, and the comprehensive effect of setting an inclination of 2° is the best at working voltages of 0.5 V and 0.6 V.