Open Access

ARTICLE

Numerical Analysis of the Influence of Liquid Cooling Flow Space on the Assessment of Thermal Management of PEMFC

Abubakar Unguwanrimi Yakubu^1,2,4, Jiahao Zhao¹, Qi Jiang¹, Xuanhong Ye¹, Junyi Liu¹, Qinglong Yu¹, Shusheng Xiong^1,3,4,*

1 College of Energy Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310027, China
2 College of Agriculture and Environmental Science, Kaduna State University, Kaduna, 800283, Nigeria
3 Longquan Industrial Innovation Research Institute, Longquan, 323700, China
4 Provincial Key Laboratory of New Energy Vehicles Thermal Management, Longquan, 323700, China

* Corresponding Author: Shusheng Xiong. Email:

Energy Engineering 2025, 122(3), 1025-1051. https://doi.org/10.32604/ee.2025.057680

Received 24 August 2024; Accepted 12 December 2024; Issue published 07 March 2025

Abstract

This study uses numerical simulations of liquid cooling flow fields to investigate polymer exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) thermal control. The research shows that the optimum cooling channel design significantly reduces the fuel cell’s temperature differential, improving overall efficiency. Specifically, the simulations show a reduction in the maximum temperature by up to 15% compared to traditional designs. Additionally, according to analysis, the Nusselt number rises by 20% with the implementation of serpentine flow patterns, leading to enhanced heat transfer rates. The findings demonstrate that effective cooling strategies can lead to a 10% increase in fuel cell performance under varying operational conditions, including pressures of 2 bar and relative humidity levels of 30%, 60%, and 80%. These results underscore the importance of cooling flow design in optimizing PEMFC performance.

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Keywords

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