Experimental Analysis of PEM Fuel Cells With Biomimetical Mixed Flows as Gas Distributors

A proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) is an electrochemical device that converts the chemical energy from the gases into electrical energy. The PEMFCs consist of many parts, and the current collector plate is one of the key components among them. Channels in the bipolar plate distribute air on the cathode side and hydrogen on the anode side. Theoretically a fuel cell produces more current as more fuel is supplied. However the way in which the gases are supplied affects dramatically the performance of the cell. The present paper shows how the mixed flows improve the current density produced by fuel cells. Polarization and power density curves are presented. The results suggest that a flow with two levels of bifurcations is preferred for the anode side. This behavior is expected due to the similitude with the performance of the natural world in which geometries with this type of bifurcations transport the nutrients inside the tree leaves and plants.