Flowfield Design Flashcards
What are the different types of flowfield design?
Single serpentine, straight parallel, and multi-serpentine.
Pros of single serpentine?
Good water clearing and predictable flow distribution.
Cons of single serpentine?
High pressure drop.
Pros of straight parallel?
Low pressure drop.
Cons of straight parallel?
Flow imbalance and poor water clearing.
Pros of multi-serpentine?
Reasonable water clearing, pressure drop, and flow distribution.
How are flowfields designed for anodes?
Low flow rate, almost no exhaust, and has pressurised gas. Non-critical flowfield design.
How are flowfields designed for cathodes?
High flow rate, high water management, and high exhaust. Important design.
What are flowfields used for?
Gas transport over the MEA.
What component are flowfields integrated into?
The bi-polar plate.
What are the two parts of a flowfield?
Land area in contact with the GDL, and a channel for gas flow.
What is the typical split of land to channel in a flowfield?
Usually split 50/50 with a 1 mm^2 CSA.
Where do the gases in the flowfield go?
Reactant oxygen and hydrogen diffuse from the channel across the GDL to the catalyst layer.
