A “Leaf‐Vein” Flow Channel Design for the Improvement of Oxygen Transporting in a Large‐Scale Proton Exchange Membrane Electrolysis Cell

Abstract

In a proton exchange membrane electrolysis cell (PEMEC), the oxygen generated on the anode side diffuses into the flow channel and forms a gas–liquid two‐phase flow with liquid water. In order to increase the production of hydrogen, larger sized PEMEC would be favorable other than series connection of smaller ones, which can save cost, though the corresponding flow channel design is lacked. Herein, a “leaf‐vein” bionic flow channel for large‐scale PEMEC (the activation area is 1350 cm2) is proposed. A 3D mixture and steady model of the PEMEC is developed to characterize the two‐phase flow in the flow field. Detailed analyses of geometric parameters are conducted through orthogonal test to determine the optimal channel geometry. The numerical results show that the optimized design of PEMEC increases medium and low oxygen gas content, and reduces pressure drop compared to traditional flow channels. An interdigitated leaf‐vein flow field is applied, which effectively alleviates gas blockage problems. This article will provide a theoretical basis for large‐scale PEMEC manufacturing.