The parallel and serpentine flow fields of the traditional proton exchange membrane(PEM)electrolysis cells have poor electrical performance,due to weak mass transfer.In view of this,this paper proposed a gradually-varied flow field.The changes of flow velocity,pressure,gas distribution and current density distribution in the flow field under different inflow directions(denoted as gradualⅠ-type and gradual Ⅱ-type,respectively)were compared by numerical simulation.The results show that the pressure drop of the gradual Ⅰ-type flow field is second only to the parallel flow field,which has a higher flow velocity and can also effectively and rapidly discharge gas.The average current density achieved by gradual Ⅰ-type flow field is 8%higher than that of the serpentine and 4%higher than that of the parallel.The PEM electrolysis cells with gradual Ⅰ-type flow field has better electrical performance.
hydrogen productionelectrolytic cellsnumerical simulationflow fieldsmass transfer