Flow distribution and pressure drop in parallel-channel configurations of planar fuel cells

Parallel-channel configurations for gas-distributor plates of planar fuel cells reduce the pressure drop, but give rise to the problem of severe flow maldistribution wherein some of the channels may be starved of the reactants. This study presents an analysis of the flow distribution through parallel-channel configurations. One-dimensional models based on mass and momentum balance equations in the inlet and exhaust gas headers are developed for Z- and U-type parallel-channel configurations. The resulting coupled ordinary differential equations are solved analytically to obtain closed-form solutions for the flow distribution in the individual channels and for the pressure drop over the entire distributor plate. The models have been validated by comparing the results with those obtained from three-dimensional computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations. Application of the models to typical fuel-cell distributor plates shows that severe maldistribution of flow may arise in certain cases and that this can be avoided by careful choice of the dimensions of the headers and the channels.