Investigating the Impact of Obstacle Aspect Ratio on Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell Performance: A Comprehensive Numerical and Sensitivity Analysis

Investigating the Impact of Obstacle Aspect Ratio on Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell Performance: A Comprehensive Numerical and Sensitivity Analysis | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Article Investigating the Impact of Obstacle Aspect Ratio on Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell Performance: A Comprehensive Numerical and Sensitivity Analysis Iman Khazaee, Mohammadhadi Maghsoudniazi, AmirReza Ghiabi This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-6873794/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Published Journal Publication published 12 Nov, 2025 Read the published version in Scientific Reports → Version 1 posted 10 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract In a Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell (PEMFC), the geometry of the flow channels plays a critical role in mass transport, electrochemical current distribution, and water management. The objective of this study is to investigate the effect of the obstacle aspect ratio (AR) in the cathode channel on cell performance under various operating conditions (temperature 333–363 K, pressure 1–4 atm, and anode/cathode relative humidity 0–100%). To this end, a three-dimensional numerical model was developed, and the governing equations for species transport, energy, and electric current were solved using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) with the finite-volume method. The geometric parameters included AR = 0 to 1 for rectangular obstacles in both the cathode and anode channels, and boundary conditions corresponding to temperature, pressure, and humidity were simulated independently. The results showed that intermediate-sized obstacles with AR ≈ 0.25–0.50 significantly enhance oxygen mass transport and reduce concentration losses; for example, at mid-range temperatures (343–353 K) and pressures of 1–2 atm, the power density increased by more than 20%. Specifically, at 343 K and AR = 0.75, the power density rose from 0.3769 to 0.5289 W/cm². At higher pressures (3–4 atm), however, the benefit of small obstacles diminished, and ultimately at 4 atm the obstacle-free configuration (AR = 0) exhibited the highest power density of 0.9134 W/cm². Moreover, AR ≈ 0.25 promoted a more uniform distribution of product water and prevented local water accumulation; as a result, under all humidity levels (0–100% RH) an approximately 15–20% performance improvement was observed compared to the baseline case. These findings provide a foundation for the optimal design of cathode channel geometry in PEMFCs, indicating that AR ≈ 0.25–0.50 covers a wide range of operating conditions with maximum efficiency. Physical sciences/Chemistry Physical sciences/Energy science and technology Physical sciences/Engineering Physical sciences/Physics Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell (PEMFC) Flow Channel Design Reactant Distribution Electrochemical Performance Multiphase Flow Hydrogen Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Published Journal Publication published 12 Nov, 2025 Read the published version in Scientific Reports → Version 1 posted Editorial decision: Revision requested 08 Jul, 2025 Reviews received at journal 03 Jul, 2025 Reviews received at journal 03 Jul, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 20 Jun, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 17 Jun, 2025 Reviewers invited by journal 17 Jun, 2025 Editor assigned by journal 17 Jun, 2025 Editor invited by journal 16 Jun, 2025 Submission checks completed at journal 14 Jun, 2025 First submitted to journal 11 Jun, 2025 You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-6873794","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":472995025,"identity":"064ea295-0712-4d4e-bcac-8681883bcb82","order_by":0,"name":"Iman Khazaee","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Shahid Beheshti University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Iman","middleName":"","lastName":"Khazaee","suffix":""},{"id":472995026,"identity":"33551105-fcce-4a69-80ef-acd2a69d4bd0","order_by":1,"name":"Mohammadhadi Maghsoudniazi","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAABBElEQVRIiWNgGAWjYBACAyA6wMAgwcDAzNj8+E+FDVCMsfEAkVqY2wx4zqSBtDQQ1AJlsjdI8LYdBjPxajFnP7zxAOMOC3n5dsYGA4kz5+3Wth8G2lJjE41Li2VPWsEBxjMSho3NjA0PDCpuJ287kwjUciwttwGXww7kGBxgbJNgbGYG2pJw5nay2QGgFsaGw7i1nH8D1mLfBtQicbDtXLLZ+YcEtNyA2JLYA9Qi2dh2wM7sBiFbbjwrOJDYJpE8g5mxzZjhTHKC2Q2gLQn4/HI+efOHj211tvP7jz9+zFBhZ292Pv3hgw81Nji1gEECEjuxAV2EILAnRfEoGAWjYBSMDAAAKy9nL4mVLGcAAAAASUVORK5CYII=","orcid":"","institution":"Shahid Beheshti University","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Mohammadhadi","middleName":"","lastName":"Maghsoudniazi","suffix":""},{"id":472995027,"identity":"bc1dabb6-7376-442e-a004-7fe2750538fd","order_by":2,"name":"AmirReza Ghiabi","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Shahid Beheshti University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"AmirReza","middleName":"","lastName":"Ghiabi","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2025-06-11 16:38:20","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":"","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-6873794/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-6873794/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[{"content":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-23182-w","type":"published","date":"2025-11-12T15:57:42+00:00"}],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":96105019,"identity":"4197c993-d6c4-4477-93be-46ea9f670cad","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-11-17 16:07:15","extension":"pdf","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":1906199,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"Manuscript.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-6873794/v1_covered_48b6cd84-1a2c-4924-b91f-972ed92d3fab.pdf"}],"financialInterests":"No competing interests reported.","formattedTitle":"Investigating the Impact of Obstacle Aspect Ratio on Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell Performance: A Comprehensive Numerical and Sensitivity Analysis","fulltext":[],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":false,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":false,"hideJournal":false,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":true,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":true,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":true,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"scientific-reports","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"scirep","sideBox":"Learn more about [Scientific Reports](http://www.nature.com/srep/)","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"","title":"Scientific Reports","twitterHandle":"","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":true,"editorialSystem":"stoa","reportingPortfolio":"Scientific Reports","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true},"keywords":"Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell (PEMFC), Flow Channel Design, Reactant Distribution, Electrochemical Performance, Multiphase Flow, Hydrogen","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-6873794/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-6873794/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003eIn a Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell (PEMFC), the geometry of the flow channels plays a critical role in mass transport, electrochemical current distribution, and water management. The objective of this study is to investigate the effect of the obstacle aspect ratio (AR) in the cathode channel on cell performance under various operating conditions (temperature 333\u0026ndash;363 K, pressure 1\u0026ndash;4 atm, and anode/cathode relative humidity 0\u0026ndash;100%). To this end, a three-dimensional numerical model was developed, and the governing equations for species transport, energy, and electric current were solved using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) with the finite-volume method. The geometric parameters included AR\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0 to 1 for rectangular obstacles in both the cathode and anode channels, and boundary conditions corresponding to temperature, pressure, and humidity were simulated independently. The results showed that intermediate-sized obstacles with AR\u0026thinsp;\u0026asymp;\u0026thinsp;0.25\u0026ndash;0.50 significantly enhance oxygen mass transport and reduce concentration losses; for example, at mid-range temperatures (343\u0026ndash;353 K) and pressures of 1\u0026ndash;2 atm, the power density increased by more than 20%. Specifically, at 343 K and AR\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.75, the power density rose from 0.3769 to 0.5289 W/cm\u0026sup2;. At higher pressures (3\u0026ndash;4 atm), however, the benefit of small obstacles diminished, and ultimately at 4 atm the obstacle-free configuration (AR\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0) exhibited the highest power density of 0.9134 W/cm\u0026sup2;. Moreover, AR\u0026thinsp;\u0026asymp;\u0026thinsp;0.25 promoted a more uniform distribution of product water and prevented local water accumulation; as a result, under all humidity levels (0\u0026ndash;100% RH) an approximately 15\u0026ndash;20% performance improvement was observed compared to the baseline case. These findings provide a foundation for the optimal design of cathode channel geometry in PEMFCs, indicating that AR\u0026thinsp;\u0026asymp;\u0026thinsp;0.25\u0026ndash;0.50 covers a wide range of operating conditions with maximum efficiency.\u003c/p\u003e","manuscriptTitle":"Investigating the Impact of Obstacle Aspect Ratio on Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell Performance: A Comprehensive Numerical and Sensitivity Analysis","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2025-06-19 05:39:28","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-6873794/v1","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0},{"type":"decision","content":"Revision requested","date":"2025-07-08T11:54:35+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorInvitedReview","content":"","date":"2025-07-04T03:29:45+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorInvitedReview","content":"","date":"2025-07-04T02:05:44+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"246216118318445626693891991030574377290","date":"2025-06-20T08:23:46+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"220606462283304959357010220407434709115","date":"2025-06-17T10:51:50+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewersInvited","content":"","date":"2025-06-17T07:55:24+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorAssigned","content":"","date":"2025-06-17T07:43:21+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorInvited","content":"","date":"2025-06-16T08:30:59+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"checksComplete","content":"","date":"2025-06-14T04:10:23+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"submitted","content":"Scientific Reports","date":"2025-06-11T16:32:29+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"scientific-reports","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"scirep","sideBox":"Learn more about [Scientific Reports](http://www.nature.com/srep/)","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"","title":"Scientific Reports","twitterHandle":"","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":true,"editorialSystem":"stoa","reportingPortfolio":"Scientific Reports","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"80b53c43-8f9f-4e04-88e8-e012098286e4","owner":[],"postedDate":"June 19th, 2025","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"published-in-journal","subjectAreas":[{"id":50230221,"name":"Physical sciences/Chemistry"},{"id":50230222,"name":"Physical sciences/Energy science and technology"},{"id":50230223,"name":"Physical sciences/Engineering"},{"id":50230224,"name":"Physical sciences/Physics"}],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2025-11-17T16:01:04+00:00","versionOfRecord":{"articleIdentity":"rs-6873794","link":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-23182-w","journal":{"identity":"scientific-reports","isVorOnly":false,"title":"Scientific Reports"},"publishedOn":"2025-11-12 15:57:42","publishedOnDateReadable":"November 12th, 2025"},"versionCreatedAt":"2025-06-19 05:39:28","video":"","vorDoi":"10.1038/s41598-025-23182-w","vorDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-23182-w","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v1","identity":"rs-6873794","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-6873794","identity":"rs-6873794","version":["v1"]},"buildId":"8U1c8b4HqxoKbykW_rLl7","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}