Variasi Geometri Hydrogen Flow Field terhadap Penurunan Tekanan Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell Open Cathode

Luthfi Athaya Wicaksono, Dr.Eng. Yosephus Ardean Kurnianto Prayitno, S.T., M.Eng.

2026 | Tugas Akhir | D4 TEKNOLOGI REKAYASA MESIN

Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell (PEMFC) open cathode merupakan perangkat elektrokimia yang mengubah hidrogen menjadi energi listrik dengan emisi yang rendah. Salah satu faktor yang mempengaruhi performa PEMFC adalah desain hydrogen flow field yang berperan dalam distribusi gas hidrogen dan karakteristik pressure drop pada sistem. Pressure drop yang terlalu tinggi dapat meningkatkan kebutuhan daya pompa dan menurunkan efisiensi sistem, sedangkan pressure drop yang terlalu rendah dapat menyebabkan distribusi aliran menjadi kurang optimal. Oleh karena itu, diperlukan analisis terhadap variasi geometri hydrogen flow field untuk memperoleh karakteristik aliran yang optimal. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk menganalisis pengaruh variasi geometri hydrogen flow field terhadap karakteristik pressure drop pada PEMFC open cathode. Variasi desain yang digunakan meliputi interdigitated, single serpentine, dan double serpentine. Metode penelitian dilakukan menggunakan simulasi Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) dengan pendekatan periodic boundary condition untuk memperoleh distribusi pressure gradient dan pressure drop pada masing-masing desain. Perhitungan teoritis dilakukan menggunakan kombinasi persamaan Darcy–Weisbach dan Darcy–Forchheimer untuk memperkirakan pressure drop teoritis pada aliran hidrogen di dalam hydrogen flow field. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa variasi geometri hydrogen flow field memberikan pengaruh yang signifikan terhadap karakteristik pressure drop. Desain interdigitated menghasilkan pressure drop sebesar 1800 Pa dengan pressure gradient sebesar 2124,09 Pa/m, sedangkan desain single serpentine menghasilkan pressure drop sebesar 1400 Pa dengan pressure gradient sebesar 1247,88 Pa/m. Adapun desain double serpentine menghasilkan pressure drop terendah sebesar 1000 Pa dengan pressure gradient sebesar 2120,67 Pa/m. Perhitungan teoritis digunakan sebagai acuan pressure drop minimum dan dibandingkan dengan hasil simulasi CFD, serta eksperimen untuk menganalisis karakteristik aliran pada masing-masing variasi hydrogen flow field. Berdasarkan hasil analisis, desain double serpentine menunjukkan distribusi aliran yang lebih merata dengan karakteristik pressure drop yang optimal sehingga dinilai memiliki performa terbaik dibandingkan variasi desain lainnya.

Open cathode Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells (PEMFCs) are electrochemical devices that convert hydrogen into electrical energy with low emissions. One of the factors affecting the electrical performance of PEMFC is the hydrogen flow field design, which plays an important role in hydrogen gas distribution and pressure drop characteristics within the system. Excessive pressure drop can increase pumping power requirements and reduce system efficiency, while pressure drop that is too low may lead to less optimal flow distribution. This study aims to analyze the effect of hydrogen flow field geometry variations on the pressure drop characteristics of an open cathode PEMFC. The design variations used in this study include interdigitated, single serpentine, and double serpentine flow fields. The research method was conducted using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) with a periodic boundary condition approach to obtain pressure gradient and pressure drop distributions for each design variation. The theoretical calculation was performed using a combination of Darcy–Weisbach and Darcy–Forchheimer equations to estimate the theoretical pressure drop of hydrogen flow inside the hydrogen flow field. The simulation results show that hydrogen flow field geometry variations significantly affect the pressure gradient distribution and pressure drop characteristics in the open cathode PEMFC. The results show that flow field geometry significantly influences pressure drop characteristics. The interdigitated design produced the highest pressure drop of 1800 Pa with a pressure gradient of 2124.09 Pa/m, while the single serpentine design resulted in a pressure drop of 1400 Pa and a pressure gradient of 1247.88 Pa/m. The double serpentine design exhibited a pressure drop of 1000 Pa with a pressure gradient of 2120.67 Pa/m. The theoretical calculation was used as a baseline minimum pressure drop and then compared with experimental results to analyze the flow characteristics of each hydrogen flow field variation. Based on the analysis results, the double serpentine design demonstrated a more uniform flow distribution with an optimal pressure drop characteristic, indicating better performance compared to the other design variations.

Kata Kunci : CFD, hydrogen flow field, PEMFC open cathode, pressure drop, pressure drop teoritis