Flow analysis and performance study of Tesla valve-type electrodes in hydrogen fuel cells
XIE Yawen
LÜ Chengju
LIU Yangyang
WANG Yiming
CHEN Zhongyan
LI Xinhai
Abstract：To improve the pressure and temperature distribution within the bipolar plate flow field of a proton exchange membrane fuel cell(PEMFC),thereby enhancing its thermal management performance,a bipolar plate structure based on the Tesla valve is designed.A three-dimensional multiphysics coupled model is constructed based on AVL FIRE™ M,and the variable control method is employed to compare the influence of key geometric parameters such as Tesla valve angle,unit spacing,and channel spacing on pressure drop,temperature difference,and maximum temperature as the flow channel structure varied.The results indicate that a smaller channel spacing(6.0-7.0 mm)facilitates enhanced mass transfer under the ribs,a shorter unit spacing(1.0 mm)introduces high-frequency flow disturbances,and a moderate Tesla valve angle(125°-130°)generates vortex structures that improve mass transfer within a controllable pressure drop range.These three factors work synergistically to firm an efficient self-disturbing flow field,which prioritizes reactant supply and actively strengthens local heat and mass transfer,thereby improving the power density and operational stability of the PEMFC.
Keywords：PEMFCTesla valvebipolar platevortexpolarization curve
Publication Date：2026-02-28
Online Publishing Date：2026-05-22(First online date of this platform, not the publication date of the document)
Pages：11( 27-37 )