Solid Oxide Fuel Cell (SOFC) is preferred for its high efficiency and stability and its low emission and cost. The current work investigate, numerically, the performance of the helical and serpentine channel designs, commonly used with Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM).
A comprehensive 3D CFD numerical model is developed, using Fluent 14.5.7. The model is then validated using one of the available experimental results from previous researches. The comparison between the numerical model and the reported experimental results shows very good agreement. In the presents study, the effect of the channel design shape on the cell performance is investigated. The velocity distribution through the anode and cathode channel and the potential and current density distributions through the cell are presented. The results show that the studied two configurations of the channel design have the same cell performance. The results show back flow in the cathode outlet in both configurations. This leads to a future work of increasing the number of inlets to increase the inlet flow rate.