Serpentine flow field design

This contribution explores many aspects of serpentine and continuous channel flow field design. These aspects include design considerations, design for performance, and material and manufacturing issues. A short introduction provides a brief perspective on the historical development of the serpentine and continuous channel flow field design. These types of flow fields have been used successfully in different applications, with transportation perhaps being the most challenging with respect to power density, dimensional constraints, aggressive cost targets, and the wide range of operating conditions required. Significant challenges and opportunities remain for improvement of the flow field design, particularly with respect to thinner cells, lower cost materials, and tolerances. Keywords: channel geometry; continuous channels; discontinuous channels; flow field; serpentine flow field; bipolar plate; corrugated design; fluid flow; flow field landings; flow field tolerances; flow field support; gas shorting; pressure drop; flexible graphite