scholarly journals Design and Modeling of Metallic Bipolar Plates for a Fuel Cell Range Extender

Energies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (17) ◽  
pp. 5484
Author(s):  
Uwe Reimer ◽  
Ekaterina Nikitsina ◽  
Holger Janßen ◽  
Martin Müller ◽  
Dieter Froning ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mobile Applications ◽  
Bipolar Plate ◽  
Cathode Side ◽  
Bipolar Plates ◽  
Metallic Bipolar Plates ◽  
Range Extender ◽  
Low Weight ◽  
Metallic Bipolar Plate ◽  
Dry Conditions

Fuel cells, designed for mobile applications, should feature compact and low-weight designs. This study describes a design process that fulfills the specific needs of target applications and the production process. The key challenge for this type of metallic bipolar plate is that the combination of two plates creates three flow fields, namely an anode side, a cathode side, and a coolant. This illustrates the fact that each cell constitutes an electrochemical converter with an integrated heat exchanger. The final arrangement is comprised of plates with parallel and separate serpentine channel configurations. The anode and cathode sides are optimized for operation under dry conditions. The final plate offers an almost perfect distribution of coolant flow over the active area. The high quality of this distribution is almost independent of the coolant mass flow, even if one of the six inlet channels is blocked. The software employed (OpenFOAM and SALOME) is freely available and can be used with templates.

scholarly journals Corrosion Behavior and Conductivity of TiNb and TiNbN Coated Steel for Metallic Bipolar Plates

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (12) ◽  
pp. 2568 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kun Shi ◽  
Xue Li ◽  
Yang Zhao ◽  
Wei-Wei Li ◽  
Shu-Bo Wang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Corrosion Resistance ◽  
Proton Exchange Membrane ◽  
Electronic Conductivity ◽  
Bipolar Plate ◽  
Proton Exchange ◽  
Carbon Paper ◽  
Bipolar Plates ◽  
Metallic Bipolar Plates ◽  
Metallic Bipolar Plate ◽  
Interfacial Contact Resistance

To improve corrosion resistance and electronic conductivity of bipolar plates for proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC), coatings of TiNb and TiNbN on 316L stainless steel (SS) were prepared by magnetron sputtering. X-ray diffraction (XRD) measurements confirmed the existence of metallic nitrides in the TiNbN coating. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) tests showed that the deposited coatings provided smooth surfaces. Further electrochemical measurements indicated that the corrosion resistance of TiNb coating was significantly higher than that of substrate. At 0.19 V vs MSE, the long-term stabilized current density of TiNb/316L SS was lower than 1 μA·cm−2. The interfacial contact resistance (ICR) values between coating and carbon paper suggested that TiNb and TiNbN films had better contact conductivity than 316L SS substrate. In conclusion, TiNb coated 316L SS metallic bipolar plate material is a promising option for PEMFC.

Fabrication of Wave-Like Microstructure on the Bottom of Microflow Channel of Metallic Bipolar Plate

2013 ◽  
Vol 589-590 ◽  
pp. 547-551
Author(s):  
Hong Liang Tang ◽  
Zhen Ping Wan ◽  
Yong Tang
Keyword(s):  
Proton Exchange Membrane ◽  
Experimental Tests ◽  
Bipolar Plate ◽  
Proton Exchange ◽  
Feed Speed ◽  
Bipolar Plates ◽  
Forming Mechanism ◽  
Metallic Bipolar Plates ◽  
Metallic Bipolar Plate ◽  
Novel Method

Metallic bipolar plates with unique wave-like microstructure on the bottom of microflow channel have shown promising prospects for the application in proton exchange membrane microfuel cell. A novel method—milling with special thin slotting cutters is developed for fabrication of wave-like microstructure on the bottom of microflow channels. The special thin slotting cutter is manufactured by removing one or several teeth every one tooth of the traditional slotting cutter regularly. Forming mechanism of wave-like microstructure is presented and experimental tests have been conducted for validation of the feasibility of the novel method. Results show that the wave-like microstructure can be successfully fabricated on the bottom of microflow channel. The bottom of bipolar plates with wave-like microstructure is not a flat plane, but a wavy groove. The wavelength and amplitude of wave-like microstructure increase with the increase of feed speed and the number of removed teeth.

scholarly journals Manufacturing of Metallic Bipolar Plate Channels by Rolling

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 48 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexander Bauer ◽  
Sebastian Härtel ◽  
Birgit Awiszus
Keyword(s):  
Cross Sections ◽  
Proton Exchange Membrane ◽  
Bipolar Plate ◽  
Pem Fuel Cells ◽  
Proton Exchange ◽  
Installation Space ◽  
Bipolar Plates ◽  
Metallic Bipolar Plates ◽  
Metallic Bipolar Plate ◽  
Set Up

Producing metallic bipolar plates for Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) fuel cells by forming is still a topic of research. So far, it has mainly been applied for small batches, but it offers substantial advantages regarding both costs and installation space compared to the established graphite based solutions. One new possibility for an efficient manufacturing process of these metallic bipolar plates is the forming by rolling. For the first time, this technology was used for relevant industrial scale channel geometries. By the use of an experimental rolling mill, 0.1 mm thick 316L (1.4404) stainless steel foils were roll-formed to achieve previously designed channel geometries within one rolling pass. The conducted experiments show promising results regarding the forming accuracy and the shape of the channel cross-sections. With the aim for a proof of concept in the beginning and a subsequent optimization of the process, a numerical simulation was set up prior to the real experiments and later calibrated with the experimental forming results. This calibrated model was used for further improvements of the process with the objective at reducing wrinkles and distortion. The investigation of this new process method for the manufacturing of metallic bipolar plates shows enormous potential and can lead to a more efficient and cheaper production.

scholarly journals A Review of Metallic Bipolar Plates for Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells: Materials and Fabrication Methods

2012 ◽  
Vol 2012 ◽  
pp. 1-22 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shahram Karimi ◽  
Norman Fraser ◽  
Bronwyn Roberts ◽  
Frank R. Foulkes
Keyword(s):  
Proton Exchange Membrane ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Bipolar Plate ◽  
Proton Exchange ◽  
Reaction Products ◽  
Bipolar Plates ◽  
Metallic Bipolar Plates ◽  
Density Graphite ◽  
Feasible Alternative ◽  
Exchange Membrane

The proton exchange membrane fuel cell offers an exceptional potential for a clean, efficient, and reliable power source. The bipolar plate is a key component in this device, as it connects each cell electrically, supplies reactant gases to both anode and cathode, and removes reaction products from the cell. Bipolar plates have been fabricated primarily from high-density graphite, but in recent years, much attention has been paid to developing cost-effective and feasible alternative materials. Two different classes of materials have attracted attention: metals and composites. This paper offers a comprehensive review of the current research being carried out on metallic bipolar plates, covering materials and fabrication methods.

Life-Limiting Aspects of the Corrosion of Metallic Bipolar Plates for PEM Fuel Cells

2008 ◽  
Vol 41-42 ◽  
pp. 469-475 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yan Wang ◽  
Derek O. Northwood
Keyword(s):  
Fuel Cells ◽  
Proton Exchange Membrane ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Electronic Conductivity ◽  
Bipolar Plate ◽  
Pem Fuel Cells ◽  
Proton Exchange ◽  
Metallic Materials ◽  
Bipolar Plates ◽  
Metallic Bipolar Plates

In proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs), the bipolar plates supply the reactant gases through the flow channels to the electrodes and serve the purpose of electrochemically connecting one cell to another in the electrochemical cell stack. Requirements of the bipolar plate material are: high values of electronic conductivity; high values of thermal conductivity; high mechanical strength; impermeability to reactant gases; resistance to corrosion; and low cost of automated production. Metallic materials meet many of these requirements but the challenge has been in obtaining the required corrosion resistance. In the paper, six metallic materials were investigated as potential bipolar plate materials. The results showed that the corrosion rates were too high even for the most corrosion resistant metals (SS316L and grade 2 Ti), and that coatings would be required.

Surface Treated SS304 Stainless Steel Bipolar Plates: Its Properties and Single Cell Performance

2010 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yu-Ming Lee ◽  
Shuo-Jen Lee ◽  
Chih-Yuan Lee ◽  
Ping-Hung Lai
Keyword(s):  
Stainless Steel ◽  
Corrosion Rate ◽  
Corrosion Current ◽  
Bipolar Plate ◽  
Cell Performance ◽  
Bipolar Plates ◽  
Metallic Bipolar Plate ◽  
Good Potential ◽  
Original Cell

In this paper, a thin SS304 stainless steel is chosen as metallic bipolar plate. In order to improve the surface qualities, such as anticorrosion capability, surface roughness, and clearness, the surface of bipolar plate is treated by an electropolishing technology. From the results of corrosion and potentionstatic tests, the corrosion rate and corrosion current of treated plate are much improved. The corrosion rate and corrosion current are reduced to 0.037 mmPY and 3.56 μA cm−2. The cell performance tests show the peak power of treated cell is lower than original cell. However, for the long term tests, the cell with treated plate has a more stable power output. The results show that the treated plate has a good potential for using in the fuel cell.

Surface Treated SS304 Stainless Steel Bipolar Plates: Its Properties and Single Cell Performance

2008 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yu-Ming Lee ◽  
Shuo-Jen Lee ◽  
Chih-Yuan Lee ◽  
Ping-Hung Lai
Keyword(s):  
Stainless Steel ◽  
Corrosion Rate ◽  
Corrosion Current ◽  
Bipolar Plate ◽  
Cell Performance ◽  
Bipolar Plates ◽  
Metallic Bipolar Plate ◽  
Good Potential ◽  
Original Cell

In this paper, a thin SS304 stainless steel is chosen as metallic bipolar plate. In order to improve the surface qualities such as anti-corrosion capability, surface roughness and clearness, the surface of bipolar plate is treated by a specific surface modification technology. From the results of corrosion and potentionstatic tests, the corrosion rate and corrosion current of treated plate is much improved. The corrosion rate and corrosion current are reduced to 0.037 mmpy and 3.56μ A/cm2. The cell performance tests shows the peak power of treated cell is lower than original cell. However, for the long term tests, the cell with treated plate has a more stable power output. The results show that the treated plate has a good potential for using in the fuel cell.

The Fabrication of a Micro-Channel for Metallic Bipolar Plates Using a Rubber Pad Forming Process

2014 ◽  
Vol 626 ◽  
pp. 16-26 ◽  
Author(s):  
You Min Huang ◽  
Yi Syun Wu ◽  
Shung Ping Wang
Keyword(s):  
Thickness Distribution ◽  
Flow Distribution ◽  
Bipolar Plate ◽  
Proton Exchange ◽  
Channel Height ◽  
Bipolar Plates ◽  
Forming Process ◽  
Element Analysis ◽  
Metallic Bipolar Plates ◽  
Rubber Pad Forming

A bipolar plate is one the most crucial and costliest of the various components of a proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC). It is important to reduce the cost of bipolar plate, not only in terms of material, but also in terms of the manufacturing process, to allow the commercialization of PEMFC’s. The performance of PEMFC’s is also of importance. Metallic bipolar plates have been the subject of much attention recently, because of their low material cost, formability and excellent thermal and mechanical prosperities. Therefore, this study uses a rubber pad forming process for stainless 316L steel to fabricate a bipolar plate with serpentine channels. A computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analysis is performed, in order to determine the influence of channel geometries, such as channel width, channel height and rib width, on the flow distribution of the reactant. Using the CFD results, finite element analysis models are then constructed and the formability of the micro-flow channel is studied. Finality, experiments are conducted to determine the channel height and thickness distribution of the bipolar plate. The numerical results are verified by the experimental results.

Study on the Materials and Forming Process for Bipolar Plates of PEMFC

2013 ◽  
Vol 546 ◽  
pp. 164-175 ◽  
Author(s):  
C.D. Lu ◽  
P.Z. Mao ◽  
D.H. Wen ◽  
H. Jia
Keyword(s):  
High Efficiency ◽  
Bipolar Plate ◽  
High Energy ◽  
Proton Exchange ◽  
High Energy Density ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Heat Of Reaction ◽  
Bipolar Plates ◽  
Metallic Bipolar Plate ◽  
The Cost

Proton exchange membrane fuel cell(PEMFC) has some advantages, such as high efficiency, eco-friendly virtue, high energy density, fast startup and so on, so it develops a wide prospect application . The bipolar plates is one of the key components for PEMFC which possess the functions of providing the channel for reaction gas, collecting current, conducting heat of reaction. At present ,the cost of bipolar plate accounts for about 30%-45% of the stack cost. Therefore, the most critical factor that decides the industrialization of PEMFC is the cost reduction. In this paper, first an introduction several main materials of the metallic bipolar plate. Then a presentation of the developing forming processes of the metallic bipolar plate and the extent problems, as well as the study status of the bipolar plate at home and abroad;. At last, a prospect for the future research development direction of the bipolar plate.

The functionality and quality of nutrition-related mobile applications in China (Preprint)

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuan Li ◽  
Jingmin Ding ◽  
Yishan Wang ◽  
Chengyao Tang ◽  
Puhong Zhang
Keyword(s):  
Disease Management ◽  
Nutrition Education ◽  
Mobile Applications ◽  
Rating Scale ◽  
Dietary Guidelines ◽  
Diet Analysis ◽  
Innovative Technology ◽  
Nutritional Knowledge ◽  
Food Record

BACKGROUND There are an increasing number of mobile applications that provide dietary guidance in supporting healthy lifestyle and disease management. However, the characteristics of these nutrition-related apps are not well analyzed. OBJECTIVE This study aimed to evaluate the functionality and quality of nutrition-related apps in China. METHODS Mobile apps providing dietary guidance were screened in Chinese iOS and android app stores using stepwise searching criteria in November 2017. Primary review was conducted by extracting information from the description of apps. Free apps that contain all the information of diet and nutrition, with the last update after 1st Jan 2016 were downloaded for further analysis on the nutritional functionality features based on the framework of Chinese Dietary Guidelines and on the market related features as well. The user version of the Mobile Application Rating Scale (uMARS) was used to assess the quality of apps. RESULTS Among the 44 downloaded nutrition-related apps screened from 628 apps with dietary guidance content, only 11(25%) were aimed exclusively for dietary guidance, the others were aimed for fitness guidance (17, 39%), disease management (11, 25%) and maternal health (5, 11%) respectively. The nutritional functionalities of the 44 apps included nutritional information enquiry (40, 91%), nutrition education (35, 80%), food record (34, 77%), diet analysis (34, 77%), and personalized recipes (21, 48%). Twelve out of 44 apps contained all of the above five nutrition related functionalities. The diet analysis and suggestions were mainly focused on energy (33/44, 75%), less on other factors like dietary structure (10/44, 23%). About 96% (42/44) of the apps provided social communication functionality and 59% (26/44) of the apps supported user incentives. Eight out of 44 apps (18%) also applied intelligent recognition technology. Using 5-point uMARS as scales of quality, the median scores of the 44 apps was 3.6 (IQR = 0.7). CONCLUSIONS Most nutrition-related apps are developed in the service of health management other than for dietary guidance exclusively. Although basic energy balance theory was generally applied, the nutritional functionality of the nutrition-related apps is relatively limited and not individualized. More efforts should be taken to integrate with the scientific nutritional knowledge and innovative technology in developing an app followed with complete and personalized dietary guidance.

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