scholarly journals Effect of Metallic Bipolar Plates Fillet Radii on Fuel Cell Performance

Energies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (21) ◽  
pp. 7109
Author(s):  
Chien-Ju Hung ◽  
Wei-Jen Chen ◽  
Chao-An Lin ◽  
Huan-Ruei Shiu ◽  
Bin-Hao Chen
Keyword(s):  
Fuel Cell ◽  
Contact Resistance ◽  
Electrical Impedance ◽  
Membrane Electrode Assembly ◽  
Membrane Electrode ◽  
Bipolar Plates ◽  
Compression Force ◽  
Fuel Cell Performance ◽  
Metallic Bipolar Plates ◽  
Current Design

This paper studies the effects of compression, deformation, and the contact area in the membrane electrode assembly (MEA). The electrical impedance of fuel cell stacks due to the assembly of the metallic bipolar plates is also considered. According to decades-long fuel cell (FC) assembly experience, an increase in compression force can result in adequate contact resistance, but excessive compression may cause extra contact resistance and damage to the MEA structure. The study suggests a design for improving the performance of the FC stack by proposing different fillet radii metallic bipolar plates. It is found that the appropriate fillet radius reduces contact resistance by 13% and avoids the accumulation of compression, thereby maintaining contact resistance at adequate levels. The current design proposes a simple and effective method to minimize the dimension tolerance of single fuel cell units and support sufficient compression.

The effect of water uptake gradient in membrane electrode assembly on fuel cell performance

2011 ◽  
Vol 80 (2) ◽  
pp. 201-206 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. Fujita ◽  
F. Shiraki ◽  
Y. Oshima ◽  
T. Tatsumi ◽  
T. Yoshikawa ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Fuel Cell ◽  
Water Uptake ◽  
Membrane Electrode Assembly ◽  
Cell Performance ◽  
Membrane Electrode ◽  
Fuel Cell Performance ◽  
Effect Of Water

Enhancement of PEM Fuel Cell Performance by Flow Control

2014 ◽  
Vol 804 ◽  
pp. 75-78 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vinh Nguyen Duy ◽  
Jung Koo Lee ◽  
Ki Won Park ◽  
Hyung Man Kim
Keyword(s):  
Fuel Cell ◽  
Flow Field ◽  
Pem Fuel Cell ◽  
Membrane Electrode Assembly ◽  
Cell Performance ◽  
Field Pattern ◽  
Battery Life ◽  
Membrane Electrode ◽  
Fuel Cell Performance ◽  
Serpentine Flow Field

Flow-field design affects directly to the PEM fuel cell performance. This study aims to stimulate the under-rib convection by adding sub-channels and by-passes to the conventional-advanced serpentine flow-field to improve the PEM fuel cell performance. The experimental results show that if reacting gases flow in the same direction as the neighboring main channels, the under-rib convection shows a flow from the main channels to the sub-channels makes progress in reducing pressure drop and enhancing uniform gas supply and water diffusion. Alternatively, if in the direction opposite to that of the neighboring main channels, the under-rib convection shows a flow from the inlet side towards the outlet side across the sub-channel as in the conventional serpentine channels. Analyses of the local transport phenomena in the cell suggest that the inlet by-pass supplies the reacting gases uniformly from the entrance into the sub-channels and the outlet by-pass enhances water removal. Novel serpentine flow-field pattern employing sub-channels and by-passes shows uniform current density and temperature distribution by uniformly supplying the reacting gas. Furthermore, performance improvement of around 20% is observed from the experimental performance evaluation. As a result, longer battery life is expected by reducing the mechanical stress of membrane electrode assembly.

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