scholarly journals Unique Fuel Cell Test Fixture Allowing Independent Control of Gas Sealing and Electrical Contact Pressure

2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 139-146
Author(s):  
Tim M. Brown ◽  
Jacob Brouwer ◽  
G. S. Samuelsen
Keyword(s):  
Fuel Cell ◽  
Contact Pressure ◽  
Electrical Contact ◽  
Independent Control ◽  
Test Fixture ◽  
Cell Test

The Effect of Catalyst Coated Diffusion Media on PEM Fuel Cell Performance

2009 ◽  
Author(s):  
Derek W. Fultz ◽  
Po-Ya Abel Chuang
Keyword(s):  
Fuel Cell ◽  
Proton Exchange Membrane ◽  
Thermal Contact ◽  
Electrical Contact ◽  
Gas Diffusion ◽  
Proton Exchange ◽  
Hot Press ◽  
Fuel Cell Performance ◽  
Diffusion Media ◽  
A Cell

Two fuel cell architectures, differing only by the surfaces onto which the electrodes were applied, have been analyzed to determine the root causes of dissimilarities in performance. The basic proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) is comprised of the proton transporting membrane, platinum-containing anode and cathode electrodes, porous carbon fiber gas diffusion media (GDM), and flow fields which deliver the reactant hydrogen and air flows. As no optimal cell design currently exists, there is a degree of latitude regarding component assembly and structure. Catalyst coated diffusion media (CCDM) refers to a cell architecture option where the electrode layers are coated on the GDM layers and then hot-pressed to the membrane. Catalyst coated membrane (CCM) refers to an architecture where the electrodes are transferred directly onto the membrane. A cell with CCDM architecture has tightly bonded interfaces throughout the assembly which can result in lower thermal and electrical contact resistances. Considering the fuel cell as a 1-D thermal system, the through-plane thermal resistance was observed to decrease by 5–10% when comparing CCDM to CCM architectures. This suggests the thermal contact resistance at the electrode interfaces was significantly reduced in the hot-press process. In addition, the electrical contact resistances between the electrode and GDM were observed to be significantly reduced with a CCDM architecture. This study shows that these effects, which have a potential to increase performance, can be attributed to the hot-press lamination process and use of CCDM architecture.

scholarly journals Numerical simulation of Effect of Contact Pressure on Gas Diffusion Layers deformation of a PEM Fuel Cell

2019 ◽  
Vol 286 ◽  
pp. 09006
Author(s):  
A. Atifi ◽  
K. El Bikri ◽  
M. Ettouhami
Keyword(s):  
Fuel Cell ◽  
Contact Pressure ◽  
Element Model ◽  
Bipolar Plate ◽  
Gas Diffusion ◽  
Gas Diffusion Layers ◽  
Fuel Cell Stack ◽  
Diffusion Layers ◽  
Dimensional Finite Element ◽  
Orthotropic Behavior

In this study, a two-dimensional, Finite Element model has been implemented based numerical modeling simulations to predict mechanical behavior of a representative unit of fuel cell stack deformation under three levels of contact pressure between GDL and bipolar plate assuming that the GDL deformation as a combination of elastic deformation and fibers slippage. The intrusion of the GDL into the channel was estimated. Indeed, with orthotropic behavior of the GDL, the proposed nonlinear orthotropic model converges towards the models of the literature as a function of the contact pressure level between the bipolar plate and the GDL (Gas Diffusion Layers).

Investigation of Thermal Influence on the Assembly of Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cell Stacks

2012 ◽  
Vol 512-515 ◽  
pp. 1509-1514
Author(s):  
Lin Fa Peng ◽  
Dian Kai Qiu ◽  
Pei Yun Yi ◽  
Xin Min Lai
Keyword(s):  
Thermal Expansion ◽  
Fuel Cell ◽  
Contact Pressure ◽  
Proton Exchange Membrane ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Gas Diffusion ◽  
Proton Exchange ◽  
Membrane Electrode ◽  
Fe Model ◽  
Assembly Process

The assembly force in a proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) stack affects the characteristics of the porosity and electrical conductivity. Generally, the stack is assembled at room temperature while it’s operated at about 80 °Cor even higher. As a result, the assembly pressure can’t keep constant due to thermal expansion. This paper focuses on the contact pressure between membrane electrode assembly (MEA) and bipolar plates in real operations. A three-dimensional finite element (FE) model for the assembly process is established with coupled thermal-mechanical effects. The discipline of contact pressure under thermal-mechanical effect is investigated. A single cell stack is fabricated in house for the analysis of contact pressures on gas diffusion layer at different temperatures. The results show that as the temperature increases, contact pressure increases due to thermal expansion. It indicates that the influence of thermal expansion due to temperature variation should be taken into consideration for the design of the stack assembly process.

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