scholarly journals A Competitive Design and Material Consideration for Fabrication of Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cell Bipolar Plates

Designs ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 13
Author(s):  
Noor Ul Hassan ◽  
Bahadir Tunaboylu ◽  
Ali Soydan
Keyword(s):  
Fuel Cell ◽  
Polymer Electrolyte ◽  
Mass Production ◽  
Polymer Electrolyte Membrane ◽  
Expanded Graphite ◽  
Pem Fuel Cell ◽  
Bipolar Plate ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Bipolar Plates ◽  
Electrolyte Membrane

The bipolar plate is one of the most significant components of a polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) fuel cell, and contributes substantially to the cost structure and the weight of the stacks. A number of graphite polymer composites with different fabrication techniques have been reported in the literature. Graphite composites show excellent electromechanical properties and chemical stability in acidic environments. Compression and injection molding are the most common manufacturing methods being used for mass production. In this study, a competitive bipolar plate design and fabrication technique is adopted in order to develop a low-cost and light-weight expanded graphite (EG) polymer composite bipolar plate for an air-breathing PEM fuel cell. Cutting molds are designed to cut fuel flow channels on thin expanded graphite (EG) sheets (0.6 mm thickness). Three separate sheets, with the flow channel textures removed, are glued to each other by a commercial conductive epoxy to build a single bipolar plate. The final product has a density of 1.79 g/cm3. A bipolar plate with a 20 cm2 active area weighs only 11.38 g. The manufacturing cost is estimated to be 7.77 $/kWe, and a total manufacturing time of 2 minutes/plate is achieved with lab-scale fabrication. A flexural strength value of 29 MPa is obtained with the three-point bending method. A total resistance of 22.3 milliohms.cm2 is measured for the three-layer bipolar plate. We presume that the suggested design and fabrication process can be a competitive alternate for the small-scale, as well as mass production of bipolar plates.

Graphene Reinforced Composite Bipolar Plate for Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cell

2011 ◽  
Author(s):  
Biraj Kumar Kakati ◽  
Avijit Ghosh ◽  
Anil Verma
Keyword(s):  
Electrical Conductivity ◽  
Fuel Cell ◽  
Flexural Strength ◽  
Polymer Electrolyte ◽  
Polymer Electrolyte Membrane ◽  
Hydrogen Permeability ◽  
Bipolar Plate ◽  
Bipolar Plates ◽  
Electrolyte Membrane ◽  
Electrical Conductivities

Composite bipolar plates for polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) were developed by compression molding technique using vinyl ester resin as a binder and natural graphite, carbon black, and carbon fiber as conductive reinforcements. The developed bipolar plates were characterized for electrical conductivity, flexural strength, deflection at mid-span, hydrogen permeability, and morphology. The in-plane and through-plane electrical conductivities of the composite bipolar plate (VER:25%;CB:5%;CF:5%;NG:65%) were 355.05 and 95.96 S·cm−1, respectively. The flexural strength of the same bipolar plate was 53.50 MPa with a deflection of 5.37%. The hydrogen permeability of the bipolar plate was in the order of 10−9 cm3·cm−1·s−1 at 50°C. The overall properties of the composite bipolar plate were found to achieve the benchmark set by USA-Department of Energy. However, the through-plane electrical conductivity of the above composite was edge below the target value. Therefore, graphene, being one of the most electrical conductive materials, has been reinforced into the composite bipolar plate. The results were very encouraging as 1% graphene reinforcement increased the in-plane and through-plane electrical conductivities of the bipolar plate by around 6 and 35%, respectively. The performance of a PEMFC was evaluated using the developed bipolar plate in in-situ condition.

Design and Simulation on Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cell Bipolar Plates with Hilbert Patterns

2012 ◽  
Vol 608-609 ◽  
pp. 898-903
Author(s):  
Mao Liang Wu ◽  
Zhu Jun Gu ◽  
Shou Feng Cao
Keyword(s):  
Fuel Cell ◽  
Polymer Electrolyte ◽  
Polymer Electrolyte Membrane ◽  
Bipolar Plate ◽  
Parallel Channel ◽  
Bipolar Plates ◽  
Fuel Cell Performance ◽  
Channel Output ◽  
Electrolyte Membrane ◽  
Serpentine Channel

Polymer Electrolyte Membrane fuel cell converts directly electrochemical energy into electricity. Channels in bipolar Plate, a critical component of fuel cell, is designed with Hilbert pattern, which are obtained through offsetting Hilbert curves to both sides according to working size. Polarization curve expresses the same characteristics between Hilbert channel and traditional serpentine and parallel channel. Output current densities of Hilbert channel are equivalent to that of the serpentine channel but larger than that of parallel channel. Simulation demonstrates that fluid flowing states in Hilbert channel are similar to that in serpentine channel and investigates that pressure drop changes with composite Hilbert channel arrangement. Temperature is an important factor influencing fuel cell performance and optimal temperature is close to 333K in this research.

Heat and Mass Transport Analysis of Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cell With Bipolar Plates

2009 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pavan Kumar Konnepati ◽  
Pradip Majumdar
Keyword(s):  
Fuel Cell ◽  
Polymer Electrolyte ◽  
Current Density ◽  
Gas Flow ◽  
Polymer Electrolyte Membrane ◽  
Pem Fuel Cell ◽  
Bipolar Plate ◽  
Gas Diffusion ◽  
Limiting Current ◽  
Electrolyte Membrane

Fuel cells convert chemical energy of fuels into electricity directly. Their higher efficiency and low emissions made them prime candidates for next generation power requirements. The Polymer Electrolyte Membrane (PEM) fuel cell has gained attention of both transportation and stationary power generation industries. In this study a three-dimensional computational model for the simulation of Polymer Electrolyte Membrane (PEM) fuel cell unit cell is developed to understand the complex internal mechanisms, and evaluate the effects of bipolar plate designs on the cell performance. The model includes combined heat and mass transfer processes due to convection and diffusion in the gas flow channels of bi-polar plates as well in the gas diffusion layers of the electrodes, and associated electrochemical reactions in a tri-layer PEM fuel cell. Simulation is carried out with straight parallel channels for operating current density in the range from 0.5–1.5 A/cm2 showed significant insight details of PEM fuel cell in terms of distribution of reactant gases, and heat and water transport across the cell. A significantly high variation in gas concentration across the electrode–membrane interfaces and along the channel length is noticed, requiring higher stoichiometric ratios to increase the limiting current density.

scholarly journals Corrosion Resistance Measurements of Amorphous Ni40Ti40Nb20 Bipolar Plate Material for Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cells

2013 ◽  
Vol 8-9 ◽  
pp. 335-342 ◽  
Author(s):  
György Thalmaier ◽  
Ioan Vida-Simiti ◽  
Horatiu Vermesan ◽  
Cosmin Codrean ◽  
Mihail Chira
Keyword(s):  
Corrosion Resistance ◽  
Fuel Cell ◽  
Polymer Electrolyte ◽  
Polymer Electrolyte Membrane ◽  
Amorphous Material ◽  
Bipolar Plate ◽  
Hydrogen Gas ◽  
Bipolar Plates ◽  
Plate Material ◽  
Electrolyte Membrane

Metallic bipolar plates have the advantages of better manufacturability, higher strength over graphite bipolar plates. The higher strength and toughness of the metallic materials permits the reduction of the width of the bipolar plate so, the volume and mass of the fuel cell can also be reduced. In this paper we are investigating the use of Ni-based amorphous material as a bipolar plate for polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell (PEMFC). The major requirements of the metallic bipolar plate material are low weight, high corrosion and low contact resistance. The corrosion property of the present alloy has been investigated under conditions that simulate the fuel cell environment. Hydrogen gas and air were bubbled into a 1 N H2SO4solution at 70 °C, throughout the experiment to simulate the respective anodic and cathodic PEMFC environment. The Ni-base amorphous alloys displayed higher corrosion resistance than stainless steel.

Preparation of Polymer Composite Bipolar Plate with Different Multi-Filler for Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cell (PEMFC)

2014 ◽  
Vol 699 ◽  
pp. 689-694 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohd Zulkefli Selamat ◽  
Mohd Shakir Ahmad ◽  
Mohd Ahadlin Mohd Daud ◽  
Musthafa Mohd Tahir ◽  
Safaruddin Gazali Herawan
Keyword(s):  
Electrical Conductivity ◽  
Fuel Cell ◽  
Polymer Electrolyte ◽  
Alternative Energy ◽  
Polymer Electrolyte Membrane ◽  
Energy System ◽  
Bipolar Plate ◽  
Filler Loading ◽  
Shore Hardness ◽  
Electrolyte Membrane

Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cell (PEMFC) is an alternative energy system that has been verified with great potential for high power density, durability and cost effectiveness. Since the bipolar plate is the key component in PEMFC, the component must operate with multifunction and have a balance of properties, essentially well in both electrical and mechanical properties. At present, many different materials have been tested to be applied for bipolar plate in order to fulfill the balance in each property. In this work, the different material is tested and observed. Polypropylene (PP) is used as a binder material, Graphite (Gr) is used as a main filler and Carbon Black (CB), Iron (Fe) and Nickel (Ni) as the second filler. This composite is produced through compression molding and the effect of different filler material loading on the properties such as electrical conductivity, flexural strength, bulk density and shore hardness are observed. The result showed the increasing of electrical conductivity as the increased the CB and Fe loading. But for Ni, the result showed the decreasing of electrical conductivity as the loading of Ni has been increased. The targeted value also achieved for some certain degree of filler loading.

Preparation of Multi-Layer Film on Stainless Steel as Bipolar Plate for Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cell

2010 ◽  
Vol 113-116 ◽  
pp. 2255-2261
Author(s):  
Dong Ming Zhang ◽  
Lu Guo ◽  
Liang Tao Duan ◽  
Zai Yi Wang
Keyword(s):  
Stainless Steel ◽  
Corrosion Resistance ◽  
Fuel Cell ◽  
Polymer Electrolyte ◽  
Polymer Electrolyte Membrane ◽  
Electrical Conductance ◽  
Bipolar Plate ◽  
Contact Angles ◽  
Water Contact ◽  
Electrolyte Membrane

In the present study, we try to prepare hydrophobic film coated on stainless steel as the bipolar plate for polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell (PEMFC). Magnetron sputtering (MS) was adoped to prepare the Cr3Ni2/Cr2N multi-layer coated on stainless steel. The corrosion resistance and electrical conductance of the coated substrate were tested. The water contact angles were measured. The film exhibits improved corrosion resistance and electrical conductance. The corrosion current is 0.58µA.cm-2 and the contact resistance at 240N.cm-2 is 8.5mΩ.cm2. Meanwhile, it is a kind of hydrophobic film with water contact angle of 107o. The performance shows strong dependance on microstructural characteristics. The nano-protrudes on the SS304/Cr3Ni2/Cr2N surface result in the film with hydrophobic property, just like the effect of lotus surface.

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