Effect of Metallic Bipolar Plates Fillet Radii on Fuel Cell Performance

Chien-Ju Hung, Wei-Jen Chen, Chao-An Lin, Huan-Ruei Shiu and Bin-Hao Chen
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Chien-Ju Hung: Department of Power Mechanical Engineering, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu 30013, Taiwan
Wei-Jen Chen: Department of Aeronautical Engineering, Chaoyang University of Technology, Taichung 413310, Taiwan
Chao-An Lin: Department of Power Mechanical Engineering, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu 30013, Taiwan
Huan-Ruei Shiu: GUNITECH CORP., Hsinchu 30741, Taiwan
Bin-Hao Chen: Department of Vehicle Engineering, National Taipei University of Technology, Taipei 106344, Taiwan

Energies, 2021, vol. 14, issue 21, 1-11

Abstract: 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.

Keywords: contact resistance; metallic bipolar plate; fuel cell (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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