论文和技术资料

Metallic bipolar plates promise several advantages for fuel cell applications. On the other hand, cooling of these plates is a critical task regarding design optimization. The high thermal conductivity of the material and the complex geometry of these plates affect directly the cooling performance. To analyze this phenomenon, a 3D model is set-up and solved using a FEM (finite element method) approach using COMSOL Multiphysics. The obtained cell geometry is imported with the CAD import module and simplified using symmetry conditions. As for the physics, momentum transport is used to describe the fluid flow through the cooling channels. Energy transport takes the heat transfer (cooling) into account. Structural optimization of the metallic bipolar plates is made simultaneously in order to obtain an evenly distributed temperature profile. The effect of different geometries on the temperature distribution is compared regarding the same cell operating point.