Design and Analysis of Bipolar Plate of Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cell Assembly used for Automotive Applications

Abstract

A polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) is defined as a type of fuel cell used to generate voltage and current. A fuel cell produces very small amount of electrical energy about 0.7 volts. So, it is essential to stack the fuel cells in bipolar plate series connection for the production of the large amount of electrical energy to fulfil the requirement. However, it is required to stack them with uniform pressure distribution in order to minimize the chance of BPP, MEA and GDL damage, fuel leakage and contact resistance. The mechanical properties and geometrical attributes of PEMFC stack components were collected with the help of many journal papers and books for the sake of their design and simulation work. In this study, the finite element analysis (FEA) were employed to simulate the bipolar plates meant for the assessment of the uniform stress dissemination.