This work presents the development of liquid-cooled industry-scale bipolar plates for improved water management in PEM Fuel Cells. The methods used for the design development are based on Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) modelling and simulation, and Neutron Radiography experiments to analyse liquid water distributions within the cell for different operating conditions.
A novel 140 cm² bipolar plate was designed and manufactured on 0.1 mm thick stainless steel using pre-coated strip steel. CFD modelling carried out for the novel design predicted a significant improvement in terms of cell performance, as well as a more uniform temperature distribution within the membrane. Liquid water distributions were later analysed by neutron radiography experiments, defining a set of different operating conditions (current density, stoichiometry, inlet gases dew point, and cell temperature).
Electrochemical and neutron radiography results are presented for all cases and the influence of the operating conditions is discussed. Liquid water distributions within the cell are also analysed and compared against the CFD model results obtained. The influence of the gas flow configuration (reactant gases and cooling water) is clearly observable in the results.