Design and development of a novel flow field for PEM fuel cells to obtain uniform flow distribution

ECS Transactions

Volumn 1, Issue 6, 2006, Pages 581-604

  Debe, Mark K ^a   Herdtle, Thomas ^a  

^a 3M COMPANY   (United States)

Author keywords

[No Author keywords available]

Indexed keywords

COMPUTATIONAL GEOMETRY; COMPUTER SIMULATION; ION EXCHANGE MEMBRANES; MECHANICAL PERMEABILITY; PROTONS;

FLOW DISTRIBUTION; FLOW FIELD GEOMETRY; PEM FUEL CELLS;

FUEL CELLS;

EID: 33845243900     PISSN: 19385862     EISSN: 19386737     Source Type: Conference Proceeding    
DOI: 10.1149/1.2214528     Document Type: Conference Paper

References (4)

1. A number of references depict flow fields having serpentine channels wherein sequential segments of the channels are parallel, including: U.S. Pats. Nos. 4,686,159; 4,988,583; 5,108,849; 5,252,410; 5,683,828; 5,750,281; 5,773,160; 5,846,668; 5,858,567; 5,858,569; 5,945,232; 6,071,635 and 6,099,984. A number of references depict flow fields having multiple interleaved serpentine channels wherein sequential segments of each channel are parallel, including: U.S. Pats. Nos. 5,683,828; 5,750,281; 5,773,160; 5,804,326; 5,840,438; 5,858,567; 5,998,055; 6,071,635 and 6,093,502. A number of references depict interdigitated flow fields, including: U.S. Pats. Nos. 5,252,410; 5,641,586 and 6,207,312. In an interdigitated flow field, channels having an inlet but no outlet alternate with channels having an outlet but no inlet. In addition, the use of a metal screen as a flow field has been taught, e.g. in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,855,193; 5,798,187; 6,037,072 and 6,207,310. U.S. Pat. No. 6,255,011 B1 teaches use of a multi-channel serpentine flow field design in which the number of parallel channels decreases at varying points along the gas flow path to try and compensate for gas consumption. It also references a laid open publication No, 6-267564, which uses a channel having a gradient depth or width to try and compensate for gas flow consumption and get more uniform diffusion.
2. th ECS meeting.
3. M. K. Debe, in Handbook of Fuel Cells-Fundamentals, Technology and Applications, W. Vielstich, A. Lamm, H. A. Gasteiger, Editors, Ch. 45, John Wiley & Sons (2003).
4. "High Peformance, Matching, PEM Fuel Cell Components and Integrated Pilot Manufacturing Processes," Final Report for 3M/DOE Cooperative Agreement No. DE-FC02-99EE50582, July, 2003.