The achievement of proper electrochemical performance in proton exchange membrane fuel cells depends on a number of factors, among which the difficulty in obtaining a uniform pressure distribution over the whole fuel cell active area. For a given stacking design, contact pressure levels are usually controlled by selecting an appropriate external clamping pressure on the endplates. Hence, the actual out-of-plane deformation of the endplates is believed to play a critical role. The goal of this study is to investigate this aspect by using an optical full-field measurement technique based on stereoscopic digital images correlation. The preliminary results reported in this paper, obtained by testing a PEMFC with 13 mm thick Cu endplates, shows that the endplates bend noticeably under loading, leading to an uneven distribution of the out-of-plane deformation field.

Assessment of Fuel Cell’s Endplate Out of Plane Deformation Using Digital Image Correlation

MONTANINI, Roberto;
2011-01-01

Abstract

The achievement of proper electrochemical performance in proton exchange membrane fuel cells depends on a number of factors, among which the difficulty in obtaining a uniform pressure distribution over the whole fuel cell active area. For a given stacking design, contact pressure levels are usually controlled by selecting an appropriate external clamping pressure on the endplates. Hence, the actual out-of-plane deformation of the endplates is believed to play a critical role. The goal of this study is to investigate this aspect by using an optical full-field measurement technique based on stereoscopic digital images correlation. The preliminary results reported in this paper, obtained by testing a PEMFC with 13 mm thick Cu endplates, shows that the endplates bend noticeably under loading, leading to an uneven distribution of the out-of-plane deformation field.
2011
9789400713239
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/11570/1910152
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