Kumar 1 Fuel Cell Design

P. C. Sui, S. Kumar, and N. Djilali. Advanced computational tools for PEM fuel cell design. Part 1. Development and base case simulations. J. Power Sources, 180 410-422, 2008a. 

Ji and Kumar [107] presented an invention in which, after treatment with PTFE, the cathode diffusion layers are coated with a silicon solution in order to enhance the hydrophobic properties of the DFs. This silicon does not have to be coated over the whole surface of the DL, but could be coated in just certain areas, depending on the design of the cell, the location of fhe cell wifhin a stack, and the desired hydrophobic properties. It was demonstrated how a DL with the silicon coating improved the performance of a single fuel cell when operating at high relative humilities [107]. 

Kumar, A., and R. G. Reddy. 2002. PEM fuel cell bipolar plate—Materials selection, design and integration. In Fundamentals of advanced materials and energy conversion proceedings, ed. D. Chandra and R. G. Bautista, 41-53. Seattle, WA IMS. 

Metallic bipolar plate design with conventional channels and use of metal foams in the flow fields are also considered (Kumar and Reddy, 2004). Results show a superior performance of the fuel cell with the use of metal foam bipolar plates with lower permeability. Bipolar plates with conventional channels are restricted to higher permeability owing to machining limitations. 

The use of SS-316 bipolar plates with multiple-parallel straight channels is very common in the fabrication of PEM fuel cell stack. A porous bipolar plate design to transport liquid water from the cell to the coolant stream is also considered (Wheeler et al., 2001). Reviews of bipolar plate design and materials are given by Ajersch et al. (2003) and Kumar and Reddy (2004). 

Kumar, A. and R. G. Reddy. Recent developments in materials, design and concepts for bipolar/end plates in PEM fuel cells. Advanced Materials for Energy Conversion II, TMS, 317-324,2004. 

Kumar A and Reddy R G (2005) Effect of gas flow-field design in the bipolar/end plates on the steady and transient state performance of polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells. Journal of Power Sources (In Press). 

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