Fuel Cell Cooling Plate Insulating Structure
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Solution Overview
Problem
High-temperature proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cells experience non-uniform temperature profiles due to rapid heat transfer between air and metal cooling plates, leading to impaired performance and potential degradation, as regions near the cooling air inlet are under-cooled while those near the outlet are over-cooled.
Innovation Solution
An insulating structure with decreasing thickness from the cooling air inlet to the outlet is applied within the airflow channels of the cooling plates to regulate heat transfer, slowing heat absorption at the inlet and accelerating it at the outlet, thereby maintaining a more uniform temperature across the fuel cells.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of energy
If air cooling is used to remove heat from fuel cells, then heat removal efficiency is improved, but non-uniform temperature distribution occurs across the fuel cell stack
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies insulating structures with varying thicknesses at different locations within the airflow channels. Specifically, greater insulating thickness is provided at regions where cooling is reduced (typically near the outlet) and lesser thickness where cooling is enhanced (typically near the inlet), creating local quality variations that compensate for non-uniform heat transfer patterns and achieve more uniform temperature distribution across the fuel cell stack.
2Loss of energy
If cooling air flow rate is increased to improve cooling, then heat removal is enhanced, but temperature uniformity across the fuel cell deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The insulating structures are strategically positioned and dimensioned to provide localized thermal resistance where needed. By varying the insulating thickness along the airflow path, the system can maintain high overall cooling efficiency while creating local thermal barriers that prevent excessive cooling at certain regions, thereby maintaining temperature uniformity even at higher air flow rates.
Solution Approach 2:
The insulating structures act as intermediary elements between the cooling air and the fuel cell stack. These intermediaries modulate the heat transfer process, allowing the cooling air to remove heat efficiently from the overall system while preventing localized over-cooling, thus mediating between the conflicting requirements of high heat removal rate and uniform temperature distribution.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach reduces in-plane temperature differences, ensuring fuel cells operate within a desired range, enhancing performance and preventing damage, allowing for higher current densities and increased power density without overheating, which can reduce the number of fuel cells needed in a stack and lower manufacturing costs.
Implementation Method 1
Heat from the fuel cell stack is conducted to cooling plates, and removed from the plates by air flowing through the airflow channels
Implementation Method 2
an insulating structure is disposed in the airflow channels, wherein the insulating structure has decreasing thickness from a cooling air inlet toward a cooling air outlet
Data Source
AI summary
The air-cooled thermal management of a fuel cell stack is disclosed. One disclosed embodiment comprises a cooling plate apparatus for an air-cooled fuel cell stack, where the cooling plate comprises a body configured to receive heat from one or more fuel cells in thermal communication with the body, and airflow channels formed in the body and configured to allow a flow of a cooling air to pass across the body. An insulating structure is disposed in the airflow channels, wherein the insulating structure has decreasing thickness from a cooling air inlet toward a cooling air outlet.