Fuel Cell Separator Flow Splitting and Merging Design
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional fuel cell separators fail to achieve optimal design for uniform reaction gas flow rate and effective prevention of flooding due to excessive condensed water, particularly in the reaction gas flow merge regions, leading to non-uniformity and performance degradation.
Innovation Solution
A fuel cell separator with a serpentine-shaped reaction gas passage region featuring flow splitting and merge regions, including recessed portions with vertically extending protrusions arranged in an island form, and oblique boundaries between upstream and downstream passage groove groups, which promotes uniform gas mixing and reduces flow rate variations, while the convex-concave pattern on the surface supports the electrode and enhances drainage characteristics.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If conventional separators are used with simple passage groove configurations, then the device complexity is low, but the reaction gas flow rate uniformity deteriorates leading to non-uniform flow distribution
Solution Approach 1:
The separator surface is divided into multiple flow splitting regions and flow merge regions, each containing multiple passage grooves. This segmentation allows independent optimization of flow distribution in different areas, achieving uniform reaction gas flow rate across all passage grooves while maintaining manageable structural complexity through modular design
Solution Approach 2:
Different regions of the separator are given different functions: flow splitting regions divide the reaction gas into multiple streams, while flow merge regions recombine them. This local differentiation of functional quality enables precise control over flow distribution characteristics without requiring complex structures throughout the entire separator
2Reliability
If conventional separators lack adequate flow merge regions, then the device complexity is low, but the condensed water drainage performance deteriorates causing flooding
Solution Approach 1:
Flow merge regions are strategically positioned at locations where passage grooves converge, preparing the flow path for efficient water drainage before the reaction gas enters the next splitting region. This preliminary arrangement of drainage pathways prevents water accumulation and flooding while integrating smoothly into the overall separator structure
Solution Approach 2:
The flow merge regions act as intermediary structures between flow splitting regions, serving dual functions of recombining gas streams and facilitating condensed water removal. This intermediary role resolves the contradiction by providing dedicated drainage functionality without requiring separate complex drainage systems
3Manufacturing precision
If the number of passage grooves remains constant throughout the separator, then the manufacturing precision is simpler, but the gas dispersion performance deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The separator employs dynamic variation in the number of passage grooves across different regions, with flow splitting regions containing different numbers of grooves to optimize gas dispersion. This dynamic configuration adapts to local flow requirements, enhancing gas dispersion performance while maintaining ease of manufacture through systematic variation rather than complex irregular patterns
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3~4
AI summary
A fuel cell separator and a fuel cell are provided that can improve uniformity in reaction gas flow rate and can prevent flooding due to excessive condensed water in passage grooves appropriately. A reaction gas passage region (101) of a separator (2) has a flow splitting region (21) having a passage groove group where the reaction gas is split, and one or more flow merge regions (22) having a recessed portion in which the reaction gas is mixed and connecting a plurality of flow splitting regions so that the passage groove group of the adjacent flow splitting regions (21) are connected to the recessed portion, and protrusions (27) vertically extend from a bottom face of the recessed portion and arranged in an island form. A pair of passage groove groups connected to the recessed portion of the flow merge region (22) is formed so as to have a greater number of grooves in the upstream passage groove group than the number of grooves of grooves in the downstream passage groove group. The recessed portion of the flow merge region (22) is defined, in a turn portion of a serpentine shaped reaction gas passage region (101), by oblique boundaries between the recessed portion and a pair of passage groove groups which are connected to the recessed portion and by the outer end of the turn portion.