Investigation of thermal and mechanical analysis of the end plate in fuel cells

Nowadays, petrol and its derivatives have an important role in human life. We need energy resources in most functions like heating, production, transportation, and communication. Because of the reduction of the petrol reserves and being in an unstable region of them, tending to using new energy resources have been increased. Global warming and ecological pollution are the examples of the disasters that suppose to threat the world due to the environmental damage of internal combustion engine technology that are used in automotive industry. Hydrogen is expected to be the energy resource that can overcome these threats and also fuel cells with hydrogen are supposed to compete with the internal combustion engine in automotive industry. Beside the advantage of zero emission, there are a lot of other advantages like having electrochemical reaction without any explosion and silent operation. But the problems that limit the hydrogen and fuel cell technology, like water management, thermal management and mostly the cost issue become obvious. In this research, the most cost increasing part is the studies on the bipolar plate. Moreover; hydrogen flow model of a graphite end plate that mostly preferred nowadays had been formed, and the actual pressure distribution had been taken from this model for the structural analysis, then the structural deformity had been studied and lifetime analysis had been made.