Porous for electric vehicles with fuel cells development of flow field bipolar plates

In this thesis, AP designs aimed at achieving higher current/power density from the unit active area of fuel cells, one of the clean energy sources of the future, have been developed. For this purpose, a flow field design utilizing open-pore materials, which have attracted attention in the literature, has been created. It is intended that these porous regions, which direct the flow of reactants in the active area of the cell, provide a more balanced distribution of reactants on the catalyst surface. Additionally, increasing the reactant density on the catalyst surface is also targeted. In this way, it is aimed to increase the power output produced by the cell by increasing the current density values obtained from the cell. The AP models, determined through design, were modeled in three dimensions using the CATIA program, and fuel cells were simulated in the ANSYS program. In the modeling, a single-cell fuel cell structure was created. In the ANSYS program, current density values, pressure, temperature, hydrogen, oxygen, and water distributions of the fuel cells were obtained and compared. The models produced within the scope of the study were compared with a fuel cell that has a triple serpentine model, which is frequently used in the literature. The model with the AP that provides a higher net power output compared to the single-cell fuel cell with the serpentine model was accepted as the most efficient AP model. The AP model developed within the scope of the study was produced and experimentally tested by creating a single-cell fuel cell structure. The results showed that the use of porous regions as a flow field in PEMFCs had positive effects on the electrical performance of the cell, increasing the current and power density values. Keywords: Fuel cells, Flow plate, Computational fluid dynamics, Porous flow field.