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Volume 16
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10.3390/en16186487
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Article

Study of Contact Pressure Distribution in Bolted Encapsulated Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell Membrane Electrode Assembly

by
Gui Ren
1,
Yanfeng Xing
1,*,
Juyong Cao
1,
Ying Wang
1,
Linfa Peng
2 and
Xuelong Miao
1
1
School of Mechanical and Automotive Engineering, Shanghai University of Engineering Science, Shanghai 201620, China
2
School of Mechanical and Power Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200030, China
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Energies 2023, 16(18), 6487; https://doi.org/10.3390/en16186487
Submission received: 14 August 2023 / Revised: 2 September 2023 / Accepted: 4 September 2023 / Published: 8 September 2023
(This article belongs to the Topic Thermal-Related Design, Application, and Optimization of Fuel Cells and Batteries)
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Abstract

The distribution of contact pressure on the Membrane Electrode Assembly (MEA) significantly affects the performance of a Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell (PEMFC). This paper establishes a PEM fuel cell model to investigate the impact of bolt load and its distribution, sealing gasket hardness, and size on the magnitude and distribution of contact pressure on the MEA during assembly. Thermal–mechanical coupling is employed to simulate the thermal effects resulting from chemical reactions under operational conditions. The findings reveal that there is an extremum of pressure uniformity in the range of 5000 to 6250 N for bolt loads. When the average bolt load is lower than this extremum, altering the distribution of the load can effectively enhance the uniform distribution of contact pressure. Stiffer gaskets reduce the contact pressure on the MEA while increasing the pressure on the gasket itself, resulting in reduced deformation. A rational matching relationship among gaskets, Gas Diffusion Layers (GDLs), and seal grooves is proposed. During operational conditions, thermal effects decrease the sealing performance and also impact the magnitude and distribution of contact pressure on the MEA. These outcomes provide significant guidance for the assembly and performance evaluation of PEMFCs.
Keywords: proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC); membrane electrode assembly (MEA); contact pressure; thermal–mechanical coupling; bolt load; gasket proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC); membrane electrode assembly (MEA); contact pressure; thermal–mechanical coupling; bolt load; gasket

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MDPI and ACS Style

Ren, G.; Xing, Y.; Cao, J.; Wang, Y.; Peng, L.; Miao, X. Study of Contact Pressure Distribution in Bolted Encapsulated Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell Membrane Electrode Assembly. Energies 2023, 16, 6487. https://doi.org/10.3390/en16186487

AMA Style

Ren G, Xing Y, Cao J, Wang Y, Peng L, Miao X. Study of Contact Pressure Distribution in Bolted Encapsulated Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell Membrane Electrode Assembly. Energies. 2023; 16(18):6487. https://doi.org/10.3390/en16186487

Chicago/Turabian Style

Ren, Gui, Yanfeng Xing, Juyong Cao, Ying Wang, Linfa Peng, and Xuelong Miao. 2023. "Study of Contact Pressure Distribution in Bolted Encapsulated Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell Membrane Electrode Assembly" Energies 16, no. 18: 6487. https://doi.org/10.3390/en16186487

APA Style

Ren, G., Xing, Y., Cao, J., Wang, Y., Peng, L., & Miao, X. (2023). Study of Contact Pressure Distribution in Bolted Encapsulated Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell Membrane Electrode Assembly. Energies, 16(18), 6487. https://doi.org/10.3390/en16186487

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