Research on the in-plane temperature distribution in a PEMFC stack integrated with flat-plate heat pipe under different startup strategies and inclination angles

摘要

Thermal behavior plays an important role in the application of a proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) stack. Flat-plate heat pipe (FPHP) is proposed as an alternative cooling device in this study. Compared with conventional liquid-cooled PEMFC stack, PEMFC-FPHP stack needs less parasitic power for auxiliary system and provides a uniform temperature field. A PEMFC-FPHP stack was fabricated, assembled and tested. The experimental result shows that FPHP successfully delivers heat from the stack to surroundings. A more even in-plane temperature uniformity of cell unit is observed as load increases. The transient and stable in-plane temperature field of cell unit are influenced by startup strategy and gravity. In addition, direction of improvement for future work is given.