TY - JOUR
TI - Thermal management of high temperature polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells by using flattened heat pipes
AU - Sasiwimonrit Krerkkiat
AU - Chang Wei-Chin
JN - Thermal Science
PY - 2021
VL - 25
IS - 4
SP - 2411
EP - 2423
PT - Article
AB - High temperature polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell is a clean energy conversion device that generates electricity directly from the electrochemical reaction. Since the working temperature is about 160°C, the heating and cooling mechanisms are critical factors to maintain the optimal working condition and prevent the cell from degradation. Simulation models of high temperature polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell were built for investigating the temperature distribution on the working area of fuel cells and temperature gradient across the stack. The ordinary method of heating by using heating pads and cooling by applying forced convection air was compared with the heat pipe heating and cooling technique. The results showed that heat pipe provided a more uniform temperature distribution and current density across the fuel cells stack. The temperature gradient of 0.214°C per cell during heating and 0.054°C per cell during cooling processes were observed. Meanwhile, only 0.44 mA/cm2 per cell of cur-rent density gradient was found.