高温质子交换膜燃料电池电堆端板拓扑优化

Topology optimization of end plates of high-temperature proton exchange membrane fuel cell stack

以实现高温质子交换膜燃料电池单电池内部接触压力的均匀性与电堆内单电池之间接触压力的一致性为目的,建立了一种具有非线性接触边界条件的高温质子交换膜燃料电池电堆端板的拓扑优化模型.通过研究在一定工作温度下装配荷载对电堆内部接触压力的影响,并综合考虑端板的质量与制造难度,构建了一种适用于燃料电池电堆的简化模型.从基于热力耦合的有限元法出发,对燃料电池端板进行以最小质量为目标、最大应力为约束的拓扑优化,并在综合考虑结构形状与拓扑结果的基础上建立端板的几何模型.结果表明,拓扑优化得到的端板结构使电堆内部具有更均匀的接触压力,因此拓扑优化可以为端板的结构设计提供理论参考.

In order to achieve the uniformity of the internal contact pressure of a single cell in high-temperature proton exchange membrane fuel cell(HT-PEMFC) and the consistency of contact pressure between single cells in stack, a topology optimization model of the end plate of HT-PEMFC stack with nonlinear contact boundary conditions is proposed. By studying the influence of assembly load on the internal contact pressure of the stack at a certain operating temperature and considering the effect of the mass of the end plate and the manufacturing difficulty, a simplified model suitable for the fuel cell stack is constructed. Based on the finite element method of structure-thermal coupling, topology optimization of the fuel cell end plate is conducted with the minimum mass as the target and the maximum stress as the constraint. After comprehensive consideration of structural shape and topological results, the geometric model of the end plate is established. The results show that the end plate structure obtained by topology optimization has a more uniform contact pressure inside the stack, so topology optimization can provide a theoretical reference for the structural design of the end plate.