CAD model and flow simulation of a fuel cell with integrated fiber sensor technology for surface temperature detection

Abstract

Fiber-optic sensors embedded in advanced and newly developed stainless steel bipolar plates, represent an opportunity for engineering with the potential to greatly enhance temperature control and the state of health of a hydrogen fuel cell. To optimize fuel cell performance and efficiency it is essential to understand the temperature distribution inside the cell. In this thesis the study of the behavior and viability of instrumenting polyimide-coated optical fiber sensors into a bipolar plate to monitor the temperature distribution inside a fuel cell stack was studied. The sensor was successfully integrated into the bipolar plate, which is a critical component in the fuel cell stack in direct contact with the membrane. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations were used to evaluate the impact of the sensor on flow distribution, pressure differences and velocity inside the flow channels. CFD results showed that the instrumentation of the sensor leads to higher pressure differences and intrusion to flow field behavior according to different velocities and temperature ranges in a still negligible percentage. A final instrumented physical prototype was developed to further validate the sensor’s effectiveness and viability of the concept on operating conditions. The findings of this research provide valuable insights into the further development of temperature monitoring techniques in fuel cell technology.