Annals of the Assembly for International Heat Transfer Conference 13

ISBN 1-56700-225-0 / CD 1-56700-226-9

Year 2006

Kazuyoshi Fushinobu
Department of Mechanical Engineering and Science, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Meguro-ku, Tokyo, Japan

D. Takahashi
Tokyo Institute of Technology, Meguro-ku, Tokyo, Japan

T. Miura
Tokyo Institute of Technology, Meguro-ku, Tokyo, Japan

Ken Okazaki
Department of Mechanical Engineering and Science, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Tokyo 152-8552 Japan

Feasibility and the design parameter effect of micromachined metallic thin film GDLs (gas diffusion layers) for PEFCs (polymer electrolyte fuel cells) are examined. Titanium thin film is used in the present work due to its endurance under cell operation. Single cell characteristics under various humidification and cell temperature are examined to show the importance of operation conditions. Impact of design parameters such as through-hole diameter, through-hole patterning and the thin film thickness have been investigated to show the parameter dependence, and the present GDL showed better performance than commercial GDL by adjusting the design parameter. Possible high performance with design optimisation is expected.. The GDL is also expected to be a novel tool for rigorous modeling of overpotential factors.

ENR-10 pages DOI: 10.1615/IHTC13.p24.100 Download article

Article price - $35.00

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