Research on In-Plane Thermal Conductivity Detection of Fuel Cell Bipolar Plates Based on Laser Thermography.

The thermal properties of bipolar plates, being key elements of polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells, significantly affect their heat conduction and management. This study employed an innovative approach known as a heat flow loop integral method to experimentally assess the in-plane thermal conductivity of graphite bipolar plates, addressing the constraints of traditional methods that have strict demands for thermal stimulation, boundary or initial conditions, and sample size. This method employs infrared thermal imaging to gather information from the surface temperature field of the sample, which is induced by laser stimulation.

Thermo-electro-mechanical synergistic effect on the actuation performance of piezoelectric stack.

In a low-temperature environment, the actuation performance of the piezoelectric stack results from the synergic action of the thermo-electro-mechanical field; the actuation performance is influenced by the change in temperature, compressive preload, and excitation voltage. A special and novel instrumentation system is proposed and developed in this study to measure the relationship between the actuation performance of the piezoelectric stack and the change in temperature, preload, and voltage. The bending strain of the cantilever beam driven by the piezoelectric stack reflects its actuation performance, and the corresponding theoretical model is established to optimize the experimental conditions and maximize the strain and signal-to-noise ratio.