New inverse design method accelerates fuel cell development

Toyota Research Institute of North America (TRINA) has developed a new simulation-driven inverse design methodology to accelerate the research and development process for fuel cell flow field plates. The methodology sets key performance objectives and directs algorithms to generate structural flow field forms that fulfill those objectives. The TRINA team engineered this approach by integrating the COMSOL Multiphysics software into its inverse design workflow.

“We think that the inverse design approach can revolutionize current design practice,” said Yuqing Zhou, a research scientist at TRINA. “We are enabling the next step in a long journey, even though we cannot know exactly where that journey will lead.”

The team at TRINA applied its method to the design of flow field microchannel plates, which direct the movement of fluid reactants in microreactors like hydrogen–oxygen fuel cells.

A metal flow field plate prototype.
This metal flow field plate prototype is based on one of the TRINA team’s generated designs.

TRINA is part of a large network of Toyota R&D teams that are working toward the development of a “hydrogen society,” where fossil fuel-burning engines, heating systems, and generators would be replaced by fuel cells that extract electric current from hydrogen.

“Fuel cell technology has the potential to provide clean energy globally,” said Margaret Lemus, VP of marketing at COMSOL. “To achieve this, the technology needs to become more efficient, and optimizing the designs is an important step. It’s exciting to see how simulation empowers researchers to explore different options and make informed decisions that can lead to more efficient fuel cell designs.”

Optimizing designs for flow, reaction, or both

During their research, Zhou and his colleagues recognized that they needed to optimize their design process before they could optimize their designs.

“We were seeking an efficient way of approximating what a more complex simulation would show. We have sacrificed some modeling complexity, which actually enables us to explore more elaborate designs in less time,” said Zhou.

When their design was optimized for fluid flow, the generated microchannel paths were straight and parallel, with little side branching. When the weighting factors in the objective function were adjusted to prioritize reaction uniformity, the method generated intricate microchannel forms.

Four COMSOL Multiphysics simulation results.
These simulation results from the TRINA team’s model show the pressure distributions resulting from four different microchannel flow field designs.

In a research paper, published in Chemical Engineering Journal, the TRINA team also notes that some have previously experimented with natural-looking, fractal, or hierarchical forms selected a priori for flow field channels.

“This is the first time that such large-scale branching flow fields have been discovered using an inverse design approach without assuming prescribed layouts,” said Zhou.

Toyota’s journey to developing fuel cells is discussed in further detail in the COMSOL User Story Gallery and in a keynote talk from COMSOL Day: Batteries & Fuel Cells.

COMSOL
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Written by

Rachael Pasini

Rachael Pasini has a master’s degree in civil and environmental engineering and a bachelor’s degree in industrial and systems engineering from The Ohio State University. She has over 15 years of experience as a technical writer and taught college math and physics. As Editor-in-Chief of Engineering.com and Design World and Senior Editor of Fluid Power World and R&D World, she covers automation, hydraulics, pneumatics, linear motion, motion control, additive manufacturing, advanced materials, robotics, and more.