Topology Optimization for Uniform Flow Distribution in Electrolysis Cells

TL;DR

This paper develops a topology optimization method for bipolar plates in hydrogen electrolysis cells, aiming for uniform flow distribution, incorporating a novel smoothing technique for manufacturable shapes, supported by numerical results.

Contribution

It introduces a new topology optimization model with a smoothing technique for fluid velocity, enhancing manufacturability and flow uniformity in electrolysis cell components.

Findings

Optimized shapes achieve more uniform flow distribution.

The smoothing technique improves manufacturability of the designs.

Numerical results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method.

Abstract

In this paper we consider the topology optimization for a bipolar plate of a hydrogen electrolysis cell. We present a model for the bipolar plate using the Stokes equation with an additional drag term, which models the influence of fluid and solid regions. Furthermore, we derive a criterion for a uniform flow distribution in the bipolar plate. To obtain shapes that are well-manufacturable, we introduce a novel smoothing technique for the fluid velocity. Finally, we present some numerical results and investigate the influence of the smoothing on the obtained shapes.