The importance of fuel cells, in which the chemical energy of hydrogen is converted into electrical energy, is currently growing rapidly. A key component are bipolar plates (BPP), which ensure both the electrical connection and the defined gas distribution, cooling and sealing within the cell. However, the high cost of these plates is a major obstacle to the economic production of fuel cells and thus to broad market penetration. Established cold forming processes are unsuitable for the cost-effective production of large quantities due to the very low material thicknesses (< 100 µm) required in the future.
This is precisely where the project comes in: the production of metallic BPP is to be completely rethought by means of hot forming, enabling market penetration.
As part of the project, a laboratory facility is therefore to be set up, based on a simulation, with which the forming of the BPP can be carried out at elevated temperatures (up to 1000°C).
Based on the lab-scale results obtained, the project also aims to design a corresponding scale-up concept and to identify future prospects for the Interreg programme area as part of a roadmap.
During the course of the project, BPPs were successfully produced using hot forming, thus implementing the project’s approach. However, it became apparent that material thinning or even cracking can occur at the edges of the channels. This process was replicated and explained with the help of simulations. Therefore, the next goal is to remedy this problem using a two-stage hot forming process. In addition, simulations are being carried out to test the use of ferritic stainless steels as a more cost-effective and low-nickel alternative to the austenitic materials used to date. These could not only reduce costs, but also facilitate forming at high temperatures.
